This month, we will delve into paper-cutting holiday stars, with artist Jason Koons!

Hello, I am Jason Koons – a paper cutter, illustrator and art educator.  It is hard for me to believe, but through these various artistic ventures, I have been involved with the art making process for close to 20 years.  All of my imagery is original, and all of my papercuts are hand drawn and hand cut.  I find inspiration in pretty much everything – however, I currently find myself producing work that centers on geometry, nature, or pattern study.

When I am not moonlighting as a paper cutter, I am working full time as a high school art teacher in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.  I currently teach drawing and painting at both an introductory and intermediate level, and in the past, I have instructed at the Advanced Placement level.  I love teaching and I am lucky to have had the opportunity to help many of my students develop, further, and achieve their artistic goals.

Artist Statement
I am a process driven artist that likes to cut paper by hand. I like the act of pulling a blade through paper because it allows me to feel resistance and control in a simultaneous way.  When I approach a new artwork I am primarily trying to create the most challenging and satisfying physical cutting experience; sometimes my cuts are driven by line work and drawing, but many times my cuts are intuitive and unplanned. As a result, I tend to explore or create natural subject matter that is dense, complex and tangled.  

Art from Jason Koons

Learn how to upcycle old book pages and transform them into works of art in this workshop series.

We’ll be featuring different artists and techniques like origami, papier mâché, book folding, erasure poetry, paper cutting, flower pressing, shadow puppetry, and more!

Tell us where do your old books go! Email rsakr@ccls.org pictures of your projects!