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Waltraude Stehwien

Waltraude Stehwien (b. 1931 Halle, Germany) is an artist whose first step on her career path was to learn the ancient art of puppetry in her father's marionette theatre. From an upbringing surrounded by the study and practice of art, Waltraude went on to study stage design and graphic arts at the art academy in Halle. This trained her to switch readily between two and three dimensional planes, which she did throughout her varied career in puppetry and graphic arts. After retirement, Waltraude returned to her love of another unique art, that of scissor cutting – the German Scherenschnitt (Schere = Scissor, Schnitt = Cut). Using this method, she has created a wide variety of designs, illustrations and even logos, and is regularly called upon to give workshops in this unique art form. Most recently, she has challenged herself to explore the beauty and vastness of the Canadian prairies and other familiar landscapes. The linear perspectives and often starkly contrasting winter scenes have inspired Waltraude to depict these vistas on paper. Expansive rural Canadian landscapes can evoke intense feelings, which she conveys to the viewer with only a pair of scissors and a single sheet of black specialty paper. To read more about Waltraude’s evolving art practice and recent publications, please visit the Waltraude Stehwien blog.