Tanya Hastings
Manifest
paper cutouts
dimensions variable
2005

Tanya Hastings
Poppies Observed
Paper and acrylic paint
51" x 11" x 3"
2001

Tanya Hastings
The Seduction Series: Swirl, Surge, Squirt
Paper and acrylic paint
24" x 14" x 5" each
2002

Paper is a delicate barrier which protects and contains the many illusions of artistic space. Cutting into paper exposes these illusions and returns the paper to a medium in itself. In addition, the cutouts simultaneously create and reveal a dimension beyond the paper. Paper and paper cutouts are my chosen medium. I understand paper, and my work, as allegorically aligned with skin. The paper’s surface is the external covering for the illusionist space beyond. I understand this space to be fluid, changing and susceptible, as are the emotions under our skin. To amplify this, I hang my paper cutouts away from the wall and allow the space between to dance with shadows, light silhouettes and reflective color from the back of the paper. The simple lines and silhouettes cut into the paper multiply and mingle against the wall, continually in a state of reaction to light, atmosphere and air currents.bio