My first design came out of a desire of the Broadmoor Community Church Arts Committee to do a Nativity Triptych (manger scene in three panels) to go behind the altar. I said “Let’s do a giant papercutting.” (I had seen some by Nancy Chinn at Grace Cathedral) The others looked at me strangely. “Do you know how to do that?” I replied “I think I can figure it out.”
We bought a roll of white butcher paper, four feet wide, 1,100 feet long. I figured I would never have to buy paper again. We laid two strips together and tape-welded them for an 8 foot square in the center, then cut two 4×8 foot tall strips, one for each side, for the three panels. We all stood around the panels, laid out on the floor of our Fellowship hall. I asked “Who wants to draw the shepherds?” (No response). “Who wants to draw the Magi?” (Again no response). I had planned to draw the Holy Family in the center, in the manger, so I stood at the base of that square and threw myself down on it. “Mary will go here.” I started drawing Mary, with her draped head and an opening to be cut out for her face, worked down to her shoulders, left space for the manger and continued her robe to her feet. Then I stood up and threw myself down again, this time hoisting a bit higher. “And here will be Joseph.” I drew him standing over the manger, again a simple face opening to be cut away, but this time with a beard. Finishing his robe, I drew the manger, with a halo to indicate the head of the baby within.
Our pastor said “I didn’t know you could do that!” I replied “Neither did I!” So the gift came full-blown. Participant Laurel drew the face and beard of one King so it looked like an hourglass. Everybody worked together to cut it. To weigh down the bottom edge, I glued on white fringe.
When we first lifted the central panel, the diagonal and almost horizontal lines of the star rays at its top caused it to sag horribly. We had to lay it back down on the floor, adjust everything into place, and use transparent tape “bridges” over the gaps about each 6 inches apart, in a line vertically, to hold it up. Already I was learning key rules of free-hanging papercuttings. We put a second layer of tape (sticky sides together) where the sticky part was exposed between areas of paper. (Later I learned to tape invisible fishlines up the back if I violated the need for vertical support.)
When we raised the three panels up on lines looped over the lights high behind the arch, we discovered an amazing thing. One of the bright lights cast a projection on the chancel wall behind it, of Mary’s face! What a blessing!
Three years later, for Advent of 1996, I had another opportunity to do a Nativity Triptych, this time for the Christian Church of Vacaville, requested by Pastor Su Schlagel. Of course, their needed dimensions were different, and they wanted one aspect for each Sunday of Advent. In the interim, I had met Nancy Chinn and she had told me about Seamless Photo Background paper, which comes in 9 foot wide by 36 foot long rolls. We started with a single 7×8 foot panel called “Journey to Bethelehem”, cut from sandy tan-colored paper, showing Joseph leading a donkey with Mary on it, clearly carrying Jesus.
Many aspects of this design were meaningful. The donkey is going uphill (like many of us). Joseph has the donkey on a loose leash, showing that the donkey is a willing partner in the journey, and if the donkey represents the physical carrier of our spiritual selves, like our physical body, it is good when it is a partnership, when the physical part is cooperating and empowering the spiritual. Joseph’s gaze is focused on the road ahead of them, on the donkey’s footing, to protect his beloved Mary from harm. Mary is blithely looking up, focused on something far larger to come. Their possessions are packed behind her, propping her up. How wonderful if our possessions could be a support, not a burden! Finally, the donkey’s tail is raised in an energetic celebration. In many times this design has been cut, people would complain about having to cut all the furry bits on the donkey, until they saw it hung up and loved to call him “Harry the donkey”.
As the trio arrived in Bethlehem they faced “No Room at the Inn” a second 5×7 foot panel with “Welcome Inn”, the ironic name of the inn supplied by Rev. Su, cut over the door. It was cut from tan paper, and a white sign on the door said “No Room”. A man huddles curled up in the lower right corner, locked out. This was a meaningful image related to the need for genuine welcome and inclusivity in the church.
The Holy Family panel of this set had to fit an architectural opening at the front of the Vacaville Christian Church, and we scaled the two side panels to make a set with the side panels a bit shorter. The Vacaville cutters were willing to double-cut (cut through my pattern plus two layers of seamless paper to create a second copy for my use.) Thus it was fortunate that the panels also fit at Broadmoor Community Church in San Leandro, my church home at the time.
In Advent, the next to show up was the Herald Angel, mine with a trumpet to summon the shepherds, to witness the glory of God’s love for all humankind, starting with the lowliest class, and the Shepherds to whom the angels sang.
My Flying Herald angel, 8 feet long from back foot to trumpet mouth, is one of my most popular patterns, and has been cut in about 25 churches nationwide. More about her in the Angels gallery.
The Holy Family panel is central, and has an open area in the manger into which a contrasting color copy of the Baby Jesus can be taped at the reading of the verse in the Christmas eve service, if so desired. A three year old little boy who had not had Sunday school or other religious exposure was caught standing entranced before a cutting of this baby in my daughter’s home. When asked what he saw, he said “It da baby Jesus!”
The whole triptych can be seen in Image 8, the Nativity with Herald, taken at Broadmoor that Christmas of 1996. Many churches have since cut copies from my patterns, with or without my personal presence, to visually adorn and enhance their Christmas season worship.
The church can choose when to include the Magi, which arrived later (Epiphany) in some texts, the traditional Manger scene being a conglomeration of the various renditions.
Instead of the traditional “Three Kings”, I decided to stretch people’s thinking by making one of the Magi a Wise Woman. People seemed to take her in stride…no complaints to my face. One of the Magi is pointing upwards to the star that guided them, whether implied or literal in the setting. I hope these cuttings have been rolled and stored for use in other years, hopefully not every year, but in alternation with other adornments.
The patterns for these Nativity panels have been used in many churches, with or without my presence, to fuel papercutting workshops and provide a meaningful visual reinforcement of Advent and Christmas worship themes.
