Mellie Lane

Although I never intended it, over the years I seem to have become known for my hand-cut work. I have always been fascinated by buildings, especially those which pre-date 1900. I love a skyline and the relationship between the old and the new, the shapes on the horizon and the play of light. The fenestration of a building making it instantly dateable, but the wonder of what went before. Doors and spaces between buildings, passageways, clock towers, cupolas, beams and wonky buildings, we have a wealth of these in the UK. I like to capture a sense of intrigue, exploration and age - the steps that people have taken before us and how they constructed and dwelled. I use a surgeon’s scalpel or a Stanley knife to cut, starting with no fixed idea, building and travelling along the paper to see where the knife takes me.

 

One of my other interests is altering books. I like taking a book which is no longer fit for purpose and creating something new, be it by chopping it up, folding it, making papier mache, ripping and tearing and adding my own work or using it to make a new sculpture. It is such fun!

 

I love nature and wildlife - they are an important part of my everyday life. Therefore, I like to put as much of nature into my work as possible. I truly believe we are blessed in the UK to have such diversity in our seasons, and in my work I love to capture the feeling of each season and the effect it has on nature.