Marc Schweizer

Paper cutting is a very traditional art in Switzerland. Some artists' work, dating back several hundred years, is very rare and highly valued in the art world. Swiss paper cuttings generally depict farming life, for example the animals going up and down the mountains or hunters chasing game. “I was born and raised in a small farming village in the heart of the Swiss Alps. My inspiration comes mostly from nature,“ says Marc Schweizer. He particularly likes to create very small, detailed renditions of both traditional and modern motifs. “It’s the graphic quality and balance between black and white that I focus on,” he says. "With paper cutting I have the possibility to do what I love most and see my ideas become reality.”

Miniature paper cuts are a speciality of Marc Schweizer’s. He uses a very thin paper, weighing only 40g per m2. The paper has a very fine texture that allows him to cut it precisely and in detail. Marc normally begins from a sketch of the layout and idea of the cut. He then digitises the sketch, reduces the size and prints it directly on the paper, keeping all the details. The cutting is all done by hand. He uses a knife with a very small blade and wears glasses with a 2.5 magnification. People often ask him how long it takes to finish a cut. This depends on the details and size of a cut. It can be between a few days and a couple of months. He often takes breaks in-between to relax his eyes and to be focused again. Sometimes he can work for 12 hours straight in a single day, and sometimes only 2 hours.

Marc currently holds the unofficial record for the smallest paper-cut tree. His personal, specific style includes very small and detailed renditions of traditional to modern motifs. He was born and raised in a small farming village in the heart of the Swiss Alps, influencing his inspiration, which mostly comes from nature. Marc likes to work with traditional themes and to create them in a new light. It is the graphic quality and balance between black and white that he focuses on the most.

Magnae Chartae Exhibition