Bovey Lee is a talented artist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who creates wonderful cut paper art. She was born in Hong Kong and has been practicing Chinese calligraphy since the age of ten. She completed her BA in Fine Arts from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She moved to the States in 1993 as a painter and earned her Master in Fine Arts degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Later, she earned her second Master in Fine Arts in computer graphics and interactive media at Pratt Institute in New York. In 2000, she relocated to Pittsburgh where she created her first cut paper artwork in the summer of 2005.

Bovey's work comprises of perfect geometric patterns and explores the tension between man and the environment in  relation to power, sacrifice, and survival. According to her, "My recent work is informed by our precarious relationship with nature in the twenty-first century, i.e., what we do to the environment with our super machines and technologies and what nature does back to us in reaction."

Bovey herself hand cuts her work using a cutting mat, X-acto knife and blades on a sheet of Chinese xuan (rice) paper backed with silk.

"My work is like drawing with a knife and is rooted in my study of Chinese calligraphy and pencil drawing. Cutting paper is a visceral reaction and natural response to my affection for immediacy, detail, and subtlety. The physical and mental demand from cutting is extreme and thrilling, slows me down and allows me to think clearly and decisively", Lee shares on her website.

Bovey has exhibited her work in museums all over the world and her cut paper art has been featured in over a dozen books. She has also worked for some big brands like Panasonic, The New York Times, Hugo Boss and many other.

To know more about Bovey we got in touch with her and here is what she has to say:

Happy reading!

1. Bovey, please introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an artist working with cut paper. I was born in Hong Kong and am currently based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

2. At the outset, I would like to compliment you on your website design which is very clean and responsive. What inputs did you give to your developers during the design and development stage?

Thanks. I design and maintain the Web site (www.boveylee.com). Since my work is quite intricate and complex, the Web site's overall interface, navigation, and color scheme need to be direct and simple.

While the design sets the tone, maintaining and updating the Web site to keep everything working, current, and accurate encourages users to re-visit and offers new viewers a perspective of my career's growth and trajectory.

Bovey Lee, Briefcase Vacation-Winter, cut paper, Chinese xuan paper on silk, 2012

Prior to cut paper, I practiced digital art for about ten years and just really missed working with my hands and the tactility of creative materials. With a background also in Chinese calligraphy and painting and drawing, I searched for a new medium that could incorporate my interests and skills, while it was something I had not done before. Circumstances led me to cut paper and I immediately realized how much it suited my personality and aesthetics.

4. From where do you draw the inspiration in choosing the object that you are going to illustrate?

I travel quite a bit and the disparate sceneries and landscape on the road often make themselves into my work. Cell phone towers oddly stand between long stretch of trees along the interstate, large flock of birds sitting on power lines after flight practices, over-sized construction equipment in the middle of a corn field are some of the images that illustrate man's awkward presence in nature.

Bovey Lee, Lifting Clouds, cut paper, Chinese xuan paper on silk, 2012

Bovey Lee, Power Plant-The Butterfly Dream, cut paper, Chinese xuan paper on silk, 2009

Chinese xuan paper is naturally exceptional in its properties, including mildew resistant and acid-free. It is made of mulberry tree bark fibers, a renewable material just like silk. Their eco-friendly and self-regenerative aspect is very important to me. On a more practical level, woven silk is very strong and having it lined the back of the otherwise fragile and diaphanous xuan paper allows the people that handle my work to breathe easier.

6. Tell us something about the methodology that you use to create your cut paper art? What tools do you use to create your cut paper art? (Please be as specific as you can be.)

My work is idea-driven so coming up with worthwhile ideas is the first step. In recent years, exploring urbanism and its impact on the environment has been the main focus. Through various series of cut paper, I examine how big machines, technology, and our way of life in the 21st century do to nature and what nature does back to us.

As far as process goes, once the idea is formed, I usually start putting the image together on the computer. When the digital image is completed, I print it out and place it on top of the rice paper to cut with.

My tools are simple: X-acto knife, blades, and cutting mat.

Bovey Lee, Vase-Re(location), cut paper, Chinese xuan paper on silk, 2013

Bovey Lee, Wingtip Racing, cut paper, Chinese xuan paper on silk, 2012

El Greco, Hieronymus Bosch, Andy Warhol, Maya Lin, Frank Lloyd Wright, Kara Walker, Xu Bing, Katsushika Houkusai, Sarah Sze, Do Ho Suh, and Qi Baishi are some of the artists that I like. It would be really amazing if I could collaborate with writer Haruki Murakami.

8. When you are not creating artwork what activities do you like to pursue? What do you find most relaxing?

I enjoy traveling and am a self-proclaimed foodie. I find yoga and mindless television to be equally relaxing but in very different ways.

Bovey Lee, Pulling Seashells, cut paper, Chinese xuan paper on silk, 2012

My future plans as an artist involve sustaining my career over the long haul and doing whatever it takes accordingly.

10. Being an artist yourself, what advice would you like to pass along to budding and aspiring artists?

I don't have any advice but just speak from experience. Resist to say yes when asked to work for free or for very little. Build a support team. Identify mentors. Learn the basics of business. Work tirelessly. Commit fully.

Thanks Bovey, for taking out the time and doing this interview with us. We'd like to wish you the very best for the future.

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