Sea Salt & Samphire is owned by me, paper artist and designer, Lindsey Hills. I live in a lovely old house in Chalkwell, Essex.
Where I live and work inspired my name. I’m very lucky to have a view of the Thames Estuary and Two Tree Island from my studio at the top of the house. I can smell the salty sea air when I crack open the window and samphire grows abundantly on Two Tree Island.
Handmade and original
All my paper art and related items are my own original, copyrighted designs.
Unlike mass-produced paper cut art available many in high street stores, I don’t use a laser cutter to cut the paper. All my paper artwork is painstakingly and skilfully cut by my own hand using a surgical scalpel. This makes each piece unique.
The Process
I initially sketch the design in pencil, before tracing in reverse onto the cutting paper.
If a design involves a lot of colours, I sometimes I ‘mock-up’ the design digitally to get a better idea of how the colours will work together.
Depending on the size and complexity, a cut can take anything from 30 minutes to several hours, or even days, to complete.
I change to a fresh blade roughly every 10 minutes. I use a glass cutting mat, rather than self-heal, so this along with the paper dulls the blade quite quickly.
My preferred paper weight range is 100 – 160gsm and my preferred blades are Swann Morton 11 and Swann Morton 15a.
Quality Materials
Paper is such a delicate medium. I use high quality, acid free paper for my paper art which prolongs the longevity of the artwork over time.
In fact all the materials I use, including glues for infilling and collage work, are acid free.
I use bespoke, handmade real wood frames to frame my artwork as I believe this adds to the quality and uniqueness of my work.
I buy my frames from an independent framer in the UK who also runs her own small business.
