As much as I adore color (and that’s a lot), sometimes, the absence of color can be truly moving and profound. Cut paper artist Sara Burgess manages to make magic with just creamy plain paper and an amazing imagination. Her cut paper work is about the negative and the positive spaces; she creates entire worlds out of a single sheet of paper. And the fact that her pieces are monochrome somehow adds to their depth. It makes you focus on the complexity of Burgess’s vision and the patience it must have taken to get there.

“Despite working with a single color and layer, I feel that a dimensional, colorful world emerges, and the viewer is invited to explore and be immersed in each piece. ”

– Sara Burgess

Burgess does all her paper cutting by hand – no lasers or punches for her. I can’t imagine how much her hands must hurt at the end of the day. It must be a true labor of love.

You can see all of Sara Burgess’s amazing work on her website and on Instagram.

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Pop up. This part of the book pops up to show the Center on Halsted in Chicago. A space so thoughtfully designed to serve the community. #papercut #popupbook #popup #areyoubookenough #centeronhalsted #gensler #architecture #papercuttingart #paperart #bookarts #handmadebook #paperartistcollective #handcutpaper #notlasercut #bayareaartist #paperlove #center-on-halsted

A post shared by Sara Burgess (@saraburgessstudio) on Jul 14, 2020 at 12:19pm PDT

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Another spread from the book I just finished. The book was received at its new home today. They are very happy with it, which thrills me. The project commemorates a special birthday and features a favorite project the recipient worked on. Such a pleasure creating this book. It tells beautiful stories for wonderful people. #papercut #worksonpaper #bookarts #architecture #bookbinding #paperartistcollective #papercutartist #centeronhalsted #gensler #handcutpaper #editionofone

A post shared by Sara Burgess (@saraburgessstudio) on Jul 13, 2020 at 8:51pm PDT

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Break. My book for this months #areyoubookenough prompt. Sadly much does feel broken at this moment in time. #areyoubookenough_break #bookarts #papercut #papercutartists #abstractart #texture #shadow #worksonpaper #paperlove

A post shared by Sara Burgess (@saraburgessstudio) on May 30, 2020 at 8:17am PDT

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Getting ready to hang this work on Monday morning. #paperart #cutpaper #handcut #shadow #artistsoninstagram #paperartistcollective #art #exhibition #arteveryday #happynewyear #2020 #woodsidepriory #portolavalley

A post shared by Sara Burgess (@saraburgessstudio) on Jan 4, 2020 at 5:28pm PST

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Mechanical Menagerie for the #areyoubookenough challenge. I so enjoyed working on this. It has been the perfect distraction. You might have noticed that the back cover hasn’t been attached as I plan to add more animals. My 7 year old has requested a pangolin. I’m going to add a little video later which will better illustrate the moving parts. Thank you @inkandawl for the wonderful distraction from the state of things. . . . #areyoubookenough_machine #artistsoninstagram #bookarts #steampunk #bookartist #cutpaper #papercut #paperart #handmade #paperartistcollective #machineanimals #bookartist #mixedmedia #paperlover #archeswatercolorpaper #artistsbooks #bayareaartist #machine #popupbook

A post shared by Sara Burgess (@saraburgessstudio) on Apr 30, 2020 at 9:56am PDT

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This is the second piece in this series. It feels good to do something familiar and known when everything else is so out of order. #30dayartquarantine #shelterinplace #art #cutpaper #cutpaperart #paperlove @paperartistcollective #arteveryday #papercut #arthelps #slowdown #papercuttingart #marchmeetthemaker2020 #ocean #natureinspires

A post shared by Sara Burgess (@saraburgessstudio) on Mar 18, 2020 at 1:27pm PDT

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“Opened up and raring to go by Easter”. #wip #goodgrief #30dayartquarantine #cutpaper #papercut #papercutting #paperlove #shelterinplace #paperarts @paperartistcollective #covid_19 #art #arteveryday #exponential #papercuttingart #paperlove #shadow

A post shared by Sara Burgess (@saraburgessstudio) on Mar 29, 2020 at 9:58pm PDT

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Morning light details. #white #paperlove #stricklypaper #paperartistcollective #shadow #light #paperlove #paperartist #papercutting #workshoponsunday #cutpaper #madebyhand

A post shared by Sara Burgess (@saraburgessstudio) on Nov 23, 2019 at 10:33am PST

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Rise. Available – link in bio. www.saraburgessstudio.com #papercut #handcutpaper #shadow #paperart #paperartist #meditation #balance #paperartistcollective #schoolofjojotastic #isolation #30dayartquarantine #abstract #affordableart #worksonpaper #interiordesign

A post shared by Sara Burgess (@saraburgessstudio) on May 29, 2020 at 10:53am PDT

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Day 43/100. Dashiell and the Fog Dragon. Finished. #the100dayproject #papercut #cutpaper #illustration #madebyhand #the100dayproject2019 #notlasercut #storytime

A post shared by Sara Burgess (@saraburgessstudio) on May 22, 2019 at 4:30am PDT

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Little cut paper house. Because why not. So much more to do before it’s finished. #cutpaper #paper #byhand #details #inprocess

A post shared by Sara Burgess (@saraburgessstudio) on Oct 15, 2018 at 1:37pm PDT