"MAGPIE" Framed Papercut Stamp Art

Magpie 8"x10" framed papercut artwork
 
Highly intelligent birds, Magpies are black and white, with glossy iridescent feathers. In the same family as crows and ravens, the Magpie was seen as a potential omen. In John Brand's book Observations of Popular Antiquities (1780), he talks of the folktale around the number of Magpies that come by and the meanings of it: "One for sorrow, Two for mirth, Three for a funeral, And four for a birth" Known as the mischievous thieves of the bird kingdom, Magpies love to steal food and shiny objects to decorate their nests with. The next time you're having a picnic in the American mountains, keep an eye on the trees, a Magpie might well be watching you while it plots a way to steal your sandwich!
 
Part of the USA Postage Stamps Papercut Collection by John Miller a set of 12 papercut artworks celebrating USA postage stamps. This set of artwork was created by John Miller to bring attention to the USA postage stamps. Inspired by Tracy Walker's "Baby Wild Animals" set, John made a set of twelve designs, cutting sheets of paper by hand with an X-Acto knife. Once the initial set was completed, the designs were digitized and turned into cut files used for the final versions. Each 8"x10" artwork is built up of four to five layers of acid free, fade resistant papers cut and assembled with care by the artist. Cut with a Silhouette Cameo cutting machine, glued with Tombow Mono Aqua, and framed with lightweight acrylic, each piece is ready to hang.