Who is Bones?
Scissorbones is a weird name, I know. What can I say? I have a thing for the weird. Bones has been my lifelong family nickname, bestowed upon me by my sister Tommi when I was a child (sometimes amended into Bonehead, but in an endearing way I promise). Scissorbones grew out of that and, well, the fact that I hand cut the “bones” from old stuff to make it into new stuff.
I’m an artist just now finding my vision and voice in the second half of my fifties. What can I say? At least I’m in good company—Mary Delany didn’t get going until her 70s. I’ve been at it for a couple of years now and people keep asking me to show/sell my pieces. I have resisted on the basis of “nobody’s gonna want my stuff,” but enough buzz has been happening that I can’t drown it out anymore with all the self-doubt.
Here’s What I Do
I make original collages by hand using scissors, glue, and a willingness to follow what found images want to say and how they choose to play together. I listen and glue when the tension feels right. I’d like to say everything I do is deliberate, but my pieces are often full of surprises I just didn’t argue with because they clearly knew something I did not. I’m interested in these moments when control loosens enough for something better to slip through, in art and in life. And I’m learning to trust it. My aim is to repurpose familiar imagery to explore contemporary concerns, turning nostalgic materials into visual narratives that feel current, personal, and sometimes a little irreverent.
I also make handmade one-of-a-kind collage cards that I sell locally at maker’s marts. I call that line Yesterday’s Mail. Currently, I do not sell these online or ship them.
About the Art
The ephemera that make up my collages are often from vintage books, catalogs, and magazines. Some of these found papers are quite delicate or fragile. I embrace wrinkles, tears, and other “imperfections” as a valued part of the desired aesthetic in a hand-cut and placed collage. I also sometimes use a tape transfer method to overlay what I call phantom images on a collage, which gives those pieces a more varied mixed-media aesthetic and texture.
I use archival-quality glue(s) and fixatives—specialized finishing products designed to protect artwork from smudging, UV fading, further wrinkling/tearing, and environmental degradation, supporting preservation.
Most of my pieces are offered unframed and all are mounted on heavy stock, archival-quality watercolor paper unless otherwise noted. This is mixed media primarily using paper, which means works that remain unframed are susceptible to damage if not cared for well.
I use a consistent linear‑inch pricing structure that reflects the size, time, materials, and process behind each piece. Framing, when included, is reflected as an increase in the total price. Prints of my original collage works are priced individually based on their dimensions and the total number of prints in the edition.
Many (most?) of the titles of my pieces are borrowed from literature, film, and other cultural references. It makes me happy when someone recognizes where it’s from and how it’s connected to the piece.
