William Oellers
Papercutting Artist
William "Bill" Oellers emigrated to the United States from Germany in 1952. He settled in Connecticut and worked as a Registered X-Ray Technologist at Manchester Memorial Hospital until his retirement as the Chief Technologist of the medical imaging department in 1988.
Using the radiographic process as a type of photography, Bill created "pictures" of many varieties of plants and flowers. These now permanently hang on the walls of the medical imaging department of the hospital.
It was after retiring and returning to Germany to live for four years that he began to pursue an interest in papercutting. A life-long interest in art and drawing, coupled with the work he had done using the black and white medium of the x-ray pictures, was inspirational in the creation of the papercuts he began to execute - it was a natural evolution.
Bill is completely self-taught in the medium and has become a master of this ancient art. He will often sketch an idea or inspiration as it comes to him or he will use one of the photographs that he has taken in order to capture an image. These become the basis for future works and can range from designs of utter simplicity to those of considerable complexity. Whatever the method he uses to spark an idea, it must be viewed in a totally new way because the finished work is cut out of a single and entirely connected piece of paper. This process requires a painstaking attention to detail and it is actually the recreation of a lost art. Few art forms require so little in the way of tools and yet allow the artist to create works of beauty.
Bill feels fortunate to have been given a "gift", as he calls it, and to be able to share this gift with others through exhibitions and sales. In the process he is reviewing the art of papercutting and joins with other artists who take pride in their skill and handiwork.
Many of his papercut pictures were first shown in exhibits at museums in Germany. Since his return to the United States his participation in exhibits has expanded to include galleries here. For two consecutive years he has been asked to bring his knowledge and skill in papercutting to students in the elementary schools. It is in these classes he explains the process of papercutting and involves the children in hands-on demonstrations which have been met with enthusiasm. He has broadened this area to include teaching papercutting techniques to adult groups.
Bill's art memberships include:
1995 - Present: The Guild of American Papercutters
1995 - Present: The Manchester Art Association
2004: Manchester Arts Commission "Arts Hall of Fame"
Bill's first papercut - the Neutor in Linz/Rhein, Germany, Bill's hometown!
This papercut was done in 1991.