Walking, Noticing, Creating: Leslie Goldman, SKETCH PAD Artist in Residence

As Leslie Goldman settles into her residency at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod’s SKETCH PAD, the studio has already begun to shift into a space of quiet contemplation and focused artistic inquiry. From now through December 21, 2025, visitors to our Hyannis campus can witness her meditative process firsthand as she transforms paper, wire, and natural inspiration into delicate, thoughtful works rooted in observation and movement. Known for her intricate papercuts and organic wire-and-paper sculptures, Goldman brings a practice deeply informed by walking, noticing, and the subtle rhythms of the natural world. Throughout her time with us, she will not only continue developing new work but will also welcome the community into her process through workshops, open studio hours, and conversations about the intersections of body, environment, and art.

When you meet someone and they find out you are an artist, and they ask the inevitable question—“What kind of art do you make?”—how do you answer?

I make papercuts and wire and paper sculptures is my answer. Sometimes I’ll try to explain because most people don’t really know what papercutting is, but it’s really what it sounds like, cut paper.

What do your creations look like to you?

The papercuts are abstract interpretations of botanical forms–flowers, leaves, seeds, etc. They look like delicate line drawings but with more dimension. The sculptures are also like line drawings, but in three-dimensions.

Is there a message behind your work?

My work is about the beauty and temporality of life. It’s based on the connection between my body and my environment. My practice includes walking and noticing the plant life where I walk. Sometimes I just take photos, but sometimes I collect leaves or seed pods that are left on the ground (I never take materials off a live plant or off private property). Sometimes I incorporate paper bags into my work that I have received after purchasing items, referencing my own consumption and use of resources which I also see as part of my relationship to my environment. The work itself has a delicate quality, mirroring both the beauty of the world while also reflecting its finite quality.

Tell us about why you feel the need to make work in general. When did you start, and why?

I love to walk and to dance, but there was a stage in my life when I could not do either in the way I was used to. This brought up all sorts of feelings about aging and the frailty of the human body. As a result, my earlier papercut work was based on the anatomy of the hip and spine. As I was able to walk more and more, I incorporated my walking practice into my work and was drawn to the plant life and the visible cycle of growth, decay and renewal that played out day after day and month after month, walking around the same neighborhoods over and over. Something about the process of papercutting, the repetitive motion of it, the direct use of my body as part of making, and the resulting ephemerality of the work reflects what I see and experience.

Tell us about your creative process.

Besides walking, my process relies heavily on drawing. If using colored paper, I use acrylic inks. I then draw on the reverse of the paper, preferably from life but sometimes from photographs that I’ve taken. I map out some areas that will stay solid and then start cutting. I use a simple craft knife. While I do some planning, there is also room for improvisation, and I adjust my plans as I go. After creating several cuts, I play with combining them and then use foam on the back of stretched canvas so that I can use pins to hold the papercuts away from the surface, allowing for the addition of shadows.

What does color mean to you in your work?

I use colors that relate to my source imagery; it’s rather literal but not completely.

Do you have any personal goals concerning the future of your works?

I would like to find a way to translate my work to a more permanent material so that I can create outdoor sculptures. I’d also like the opportunity to do more large-scale indoor installations and create meditative environments.

Open studio tours are available by appointment at SKETCH PAD (50 Pearl St. Hyannis, MA) - feel free to arrange with Leslie via email: lgoldman718@gmail.com