Cynthia Hinkley
paper Cut out artist
Home studio: Saginaw, MN
What is CindraArt?
"Cindra" came to me in a dream. When I woke up I knew this was to be the name of what I do; the description of this art that comes from my heart space.
The story art I make, with its simplicity of expression, is a great addition to the walls of nurseries, children's rooms, pediatric floors, veterinarian clinics...any place that celebrates family intimacy, mother and baby, and true community life.
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
I grew up in Minnesota with four siblings, and we were always making stuff or playing outside. My grandmother was a pastel landscape artist. When we visited her in Duluth, we drew and painted on the back of butcher paper. She loved sending cards all over the world and I remember her telling me to make cards and sell them. One of the activities I liked best was to use scissors to cut shapes out of paper. I have a deep affinity and love for animals and nature and so by combining the two I started creating this art.
The day after I got my B.A. in Creative Writing in 2005, I began cutting out animal shapes in Japanese paper to make greeting cards. These were whimsical characters inspired from a joyful place in me. When grandchildren came along, I began making large wall art to hang in the kids’ rooms.
Each piece is created from something I envision in my mind, from something I see in the world, or from a feeling. Common themes in my art are connection, relationships, family, mother and baby, and community, depicted through animals. I have done three solo exhibitions with the theme “Connections.” I want to help people feel connected to themselves and to the world; to open to the joy and whimsy in their own hearts. To me, that’s the best healing there is.
"I love animals and nature.
I look for the outlines in every living thing."