INRUSH detail, 2009

Exhibiting a work in the “Slash” show Pearlman, who received her BFA from Cornell, has always been intrigued by space, drawing, and the notion of the ephemeral. Over time her work has evolved into cut paper cloudscapes (like the one on view) that allow the viewer to exist for a short period of time in a familiar but forbidden world. Her materials are simple: paper, india ink, scissors, white tacks and white paper clips. Like performance art, each installation is unique and can’t be replicated. Their temporal quality adds yet another element to her already intriguing work. Pearlman sees her work as a balance between chance and control.

All the Blues of the World Scattered, 2006

In 2003 she began to create works she called “Breath Paintings” by blowing bubbles with tempera paint onto paper. She had no real control over the bubbles so she had to make whatever resulted work for her. Once the bubbles dried, she added to the composition with different colored pencils. It was later that she began to collect collect images from nature: clouds, cells, driftwood, and spiderwebs.

Cloudscape VIIII, 2005

From these images came graphite works that made her uncomfortable because they were too traditional. She began to cut collage-like shapes from her drawings and then would tack those to the wall. One morning she awoke to find that the paper had bent and curled which gave her the idea of creating installations of cut paper. Pearlman thinks of her installations as drawings in several dimensions.  She paints the image, cuts, sculpts, and then there is the added dimension of the shadows created on the wall by the work. 30-70 pieces of paper can be used in one installation. The works are fleeting just like the weather they represent.

Voluta, 2009

For just $195 people can have a work by Pearlman entitled Voluta for their own home. For more information please visit her website: http://www.miapearlman.com/CUT_PAPER/voluta.htm