Ever since seeing the world’s first animated movie, “The Adventures of Prince Achmed” (1926), I’ve been amazed by the precise, patient craft of papercutting.

Papercutting looks like art turned inside out to show its beauty. An artist draws an image on paper—but in reverse (think stencils)—and then neatly slices through the stencil to produce an amazing piece of work.

The first images of papercutting (also called “silhouettes” and “stencil art”) I ever saw were at the  Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Solvang. The images were fanciful and whimsical.

In contrast, the artist Thomas Witte‘s papercutting is inspired by the world around him. He summons the beauty in a rundown garage, a subway scene, a street scene, an old map… His paper representation of the world is not just gorgeous, but he inspires you to see it from the inside.

Here’s a short video about Witte’s amazing artwork and inspiration. Enjoy!