Elise Wehle studied art at Brigham Young University in Utah, but it wasn’t until she took a break from school and lived in Spain for a year that she understood what type of art she wanted to create. Surrounded by the patterns that cover AndalucÃa, Wehle began using similar patterns within her own work. Yet, it was the Alhambra, a Moorish palace covered in intricate, hand carved patterns, that influenced Wehle the most. She states, “My mind can hardly comprehend how men achieved such intricacy with a simple chisel. Although paper is very different from stone, that’s what paper cutting is like for me. It’s tedious, time-intensive, and at times both mind-numbing as well as finger-numbing, but the evidence of my commitment and passion for my art imbues itself into each cut out shape.â€
