With snips of her silver scissors, out of rectangles of paper and within just a few minutes, Megumi cuts out your guests' portraits, in profile (shadow). Rest assured you are in an understanding and safe pair of hands, as she maintains the highest quality of artistry throughout the engagement.
Megumi's portrait painter's eye and outstanding hand co-ordination, enables her to produce extremely fine and detailed silhouettes which are something of a rarity on the contemporary art scene. These beautifully handcrafted cameos (traditionally in black) are mounted onto presentation cards which are then handed over to the guests as mementos of your event.
Megumi is a highly talented artist from Japan, a country well-known for its outstanding arts and crafts which have a very long history and are highly appreciated worldwide for their fine technical qualities and beauty. She is widely regarded as the finest silhouette cutter entertaining in the country today - a unique and highly personalised touch to any occasion.
Megumi's warm, charming and good-humoured personality combined with her exquisite silhouette artistry works in any social situation. She always leaves a memorable impression on guests for a long time after the occasion is over. The perfect icebreaker for any celebration or prestigious venue!
Megumi was born in Hokkaido, Japan and from a young age has had a longstanding interest in painting, paper cutting/crafting, doll and flower making. While at high school, she studied oil painting under the private tuition of master painter, Professor Maruyama (a famous Japanese abstractionism artist). Due to Megumi winning many awards for her portrait and landscape painting, it was at Maruyama's recommendation; she became the youngest professional member of Japan's Artist Circle.
Megumi attended the Tokyo Visual Design Institute, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in illustration (super real illustration) and thereafter was employed by a prestigious Japanese advertising agency as a graphic designer and illustrator, winning major industry awards.
For recognition of her paper craft artistry, in 1982, Megumi received Honourable Mention Awards from the All Japan Handcraft Art Exhibition, held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. Shortly afterwards she was headhunted by a well-known Tokyo based handmade paper company to be their consultant of textile design. It was during this time Megumi encountered a company of Japanese kamikiri performers and learned the art of freehand paper-cutting (including silhouettes) as a means of entertainment.
In 1984, Megumi met and married her English husband Steve Biddle (Magic Circle Magician and Author). Upon starting her new life in England began to design items for television, feature films and major advertising campaigns. Megumi is a highly regarded illustrator in the world of publishing creating books for children and adults on behalf of Penguin Books, Random House, Barefoot Books and David & Charles. One of her bestselling publications, Origami Inspired by Japanese Prints, produced by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, was on the New York Times book list for ten weeks. She has made inroads into the international marketing scene and her publications are available worldwide.
Since 1986, and working alongside her partner, she has introduced silhouette cutting to the corporate market and private hospitality world, so making it a popular form of entertainment (thereby opening the door to other artists). To this very day, Megumi is one of just a few artists who continue to promote the tradition of creating elegant silhouettes.
Megumi's amazing artistry, extraordinary speed and hypnotic dexterity will dazzle onlookers, as she creates (without any guidelines) beautiful, detailed silhouettes that linger in their minds, personalized works of art which they will take away and treasure for ever.
Based near London, but able to travel, I am always delighted to hear from my Clients – past, present and future and want to make contacting Silhouettes by Megumi as easy as I can. Therefore, please give me as much information as possible about your event when you email via the contact form below.
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