The Latest Original Folk Art by PJ Rankin Hults & John Hults
There are websites that may have artwork created by Pam (P.J. Rankin Hults) but most are reproductions. This is the authentic site for P.J. Rankin Hults Folk Art and all artwork on this site is original or designs created by Pam. Any artwork that is a print will be noted as a Print clearly in the title.
PJ Rankin Hults’ Original Hand Painted Paper Cuttings
— All artwork handmade by Pam in her Lititz, PA Studio —
Custom Handmade Frames by John Hults
— All frames made in John’s workshop in Lititz, PA —
Email John with specific requirements (width x length, color, graining style, glass or no glass, etc.). He will respond with any questions and/or quote for frame(s)
Hand painted paper cuttings, a blend of Fraktur and Scherenschnitte, with a bit of whimsy.
The art tradition was founded in Switzerland and Germany in the 16th century and was brought to Colonial America in the 18th century by Swiss and German immigrants who settled primarily in Pennsylvania. Originally, this style of paper cutting was performed using scissors, while Pam prefers using sharp craft knives for a more precise cut.
Pam’s original designs are blending the traditional 18th and 19th Pennsylvania German arts of Fraktur and Scherenschnitte, with a bit of whimsy. These hand painted paper cuttings are a combination of scissor cutting, watercolor, pen and ink on hand dyed paper.
The finished artwork is displayed in traditional grained frames, hand grain painted and waxed, by her husband John, in their Lititz, PA studio. Their artwork has been selected by Early American Life magazine, Directory of Traditional American Crafts, in 2009 and again in 2019. In the autumn of 2022, the quarterly magazine Balance from LNP|LancasterOnline featured a cover story feature on Hults Folk Art.
You can find out more about Pam and John by visiting our About Us page.
Hand Painted Paper Cuttings /Fraktur and Scherenschnitte
Scherenschnitte means “scissor cuts” in German, is the art of paper cutting design. The artwork often has rotational symmetry within the design, and common forms include silhouettes, valentines, and love letters. It’s a true folk art that has been employed by all ages and has captured the imagination of contemporary artists as well.
Fraktur is a highly artistic and elaborate illuminated folk art created by the Pennsylvania Dutch, named after the Fraktur script associated with it. Many Fraktur were created between 1740 and 1860. Fraktur folk art is colorful, highly artistic and frequently elaborate illuminated folk art executed in ink and watercolor usually on paper.
While Pennsylvania residents are often exposed to these art forms, there are many parts of the USA unfamiliar with these beautiful art forms. From a young age, students learned these art forms in school and talented folk artists created Scherenschnitte and Fraktur art to commemorate weddings, baptisms and births. As German and Dutch families migrated into the rest of the USA, more and more communities were able to share this beautiful and folksy art.
As we create our art at Hults Folk Art, we hope you’ll appreciate the beauty it affords today as much as it did in the 18th and 19th centuries.
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