Scissors play a practical role in most lives, but in Connie Squires' hands they are implements of artistic performance. She has been snipping and cutting creatively for 25 years, making works of art from paper. Self-taught, Connie started with small simple ornaments and progressed to the complicated intricate designs she does today. She designs and prints her designs on card stock, parchment or rag paper that may be glued or stitched to create three dimensional pieces. After cutting the paper with an exacto knife or scissors she may tea stain it to add age and dimension.

Connie started doing silhouettes ten years ago, perfecting the art as she practiced on her grandchildren. Each year she shares her love for the craft by teaching elementary school students the history and demonstrating the art of silhouette cutting followed by the students making a silhouette of each other as she does the rest of the class. Silhouettes can also be easily made from a photograph either mailed or emailed.

To further expand her craft she started cutting pictures of her friend's homes. She requests a photograph, makes a drawing from it, then cuts it out of rag or parchment paper, followed by tea staining, if desired. Patrons have taken a special interest in her cuttings of historical structures.