In a previous post I wrote about my own “discovery” of Lotte Reiniger and her pioneering work in film animation using scenes and characters made out of paper. Her most famous work, the first full length animated motion picture, Prince Achmed, is available on DVD at the Saskatoon Public Library. I found it one day while looking for something else, and my life, as is often the case when one is affected by a powerful story, has never been the same. I purchased a print from the film through the British Film Institute, and it is at arm’s length from me as I sit and type this on my laptop. The story of Lotte Reiniger’s life and work is a fairy tale in and of itself.

And now I have serendipitously “discovered” another astonishing paper artist.

Béatrice Coron tells stories informed by life. Her own life colors her work: after briefly studying art at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts of Lyon, and Mandarin Chinese at the Université of Lyon III, Coron experienced life with a series of odd jobs. She has been, among others, a shepherdess, truck driver, factory worker, cleaning lady and New York City tour guide. She has lived in France (her native country) , Egypt and Mexico for one year each, and China for two years. She moved to New York in 1985, where she reinvented herself as an artist.

Ms. Coron weaves a wonderful tale through and about her chosen medium in the following presentation.