Notan Paper Cutting

This workshop introduces participants to the Japanese design concept of  Notan, the balance between positive and negative space. Using simple  paper cutting techniques, students will explore how light and dark shapes  interact to create striking, balanced compositions that transform through  symmetry, contrast, and silhouette. 

Schedule: to be announced

Course Fee: tba; see materials list below

Location: 23 N. Ferry Road

Registration: coming soon

What You'll Learn

Participants will design and cut their own paper artwork, allowing the  negative space to become just as important as the shapes themselves. 

Through this meditative and process-driven approach, the class  encourages experimentation, careful observation, and an appreciation for  the beauty that can emerge from simplicity.

No prior experience is  necessary, just a willingness to play with shape, space, and imagination.

Materials List

All materials included. No experience necessary, just bring your curiosity and willingness to play!

Meet Your Instructor

  • Nadia Sisley is a NYC-based artist and art educator, born and raised in New York  City, who has spent the last few summers on Shelter Island. She currently teaches  middle and high school art, where she is passionate about inspiring students to  think creatively, take artistic risks, and explore their own visual voice through a  wide range of materials and processes. 

    In her personal practice, Nadia creates illustrations and design-based prints while  continually exploring new mediums, including welding, woodworking, graphic  design, and collage. Her teaching combines strong artistic foundations with  experimentation and hands-on making, and she has developed units

    Deeply committed to the healing and expressive power of creativity, Susan creates work that is uplifting, hopeful, and rooted in human connection. She is passionate about bringing art into community spaces where it can offer comfort, inspiration, and a sense of shared experience.

    Her teaching style is warm, intuitive, and accessible, with a focus on experimentation, play, and meaningful expression.