Shanlie Wolter’s love of silhouettes began in early childhood, and she has been collecting antique silhouettes and cut-paper art since her teens. A self-taught silhouette artist, she began making her own shadow portraits in ink in 2010 before transitioning into the traditional cut-paper method.
She now works as a freehand silhouette artist in the traditional 18th-Century style. When creating a portrait her artistic eye and steady hand enable her to cut an intricate likeness of a sitter’s profile within just a few minutes. She travels throughout the Southeast, cutting portraits at re-enactments, educational events, modern retail shops, fine art festivals, and public and private events. She especially enjoys demonstrating her craft and sharing a brief history of early American portraiture with children on school field trips.
Wolter also sells her work through Silhouettes & Such, an online shop where customers can purchase gift certificates and order her hand-cut silhouettes by submitting a photograph.
She has a professional background in art education and human services. She lives on a small homestead in the woods of rural Alabama with her husband, two daughters, and a menagerie of pets and farm animals.
Artisans wishing to participate in the 2021 Directory of Traditional American Crafts™ may download applications by clicking here. Because of the uncertainty of mail delivery caused by the Pandemic, we have extended the deadline for entries. We will accept entries postmarked by February 15, 2021. Those selected will be notified after judging in April, 2021. The 2021 Directory of Traditional American Crafts™ will appear in the August 2021 issue of Early American Life.
1,991 days until America's Sestercentennial
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