Paddy Summerfield (artist)

Paddy Summerfield is a chigiri-e and graphic artist who is known for the application of the Japanese chigiri-e technique to abstract and figurative art using strong and vivid colours. Traditionally the technique was widely used for decorative subjects. Her graphic art includes etchings, book covers and she designed the logo for an international women’s advocacy group now Issis-wicce.

Biography and education
Summerfield is of Irish-English background and was born in Hastings, England. She began her creative life by being commissioned by Liberty of London to design and make soft toys during World War II. She won a scholarship to the Hastings School of Art and later studied at the Vrije Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten, The Hague, The Netherlands. Summerfield started exhibiting as a graphic artist in 1976 with a solo exhibition in Chamonix, France which enabled her to become a professional artist under French law.

Work
Summerfield was part of the European development of interest in the Japanese chigiri-e technique and she participated in the first chigiri-e page in Wikipedia in 2008. In Japan the traditional chigiri-e technique was used for images of flowers and landscapes with hand-made coloured paper, torn and arranged to create the image. Summerfield broadened the technique and applied it to abstract and figurative art. She used an etching press, oil-based paint and super-thin (10g) paper to achieve a transparency allowing the construction of layers for the final work.

Many of Summerfield’s themes for her chigiri-e work have been based on body language. In 1990-1993 she had her own gallery/atelier within the Mazie Galerie, The Hague exclusively for her etching and chigiri-e. She has had over 40 solo and group exhibitions in various countries of Europe and since 1988 her chigiri-e work has been shown in exhibitions in galleries in The Netherlands,, , , as well as  Willemstad, Curacao.

Paddy Summerfield’s early work used etching, drawing and monoprint techniques with exhibitions in Switzerland and France before starting in The Netherlands at Galerie Jan van Munster (now Smelik and Stokking) The Hague. Her themes focused on nature the relationship between nature and technology and human and animal body language. Apart from many book cover designs she has illustrated a childrens' book.

Publications

 * Illustrations forː (2024) De Avonturen van Rossie de Uil (die in Scheveningen woont): translated from English by Peter de Valk: The Hague: Uitgeverij U2pi ISBN 978-90-823957-6-1
 * Illustrations forː (2018) The Adventures of Ginger the Owl (who lives in Scheveningen): The Hague: Uitgeverij U2pi ISBN 978-90-823957-1-6
 * Paddy Summerfield U2piBV Den Haag ISBN 978-90-823957-2-3