Artist Irena Boobyer is holding her fourth exhibition at A la Ronde, near Exmouth, 9-22 May. Irena’s new series of intricate papercuts and silhouettes was inspired by A la Ronde’s wildflower meadow and Parminter Walk.

Irena says: "Through my work you can follow in the footsteps of A la Ronde’s spinster cousins Jane and Mary Parminter and enjoy a stroll around the meadow rich in flora and fauna, delight in the wildflowers, butterflies and birdsong, and taking in some excellent views over the Exe estuary."

Paper cutting is an ancient art, with the oldest surviving paper cut from the sixth century, found in Xinjiang, China. By the eighth and ninth century paper cutting appeared in West Asia, and in Turkey by the sixteenth century. Within another century this delicate art form was being practiced in most of middle Europe.

Jane and Mary Parminter, who built A la Ronde in the late eighteenth century, were inspired by their grand tour of Europe and used miniature scissors to create their own paper cuttings. Both the scissors and cuttings can be seen in the A la Ronde collection with other popular parlour pastimes of the day such as quill work and shell collages.

Irena Boobyer’s father was a Polish soldier from the Second World War. Her personal interest in paper cuts originates from childhood summer holidays spent in Poland, where the rich cultural tradition of paper cutting influenced her first experiments. More recently, her papercuts have been exhibited in the South West Academy of Fine and Applied Arts Open Exhibitions.

Though born and brought up in London, Irena moved to Devon at the age of nineteen and she has lived and worked here ever since. Now living in Exmouth, Irena is a past president of Exmouth Art Group, and is a member of Exmouth Contemporary Artists and the South West Textile Group.

A la Ronde is open daily and entry to the exhibition in the stable and tea-room is free. Original papercuts are for sale and cards and prints will also be available