This piece was commissioned by A, who wanted to give a paper gift to his spouse for their first anniversary! When the couple married, they chose a new last name for themselves from a biblical verse, Proverbs 15:15. The verse itself means “contentment is a feast without end.”. A wanted that verse included in the papercut and also suggested the imagery of pomegranates, vines, jasmine flowers, and birds would be lovely.

Since the biblical quote is using food/feasting as a simile, and since pomegranates are so beautifully shaped and so evocative and traditional, it really called to me to be the organizing shape so I create the whole papercut within the outline of a pomegranate. The text from the verse also refers to a “good heart,” and the pomegranate shape is evocative of a heart as well.

Additionally, their spouse wrote a slightly different version of Dodi Li as a song for A, and I included that, in tiny letters, around the outside of the pomegranate, enveloping and hugging the whole thing.