Marshall County Tribune: Local News: A talent for preserving history (02/27/08)

Tribune photos by Jenny Carter Marshall County artist Melanie Gordon cuts out fainting goats using the technique of scherenschnitte, the German art of paper cutting. Gordon is noted for her renditions of numerous local landmarks.

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Scissors in hand, Melanie Gordon snips her way through her current art project. Scherenschnitte is a new love for her. The German art of paper cutting is also known as silhouette. She traces the shapes of skipping goats for a cutting depicting the history of the fainting goats of Marshall County.

Nearby, a finished cutting bears an uncanny resemblance to her son Elliot, a student at Belmont University in Nashville.

Gordon's sunroom is a beautiful montage of finished and unfinished artwork. Paintings, sketches and cuttings surround her. Most prominent are graphic sketches of lovely old homes and buildings. She also shares the space with a fluffy white cat.

"We've lost every cat we've had," Gordon says sadly. "Macho, he's what's left. He's been my company through Elliot leaving."

See Wednesday's Tribune for the complete story.