The Genius of Elsa Mora

She is 40, Cuban, wife and mother of three living in Los Angeles. Her nickname is Elsita and she is a genius, but she is likely far too humble to ever admit to such a thing. I first discovered her work through her shop on Etsy and have been overwhelmed by the beauty of her papercuttings ever since. (Visit her blog to see more inspiring work.) It is not only the precise perfection of her cuts (which must require oceans of patience) that draws you in, it is the imagination and the inspiration behind the work itself that sets it apart: fantastical flights of fancy, surrealistic compositions restrained inside colour palettes that keep the work classic. It is truly magical. This is not merely craft, it is art: "My work is about human nature," she writes in her bio. "It is about the way we are and the way we interact with each other, with ourselves and with the rest of the world." Behold the vision: