GISH AT THE MOVIES
Photography by Cody Bess
A SMACKDOWN OF THE “SHADOWY ART”
Cindi Rose
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Only in Texas, the land of dueling cowboys and
Indians, could this happen: Two silhouette artists held
an “Off with Your Head!” speed-cutting contest in
Houston and one of them happens to be our very own
CINDI HARWOOD ROSE, a longtime native Houstonian.
surgery scissors (the only kind used by silhouettists), it’s
also a loving stroll down history lane through the eyes
of Burns, exploring the early days of silhouettes as well
as those who have made careers out of the art over the
years. Although it was started by Frenchman AUGUSTE
She and Englishman CHARLES BURNS held a “cut-off” to
create the most heads in an hour because Cindi currently holds the world’s record – a whopping 144,
done while she was pregnant with daughter Erica.
Fittingly, Erica was again with her mom whilst cutting –
she was the emcee of the competition – one that ended
with a promise for a rematch because of a problem
with the counting system. Also fittingly, the evening was
a benefit for the Holly Rose Ribbon Foundation, named
for Cindi’s sister Holly Harwood Skolkin, who died of
breast cancer.
EDOUARD (1789–1861) who coined the term “silhou-
“Silhouette Secrets” (www.facebook.com/silhouettesecrets) is a
new documentary which is currently being shown
around the world and is a winner of numerous awards,
including Best Documentary at the Next International
Film Festival (www.niffhouston.org) and a REMI Award from
WorldFest–Houston (www.worldfest.org). Both artists have a
stake in the film: Charl \