Watch a crankie

Crankies are also known as "moving panoramas" and have a long history in folk art, popular culture, and vaudeville. Here are a few of my Crankies, which I make by paper cutting. All art is original, and set to a song in either French or English. As I am part of the Acadian music tradition, the songs that I illustrate come from both the Acadian and Quebecois repertoire as well as English-language ballads. 

La Poulette GRis

"La Poulette Grise" is an Acadian lullaby sung in French. It tells the story of a little hen who perches upon different objects and lays eggs for the little baby. 

La Chasse-galerie

An original paper cut tells the story of "La Chasse-Galerie", a French-Canadian folk tale. Music from La Famille Leger, plus a cut from a live session. (Tunes: Reel de la petite misère / Reel des siamois / Reel de l'Indien / Moccasin Shuffle)

The jealous crow

Original papercut artwork is placed onto a paper scroll, which is then cranked through an open-sided box with dowels.