Quaker Marriage Certificate - Quilled Waves

Last winter I was contacted by a bride-to-be who was interested in a quilled marriage certificate for her summer wedding. She shared a photo of the tranquil dock where she and her fiancé had met, which was situated on lovely turquoise water.

They planned to incorporate the photograph in their invitation design, and requested that I use it as inspiration for the quilling.

We discussed an ocean scene - dock, water, seabirds, etc. and narrowed it down to a modern design of loose, flowing scrolls in a palette of aqua, turquoise, blue, green, and silver to express the beauty of Caribbean waves.

The little whitecaps below the scrolls are actually two layers of quilling paper. Turquoise and silver-edged white convey the glint of sunlight on water (unfortunately not captured in these photos).

This is the first wedding document I've worked on that features traditional Quaker wording. Each certificate is a two-step process, as the professional hand calligraphy is completed before I add the quilling. Riva Brown of Living Letters Studio lettered the elegant copperplate script, some of which has been digitally erased for privacy. The document is quite large, 22 x 30 inches, and has light lines penciled below the wording for bride, groom, and guest signatures.

Ana Hagopian - Paper Jewelry

To my way of thinking, the rich colors and textures of Ana Hagopian's paper jewelry put a positive spin on the approach of chilly weather.

Paper seeds necklaces

Any one of Ana's fabulous pieces would warm up the simplest black dress this winter!

Barcelona atelier

When I first began blogging, images of her jewelry were swirling around art sites in such abundance I held off on a feature post. But when I noticed recently that Ana's website had been updated with gorgeous new work, it was definitely time to share.

Paper grapes

She credits nature as the inspiration for her colorful designs and describes the variety as the "fruit of the collected experience of my travels."

Paper accordion rings

Ana studied Fine Arts and Interior Design at the University of Buenos Aires in the early 80s, after which she moved to Spain and began traveling to many locations in Asia and South America. It was in the mid-90s that she became fascinated with constructing contemporary paper jewelry.

Paper cones necklace

I love the variety of papers that Ana uses... some appear practically gauze-like, while others are heavier.

Paper freesia earrings

Paper rose brooch

Visit Ana Hagopian.

Quilling by Iron-Maiden-Art

You may have noticed some distinctive quilled designs that have been Stumbling and Tumbling around the internet like wildfire in recent months - a multicolored fish, butterfly, and hand print, for example.

Autumn, Iron-Maiden-Art

The creator is talented Kathleen Usova from Ukraine, who goes by the name Iron-Maiden-Art on Deviant Art. I marvel at each one of her seasonal designs, so it was a toss up deciding which example to show... Summer or Autumn? Autumn or Summer? Looking forward wins!

Kathleen includes so many details in her art pieces and uses the same color palette effectively each time. She doesn't roll typical quilled shapes, but instead works mainly with slightly curved, linear strips that have a coil just at the tip. If you're interested in learning to quill in Kathleen's signature style, she's designed a birthday card kit for Lake City Craft Company that's available on their site, and also from many other quilling suppliers.

By the way, there's still time to put your name in the hat for the Easy Canvas Prints Giveaway - it ends at the end of Saturday, the 27th. Win an 11 x 14 inch canvas of your choice or apply the amount toward a larger size if you wish.

Paperwork in 3D - Emma Hardy

Last week I promised I'd be back with photos of my most favorite portion of the Paperwork in 3D exhibit at Vermont's Shelburne Museum...

Packages (2010) by mixed media artist, Emma Hardy, is an installation in Kalkin House that I mentioned was originally a metal shipping container. An unusual space, it adds to the appeal of her work.

Emma studied Sculpture at the Wimbledon School of Art in London, and now resides in Colorado where she created the incredible sculptures with - believe it or not - brown paper and packing tape.

Emma says the inspiration came after her mother suddenly passed away from heart failure, and Packages was created in her memory.

The five uncannily realistic figures are modeled after people in Emma's tiny town. They're positioned near a paper bark-covered tree that serves as both the actual and representative heart of the installation. Viewers are encouraged to touch the sculptures and explore the space.

Mirrors, both true-to-life and distortion, are embedded in the bark and a hollowed area of the trunk. Interestingly, the actual heartbeat of each person was recorded and installed inside their sculpture. Faint beats can be heard when in close proximity, and all five heartbeats are combined within the tree to suggest a collective consciousness.

Because Emma herself says it best... "The five figures orbiting the tree represent our individuality and sometimes isolation within our community."

"The idea stems from the fact that we all exist within our own "package" and can only know someone through their appearance and what they choose to present to the world. My intention is that an observer can relate to and find some commonality; perhaps they will find a reflection of themselves, a friend, a daughter, or parent."

Here's a marvelous video that shows Emma at work.

At the opposite end of the exhibit space is another equally impressive installation by Emma. This one is titled Borneo Shipment (2011), and features flora and fauna of Borneo, the oldest rainforest in the world. Here's a sampling of the paper maché animals, which are as astonishing as the Packages figures.

Those feathers! That fur!
Paperwork in 3D closes on October 30, 2011.

Easy Canvas Prints Giveaway

This giveaway has ended... scroll down to see who won!

Recently I was presented with an intriguing offer from Easy Canvas Prints that I'm delighted to be able to pass along to you. The company transforms any digital image into gallery-wrapped wall art ever so quickly and beautifully.

Courtesy of Modernly Wed

Perhaps you're curious what this post has to do with paper if we're talking digital. Well, I can think of at least two ways actual paper can come into play.

For those of us who spend hours making (perhaps quilling) something from paper to give as a special gift, a canvas-textured print of the original design would be a lovely way to remember it.

Or perhaps you have a cherished, but tattered vintage photograph. Scan and upload the image into the Easy Canvas Designer. You'll select the dimensions from a myriad of sizes, depths, and border styles, as well as choose from a variety of color and image effects. The photo can even be retouched by the folks at Easy Canvas Prints. Very soon your customized art piece will be ready to ship.

I found the Easy Canvas Prints website simple to navigate. Instead of using your own image, there's also the option to select one from their huge library of art prints. It's even possible to have a favorite expression made into a canvas print.

Courtesy of Words to Run By

Enter the giveaway to win an 11 x 14 inch canvas, which includes free shipping (total value is over $70!) by simply leaving a comment. You may apply the amount toward a larger size canvas if you wish. I'm sorry, but the giveaway is available only to U.S. residents, excluding Alaska and Hawaii; no post office boxes. (International residents, there will soon be another giveaway that includes you, so stay tuned!)

The giveaway will end at the end of Saturday, August 27. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on this post and Facebook the next day. Good luck!

Easy Canvas Prints is also on Facebook.

Please note: I received nothing from Easy Canvas Prints other than the opportunity to present this giveaway.

And the winner is:

Congratulations to I'm Toni, whose number (17) was selected by random.org! I've emailed her with details of how to claim a print.


If you happen to be on Facebook and wish you'd won, Like Easy Canvas Prints - you'll receive a 50% off coupon and free shipping on your first purchase. Now that's a pretty nice consolation prize!

Thanks to all who took the time to enter. There will be another giveaway coming up in the next couple of weeks for which you won't need to be a U.S. resident, so please stay tuned.

Chevron Necklace

Last Fab Friday we revisited childhood via paper fortune tellers, and today I have another grade school reminiscence for you. Remember folded gum wrapper chains? I collected enough wrappers to make a chain wayyy longer than I was tall, and can still conjure up its delicious Juicy Fruit scent... ah, memories!

I love the reincarnation of a paper chain as stylish jewelry. Manuela of Manufacta in Sicily created this sand and sea colored necklace with beautiful hand marbled paper from Florence. She also shows some eye-catching, crimped paper jewelry in the shop, but the majority of her work is in perfect sync with the current V-shaped chevron craze. No gum chewing required!

Shelburne Museum - Paperwork in 3D

Recently I visited Shelburne Museum in Vermont to see an exhibit titled Paperwork in 3D. Twenty three contemporary paper artists are featured, including well-known names such as Brian Dettmer, Hunter Stabler, and Robert Lang. What a thrill to come face to face with so many creative works I'd seen only in photos.

Perhaps you remember a previous post about Nava Lubelski and her shredded Tax Files series. The very first pieces encountered inside beautiful Round Barn were Nava's! They were so much larger than I'd envisioned - nearly two feet in diameter, definitely giving the impression of ringed tree trunk slices as intended.

1999 Tax File, Nava Lubelski, shredded paper and glue, 2007

A bit about Shelburne... it's an unconventional museum, comprised of thirty nine exhibition spaces dotting forty five acres. (Considering the quantity of Vermont-made Ben and Jerry's consumed that weekend, it was good to walk a lot!) Other spaces utilized by the exhibit are a lighthouse and Kalkin House, a most unusual abode crafted from - believe it or not - a corrugated steel shipping container.

Wall Sconce, Riki Moss and Robert Ostermeyer of studio-glow, handmade abaca paper, embedded with monofilament, 2011

A phone camera doesn't do nearly enough justice to the art, but I'm happy to share with you at least this small fraction of what was on display. You might also check out Paperwork in 3D, an article in HandEye Magazine, which delves more deeply into the content of the exhibit.

Schism Chasm Cataclysm, Lauren Clay, acrylic on cut paper, paper maché, acrylic, wire, wood, 2011

The Butterfly Gown V, Bovey Lee, Chinese rice paper on silk, hand cut, 2010

Heart Rage, Michael Velliquette, paper, gator board, glue, 2010

This next beauty glowed in the dark!

Radiant Flux, Nami Yamamoto, handmade paper - abaca with phosphorescent powder, 2009

Alamo Stallion, Robert Lang, one uncut square of Origamido, 2002
Bull Moose, Robert Lang, two uncut squares of Korean hanji, 2003

Slice, Jacqueline Rush Lee, manipulated book assemblage, date unknown

Chaos City, Béatrice Coron, cut Tyvek, 2010

Poetic Justice, Robert Thé, altered book, 2003

I loved Robert Thé's process explanation... the books he recovers from dumpsters and thrift stores are "lovingly vandalized back to life."

Shaker Style, Robert Thé, altered book, 2003

I've saved pictures of perhaps my most favorite part of the exhibit for another day, so stay tuned for that. One last thing for now... sorry, make that two:

The afternoon I was there, a drop-in class on paper quilling was available to families - how about that?!

If you happen to be a fan of the tv show, Project Runway (like me), a gown by Season 4 winner Christian Siriano is the very first one you'll see upon entering In Fashion: High Style 1690-2011, another popular exhibit that's on display until October 30th when Shelburne closes for the season.

Asya Gontsa - Paper Sculptor

Not long ago a fellow paper enthusiast alerted me to the website of Ukrainian paper sculptor and relief artist, Asya Gontsa. She mentioned I would like the work, and wow - yes I do!

Asya fashions masks and figures from white paper of various weights. She studied art at Cherkasy National University and is now a designer and teacher.

Her first solo exhibit consisted of more than twenty European historical costumes composed entirely of paper, and was held at the Cherkasy Regional Art Museum in 2007.

Asya Gontsa

Photo Yana Wija

Just this past May, Asya made an elegant couple that stands atop a paper spiral staircase, and worked with students to create a paper flower archway, all for a private school ball in Kiev.

Something tells me it was an experience they won't soon forget!

Enjoy this very short stop motion video of one of Asya's paper flowers in the making.