About
Sharon Gray
• paper artist •
Paper and glue. When I first saw quilling designs, I couldn’t believe that was all it took to create such intricate artwork; just paper and glue. This was in the summer of 2010. I was on vacation with family in Cape Cod and saw an article on quilling in a 2002 Valentine's Day issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine that happened to be in the living room of the place where we were staying. As I read the article, I became completely taken with the art form.
From start to finish, I find the process of quilling to be calming and enveloping. When I work on a project, I usually begin with a sketch and then plan out a color story, making selections from my paper library. Then, for mosaics, in particular, I paint the image on the material I will use as the background. Finally, I begin rolling, shaping, and coiling paper!
For the coils, I use a tiny slotted quilling tool, but for the other forms, I use my hands. Most often, I use paper strips that are 1/8th of an inch wide. I have also worked with paper strips as wide as 1/2 an inch, and as narrow as 1/32nd of an inch! I've used card stock, typing paper, construction paper, film reels, glow-in-the-dark paper, and even paper in which I've sewn beads!
Paper quills, in their various widths and forms, are delicate in appearance, but strong and resilient to the touch. The process and tactile experience of quilling are centering for me. Each step, from the initial plan to the placement of the final quilled element, fills me with a sense of calm and pride.
Within this portfolio, you'll find:
- mosaics - quilled illustrations that completely fill a background. These use a variety of shapes to fill the spaces, so that there are no (or very few) gaps between quills.
- quillography - word art/typography, featuring different fonts and stylings.
- designs and quilled illustrations- cards, shapes, 3-D quilling, and small individual pieces (such as those that might adorn a box or a card), as well as pictures that may combine designs and/or individual pieces but do not include full background coverage.
- other projects - a variety of things I've worked on and would like to share!
It still amazes me that simple, narrow strips of paper can come together to form beautiful, detailed works of art. It can be hard to believe it is only paper and glue.
Sharon
