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Artist: Devi Palaniappan
Artist Statement
I have always enjoyed crafting and art. Ever since I was young, I would craft with any scraps I could get my hands on. As a result, creating as little waste as possible in my work is extremely important to me. I have worked with many forms over the years: beading, sewing, origami, drawing, quilling, and more. Thirteen years ago, I decided to focus my work in the paper arts, and I began to sell my work.
One of my favorite paper art forms is quilling. I use a quilling needle or my hand to roll narrow strips of paper and shape them into individual segments that are joined together with glue to create beautiful designs. Then I give the earrings a water resistant coating. Since my quilled earrings are completely made out of paper, they are lightweight regardless of how big they are. This process is very slow and can take hours, even days, to achieve the desired effect, but I enjoy every minute of it.
Another paper art form I enjoy is origami. I’ve always enjoyed mathematics and I get to use a lot of that in origami. The origami balls displayed here are dodecahedrons which are 12-sided balls made up of pentagons. Each one of these balls are made up of 30 individual pieces that are assembled together. The origami vase and bowls are made of 1200 - 1800 identical individual pieces. Origami allows me to create pleasing geometric patterns. Origami, just like quilling, is a slow process, but it’s very relaxing.
I hope these colorful pieces have brought you some joy today. They definitely brought me joy making them.