I enjoy making things from paper, using quilling as the base, however, I also add in other forms of art so that it sometimes is more mixed media than quilling. Hence the name Paper as Art.

I come from a long line of artistic talent on both sides of my family. My family’s artistic talents are very diverse, from drawing, painting, cake decorating, sewing, metal work, dancing and all things in-between. Mine is in creating things, such as jewelry, miniatures, flowers and plants, 3D pieces, cards, scenes and lots of other designs out of paper. I do venture into other arts but Quilling is what I love and what I also compete in.

I started quilling early in about 1999 with a kit that my mother had given me in 1974. I carried the kit around – un-touched by my perfectionists’ hands – as I moved from place to place, state to state, and finally decided to either learn it or give it away. So, I sat down and started quilling using the directions from a book that came with the kit. The paper was old, rough and thick, not at all like the smooth, thin paper of today. It didn’t take long for me to be hooked.

To learn quilling, I copied designs from books. Very quickly I was able to create my own designs. I’ve tried to give credit to those who inspired each image on my site, but if I missed one, let me know and I’ll be happy to add it. I am lucky enough to be married to a professional photographer and so the pictures make my work look even better.

In 2000, I found the North American Quilling Guild (NAQG). I was so excited that I went to their 8th annual conference in 2001. It was fabulous! I had such a good time and saw such great quilling that I couldn’t wait for the next year’s event. In 2005, I hosted one of the conferences myself. What an event. I had such fun putting it together and seeing it all come about.

The North American Quilling Guild (NAQG) consists of members from around the world and holds an annual conference that is now called NAQGCon. I highly recommend attending if you can. I have now attended over 16 of the conferences and am still awed by the work that quillers bring to share and compete. At these events there are classes to learn new technics or perhaps a different way to do an old one. No matter how long I’ve been quilling, I always learn new techniques and new tools.

The conference holds a competition that is judged by its members. To win means a lot because it is judged by your peers who understand the amount of work involved. I have been lucky enough to win in many of the competitions. See my gallery called Competition Pieces.

In 2003 I took some time to do some teaching. I enjoyed passing on new ideas and information to others. However, I had to return to the “real” world and start earning a regular paycheck which severely limited my quilling and teaching time.

I use a very wide variety of papers including American, Dutch, English, and Australian. Each paper has its own characteristics and is used for certain things. There are bright colors, pastels, neon, sparkling, pearl, vellum, mirror foil, metallic (both shiny and brushed), gilded, gradient, two-tone (different colors on each side) and more are available all the time. Look closely at my designs and you’ll see what I mean.

I hope you enjoy going through my Galleries and get inspiration there, but please be sure to make your own designs and not copy mine.

Enjoy,
Rhonda.