Few artists carry paper to life like Licia Politis. A grasp of dimensional quilling, Licia has as soon as once more garnered awards for her work, this time on the 2025 Sydney Royal Easter Present, Australia’s largest annual ticketed occasion. With over 800,000 attendees, the Present highlights the most effective in rural custom and creative innovation.
Backyard of Goals on the Sydney Royal Easter Present
Licia’s newest prize-winning entry, Backyard of Goals, is a colourful and complex quilled wall artwork piece that took First Prize in Class 322 (any quilled merchandise; might use helps and mounts to show; measurement restriction of 50cms [20″] x 50cms x 50cms) and was positioned by judges in the Showcase of Excellence.
Backyard of Goals was a bit that I wished to function each fruit and flowers. I additionally had it in thoughts to strive my hand at quilling extra reasonable flowers moderately than fantasy. I used hydrangea, bougainvillea, daisies, lotus pods, hibiscus, and orchids.
From Reasonable Flowers to Fruity Textures
The completed piece measures 50 cm [20″] excessive by 43 cm [17″] broad and a couple of cm [3/4″] deep, and is mounted on polystyrene stabilized with card backing.
Somewhat than a plain background, my purpose was to create a sample that will praise the flowers. I intentionally left elements of the background plain and added varied measurement checkerboard and hues into the design.
I adhered the background first, adopted by gluing the background flowers/leaves securely earlier than attaching the
larger foreground items – the hydrangeas and hibiscus. My adhesive of alternative is Helmar Skilled Acid Free Glue.
Initially, I glued the bandaged tablecloth into place, however then determined to elevate all the bandaged strips and crimp each as a result of I like the best way color and light-weight play with bandaged and crimped strips, moderately than them being clean. It was a tedious job and possibly would have been faster to bandage a brand new set of strips, however I used to be wanting sure colors!
I lined the vase with blue spruer shapes in two completely different colours, curling every form, moderately than depart it flat, on the finish of every level to create extra floor texture.
The
background needed to be totally accomplished earlier than I may try to attach any
of the flowers in place… a little bit of a tough operation, not precisely realizing
the place they might be positioned.
The
photograph under exhibits the best way I used to be working from rear ahead through
bandaging (however not the quilling bandaging approach). To do that, I glued a
small strip of
pink paper to the tip of every foliage or flower stem to maintain them secure and the world neat. The bigger flowers at
the centre entrance (primarily hydrangea & hibiscus) would cowl that
space.
The celebrities aligned and I had simply sufficient time to finish just a few items of fruit positioned to the left aspect of the vase.
The reasonable flowers have been an enormous problem, particularly the orchids,
hibiscus, and bougainvillea. I definitely shocked myself at what I
achieved with the Backyard of Goals.
Late Nights and a Dream Realized
Regardless of serving to to care for 2 younger grandchildren in the course of the day, Licia managed to work most nights from 8 PM till 2 AM.
I am an evening owl, she laughed. It was a little bit of a dream that I
accomplished it in eight weeks!
Pictures courtesy of Licia Politis and used with permission. All rights reserved.