Quilling artist Sarah Alves of Tairua makes fascinating creations out of strips of paper. It’s an ancient craft from the Middle Ages, when nuns would gather excess bits of paper from the monks’ writings and turn them into art. The term ‘quilling’ comes from the feather quill which they used to twirl paper strips around. The result is a kind of filigree. It’s hard to believe Sarah has no art training. In fact, she reckons she’s hopeless at painting (even a small board). But after discovering the art of quilling about eight years ago, she has been hooked on this unique art form and has many lovely works to show for it.
She has a natural sense of colour and shape which is evident in her works, some dainty, like posies, some powerful like the head of a splendid lion – all so satisfying in their shapes and choice of colours. There are butterflies, owls and turtles. The delight of a bull with colourful flowers adorning its horns reveals Sarah’s sense of humour.
“Quilling is the only thing I am able to do that allows me to use my creativity,” she says, as we relax in her lounge close to Tairua’s ocean beach, the faint sound of crashing waves nearby.
Sarah and her children, Tonicha (27) and Logan (25) used to live in Jersey, The Channel Islands, before moving to New Zealand. She arrived after a job offer in hospitality at Lake Tekapo, following the break-up of her marriage. Her parents, Brian and Brenda Line, lived on Tairua’s Mount Paku, and after staying with them she decided that maybe Tairua was the best place for her family to settle. That was in 2001.
Life-changing drama
In 2003, her life changed forever after an accident in the Redwood Forest at Opoutere.
“It was Easter. I was walking across a huge redwood log over a stream, following behind my six and my eight-year-old, plus two nephews aged 10 and 12. I was almost across when I slipped. I knew straight away it was serious, because I felt no sensation from the hips down. I said f*ck about one thousand times!”
There was no phone coverage so the older children ran to the road to find help.
Sarah ended up spending five weeks in Middlemore Hospital followed by five weeks in the Spinal Unit, having fractured her spine, and now spends her life in a wheelchair.
“But it’s not the end of the world – it’s just an alternative world,” she says philosophically.
Being wheelchair-bound does not stop Sarah using her organisational skills. She has been a key figure in the running of Tairua School’s iconic Food and Wine Festival and also playcentre activities in the town. She works as a library assistant at Tairua Library and has run a few workshops there, introducing children to the art of quilling. Sarah’s children are now adults and exploring opportunities across the world. They have inherited her artistic flair, with Tonicha enjoying painting and Logan creating through pen and ink drawings.
Found by chance
Quilling is now a big part of Sarah’s world. So how did she come across this little-known medium?
“I came across it by chance, spotting a piece online done by a Russian artist. I just sat there, picked up a nearby piece of paper, started playing with it and was fascinated. Then I explored what could be done with paper and was more intrigued.”
She says she is a problem-solving kind of person and soon discovered that paper does not always go the way you want it to. Cutting thin strips evenly is challenging so eventually she bought pre-cut paper from overseas and this also offered an extensive range of colours.
One of the works she is currently creating is a manta ray, its exquisite shape already outlined on a board on her table, next to a range of paper strips, glue, tweezers, scissors, a bowl of brushes and a cup of tea. Some specialist tools are handy and a lot of patience is essential to twirl paper strips and make the tiny shapes of diamonds, teardrops, squares and other pieces that are carefully glued before becoming part of the whole picture.
“I don’t plan,” she smiles. “I just make it up as I go along. I once had a go at oil painting and watercolours, but I was hopeless. Then I found this quilling thing and it’s wonderful!”
Sarah gets inspiration for her pieces from many sources, even the texture of bits of carpet. And she is inspired by nature, especially the colours of the natural world. She also likes to check out other artists’ work.
“I get so much pleasure out of it. Though I create each piece for myself, I do like to think there’s a person somewhere out there that’s just right for it. They just have to find it … it feels so good when that happens and they want to have it.”
Sarah has done a few commissions and says she enjoys the challenge of creating these.
To view her work or contact Sarah, check out Instagram and Facebook.
Words by Pamela Ferla
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