I'm a swooner, admittedly, and I blame Instagram. When I discover beautiful people making beautiful things, my heart swoons as I obsessively look at photos of their work and ooh and ahh and basically double tap the Instagram love endlessly. Such was the case when I came across local Louisville artist Alyson Thiel and her downright gorgeous paper flowers. Alyson showcases her paper flowers on her Instagram Paint Paper Petal and was recently the monthly artist in residence at a local library branch where I was fortunate to attend one of her workshops.
Alyson is a talented artist and a generous teacher. She obviously has a love for sharing her skills and was very encouraging to everyone at her workshop. On this day, participants learned how to make a poppy flower from heavy crepe paper. Most of us are familiar with crepe paper party streamers, but heavy crepe paper is thicker and more substantial. The thickness allows the paper to hold its shape when stretched and manipulated, thus creating nearly realistic-looking flower petals.
Thanks to Alyson's guidance, I am delighted with my paper poppy and I love the vibrant colors and the texture that the crepe paper brings to the petals and stems.
In her own work, Alyson uses various papers and paint to create many designs and textures. Check out her work on her website and Instagram: alysonthiel.com and instagram/paintpaperpetal.
What new-to-you artists have you been swooning over lately?
Happy artist discovering, DIY'ers!
~julee~
