I am always stunned by what paper artists can make from this everyday material. I mean who would have thought that strips of paper, shaped and glued to a background, could make such riveting portraits? Russian born, UK based artist Yulia Brodskaya explored many creative mediums from traditional fine art to textile painting, origami and collage before settling to the craft of quilling.
Melting, paper art by Yulia Brodskaya
After achieving a MA degree in Graphic Communication (2006, University of Hertfordshire) Yulia Brodskaya explored ways of mixing her favorite artistic techniques and materials: typography, paper and meticulous handcrafting. So she took up paper graphic, turning ribbons of paper into stunning designs for clients ranging from luxury labels like Hermes, global brands like Nokia and important publications such as The New York Times Magazine, The Guardian and Wired (UK).
Inspired by travels and photography, Yulia shows the artistic side of this paper craft with greatly detailed stunning three-dimensional portraits depicting venerable old, puzzling characters. The versatility of these artworks is shown by playing with different lights and angles. Using mostly heavy paper and card stock, as well as thin paper traditionally used in quilling, in a various array of colors which she thoroughly search, Yulia Brodskaya restores this historical craft, bringing it “on a new level in terms of its ability to convey meaning and emotions”.