Melissa Crocetti Melissa D. Crocetti
Artist Statement
“I have loved drawing and painting all my life and also love the crafting arts as well. Incorporating all these techniques with my graphics background I am developing a unique way to present the “whimsey” of everyday life. These colorful paper creations demonstrate my love of flowers and gardening, and also my sense of humor with the different characters I create. They represent the humorous and the beautiful things around us.“

Melissa’s background is in the graphic arts. She is mostly self-taught in painting and drawing and has an Advertising/Graphic Arts Degree from Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, New York. She recently left her corporate designer position to pursue the fine arts and also do freelance graphics. She worked in the corporate graphics field for 28 years.

Melissa has won several community awards with her watercolors. She has displayed her artwork in many venues and also did commissioned watercolor and acrylic paintings of homes and local architecture as well portrait work.

Melissa’s recent creations capture everyday things in paper sculpture as well as the art of paper quilling. “Quilling was popular when I was growing up in the early ‘70s and incorporating this craft with paper sculpture is becoming a new found love. Also working in three dimensions is a great discovery for me and I find I can take my creativity to a whole new level. I also love doing fine, detailed work that would drive most people crazy, which makes my work very unique. Every piece is a one of a kind and special, which makes it a joy to bring the “whimsey” to each unique creation.”

From Wikipedia.com:

“Quilling or paper filigree is an art form that involves the use of strips of paper that are rolled, shaped, and glued together to create decorative designs. The paper is wound around a quill to create a basic coil shape. The paper is then glued at the tip and the coil shaped, these shaped coils are arranged to form flowers, leaves, and various ornamental patterns similar to ironwork.

During the Renaissance, French and Italian nuns and monks used quilling to decorate book covers and religious items. The paper most commonly used was strips of paper trimmed from the gilded edges of books. These gilded paper strips were then rolled to create the quilled shapes. Quilling often imitated the original ironwork of the day.

The craft has gone through many transformations and changes through the ages. Like all art forms it expands and new techniques, styles as well as supplies are added. Popular around the world you'll find quillers (people who practice the art of quilling) on every continent and in every walk of life. No longer confined to the “upper classes”, this is truly a people’s art form and the beauty of the art is always expanding.”

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