KAREN Khor Suyen’s quilling art captivates the eye. Full of colours, curves and shapes, Khor’s artworks are magnificent.
She shapes strips of coloured papers into delicate flowers, Christmas wreaths to adorable quill dolls and shares her designs on Instagram (@memoriesandco).
Khor is fascinated by the beauty of flowers, and as such, her artwork mostly focuses on flora. She also occasionally holds quilling workshops.
“There are countless varieties of flowers to explore, thus I take my own time to explore and experiment with various techniques, paper sizes and colour schemes to create a flower piece,” said 28-year-old Khor.
“I love the way my colourful art pieces bring happiness to others and even to myself. It lifts up a person’s mood when they look at it,” said Khor, who participated in the Art Bazaar 2019 organised by the Bank Negara Museum and Art Gallery.
What attracted you to quilling?
“I always feel amazed by the flexibility of paper strips. It opens the doors to opportunities to create 2D and 3D artwork pieces. I was impressed by the skills of some artists who can even create portrait artworks using paper strips.”
When did you become interested in quilling?
“It all started eight years ago. There was a gap period before I entered University Malaysia Sabah to pursue my studies. My friends and I decided to go to Penang to get part-time jobs while I was waiting to enroll in the Bachelor of Food Science course.
“During the weekend, we used to help out at Only 1 Art Centre. One day, I saw a step-by-step guidebook on quilling at the centre.
“The founder (Joyce Lim) was kind enough to let us explore and learn using the tools and paper strips provided in the centre. From that day, I was hooked on this art.
“Coincidentally, a friend of mine gave me a quilling book, which got me interested to explore even deeper. Since then, I have shared my artwork on social media, and later created the Facebook and Instagram account Memories & Co with the hope of sharing this beautiful art with the community.”
What type of quilling artworks do you create?
“They range from 2D artworks such as animal series, floral pieces, heart shape decorative pieces and typography, to edge quilling. As for 3D artwork, it is mostly paper dolls.”
How long do you take to make quilled paper dolls?
“Quilled paper dolls are one of my favourite experiments since the beginning of my journey into papercraft. After I watched the K-drama TV series Jewel in the Palace, I was inspired to make a Korean paper doll series based on the characters.
“I applied the tight coil technique to create paper dolls. Usually, it will take approximately three to four hours to finish one doll, as each internal part needs to be layered with white glue, and then has to dry and harden. Lastly, I combine all parts to produce a piece.”
What do you gain when you create this art?
“This art is therapeutic and calming to me. It is a good way to release stress.
“Sometimes, the process of filling in the gaps on a piece takes a long time, but whenever I see the end result, I will be glad that I learnt to be more patient and focused on details. My motto is to love what you do, and to do what you love.”
What kind of materials do you use?
“The slotted tool is the main tool for quilling, and the rest of the tools are commonly available, such as scissors, white glue, tweezers, a needle tool, circle template board and 3D moulding board.
“I am currently using both self-cut and pre-cut paper strips. I apply tight coil, teardrop, leaf and eye techniques, frequently.”
What is the first-ever paper art, you made?
“I have always loved creating handmade cards, which involves the process of folding and cutting, placing the buttons and incorporating quilling elements. My handmade cards are given to friends on occasions, especially during Christmas celebrations.
“I feel there is warmth in handwritten greetings, which cannot be replaced by digital art. This is why I came up with the idea to create more memories. Thus, the name Memories and Co. was born.”
What are your future plans?
“I have plans to create a series of flower petals, to allow more varieties in my signature Floral Garden artworks. I am working on larger quilled pieces for home decor, and I am planning to venture into quilling art as my full-time career, whenever I am ready.”
