Small, flat, glossy decorative disks called sequins are glued to a surface to create a visually pleasing and frequently glittering design in sequin artwork - sometimes referred to as sequin art or sequin embroidery.
We know that it is visually appealing, tactile and interesting but, at the same time, it takes a lot of patience to produce framed artwork, apparel accessories, wall hangings, and ornamental objects. The art form, therefore, is slowly taking a back seat.
Nevertheless, I happened to chance upon the work of Chriselle Mendes, and I was surprised to see the variety and beauty of the work. Chriselle is from Merces and has bachelor’s degrees in commerce from Goa University and in economics from IGNOU.
She holds to her credit, from the National Academy Information System, Dubai, diplomas in Special Education Needs, Early Years Foundation Education and Applied Behaviour Analysis.
She is a teacher by profession and has taught commerce-based subjects in several higher secondary schools in Goa for the last 7 years and is currently teaching social studies at the New Millenium School, Al Khail, Dubai.
Chriselle came across sequin artwork while brainstorming for a unique birthday gift. She said, “The idea of creating a sequin portrait as a birthday gift was much admired by my family and friends. I thought I could customise any picture."
"The lockdown gave me ample time to work on my printed pictures and post them on social media which caught the eyes of my viewers and that’s how demand for sequin art came rushing in,” she added.
Looking at the variety of her work, you will be amazed for sure.
When asked about her diverse ideas, she said, “My biggest inspiration is my customers who come up with varied designs and religious icons to decorate their homes or to give my mini sequin portraits as takeaways souvenirs to their guests at occasions such as birthday gigs, communion parties, confirmation celebrations, wedding souvenirs, baby showers, etc.”
She mainly focuses on creating sequin art religious portraits, besides also customising personal portraits, children's photo frames, takeaway souvenirs and florals for home décor.
The process of creating the sequin artwork starts when the customer contacts her for a personalised portrait or their preferred religious icon.
Then, she provides them with a few options to choose from. After choosing the image and size, she prints the sequins, matches them to the colours and sizes, and then glues them together. After the artwork is finished, she personally selects the mount and frame for the piece before giving it to the customer.
She says, “Customising each portrait with various shades, sizes and shapes of sequins to create a masterpiece is the part I relish the most.”
Chriselle desires to increase the faith of her clients as they pray to their favourite saint or religious icon, and to bring a smile to their faces, admiring and reminiscing beautiful memories through her sparkling sequin portraits.
She describes herself as an artist who has the characteristics of patience and perseverance. Art, for her, refreshes one’s soul. She further spoke on the development of her style of sequin art, “My style is developed through imagination and the integration of different types, shades and sizes of sequins to create shimmering masterpieces.”
Like all other handcrafts, sequin artwork too has its challenges, Chriselle notes, as she says, “Going around finding the exactshades of sequins and matching them with the picture to bring about the best outcome, is at times challenging.”
Chriselle, other than doing sequin artwork, has been teaching at Sunday school. She is also a passionate emcee and sings for professional choirs and at the mando festivals.
For her, sequin art is one-of-a-kind, made with patience, precise in every detail and gives life to a picture through sparkling pretty sequins. And this uniqueness keeps her motivated.
When asked about her future projects, she said, “I wish to have my own exhibition to showcase this form of art, which is unknown to many, and I would also like to restore antique religious portraits by giving them a sparkling touch.”
There are many who would like to pursue this art form, and to them, Chriselle says, “Sequin art requires devoting time, being patient and creative in filling the picture with varied shades of sequins. Every budding artist should discover their creative talent and persevere in it, come what may.”
Her enterprise Sequins Sparkle has completed 2 years. She has around 100 different designs of portraits up on her Instagram page and over 200 portrait orders delivered across Goa, Canada, the UK, Australia, and Dubai.
