Hollywood residents Divitto and Andrea Kelly share a passion for the arts that has revamped an old craft favorite: papier mâché.
The most well-known version of papier mâché simply includes flour, water and newspaper, but Divitto kicked it up a notch and now uses special papier mâché mix, tissue paper for a pop of color and sometimes uses Styrofoam for faster projects.
“This isn’t your grandparents’ papier mâché,” Divitto said. “You can do so many cool things with it, and it’s something you can be really creative with.”
Divitto’s wife first exposed him to the craft at an art studio she and her mother used to own, and Divitto found a new hobby.
“You want to do what you enjoy,” he said. “Doing the art work is really special.”
Divitto’s creativity has led to the creation of a six-foot jet, eight-foot butterfly and a six-foot strawberry frosted pop tart – one of his favorite pieces.
Since 1998, his creations have been displayed in libraries in Hollywood and South Florida, and he has also made special requests for businesses, including the professional hockey team the Boston Bruins, and for anyone else looking for special decorations for parties, restaurants, etc.
To share his creativity with others, Divitto now offers classes to teach children the art of papier mâché along with his wife, who is an art teacher.
“It’s been a lot of fun teaching classes to the kids,” he said. “They’re learning something and creating something that’s all their own.”
Andrea also puts on the arts and crafts at Downtown’s Funtastic Fridays, and the creative couple also put on papier mâché demonstrations at the ArtWalk.
“We’re ready to take on the creative world,” Divitto said.
For more information about the Kelly’s creations or classes, visit their Web site at www.divittokelly.com.
Five-foot giraffes created by Divitto and Andrea.
