Paper dolphins and flamingos: Inside a Matlacha artist's unique studio

MATLACHA, Fla. (WINK)—Inside a quiet Matlacha studio, tiny strips of paper turn into dolphins, jellyfish, and flamingos, each curled and shaped entirely by hand.

For Anne Keating, quilling started as a pandemic hobby but quickly became something much bigger. She taught herself the basics, and everything changed when frustration accidentally turned into inspiration.

"I threw it down onto the table, and it flipped upside down," Keating said. "That led to this particular piece, my first jellyfish, because it flipped upside down, and I went, ' That's a jellyfish."

That creative breakthrough led to dozens of intricate coastal designs now displayed throughout Matlacha. Keating says the art form allows her to paint, but with paper instead.

Among all the octopus gardens and flamingos, one piece means the most. After her friend, Mary Lou Sharp, was hit and killed outside a BBQ restaurant by a drunk driver in 2024, Keating created a piece in her honor.

"She said, I want to be a blonde next time in life. You girls have so much fun," Keating said. "So I made this piece in tribute to her, because of her love of flowers, that she's bringing the flowers back to Matlacha."

Now every time she walks past the piece hanging in her home, she says it keeps her friend's memory alive. The piece sits on her door, and looking at it makes her cry every time, but with tears of joy knowing she's given something her friend would love.

While every piece starts with strips of paper, Keating says each design is shaped by memory, emotion, and the community she calls home.

Keating says her art is currently being sold at the Matlacha Menagerie.