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Laura
It all started in the sixties when Valentina Laura Figelj (known as Laura) began collecting buttons during her many visits to craft markets. “At first, I had about 400, and I made a decoration for our Christmas tree. Then, to better admire them, I started sewing them on canvasses and got them framed. I made about thirty of them, which took a total of around 27,000 buttons.
“The peculiarity lies in selecting the buttons based on their shape and to create precise, chromatic associations which can be placed within each piece.”
Laura has showcased her work at several exhibitions in Italy (Gorizia), Perugia and Slovenia (Nova Gorica).
Angelica
Angelica, Laura’s daughter, is a self- taught artist who has been painting since childhood. In her paintings, we find the attention to detail in her creation of realistic portraits. Angelica skilfully chooses a combination of colors that represent an emotion of her subject as perceived by her.
In 2018, the two artists decided to collaborate in a number of portraits, starting from the self-portrait of Valentina Laura Figelj (980 buttons).
In 2019, they created the symbol of the event under commission of the Euro Chocolate Festival in Perugia (2700 buttons).
In 2020 they paid homage to famous silent film actors, Laurel and Hardy.
In 2021 they paid tribute to famous Italian western film actors, Terence Hill and Bud Spencer.
God save the Queen (of buttons)
is the last of their works completed to date.
Having heard that the Queen
has passed away,
they decided to pay homage to her.
To a woman who has been part of three generations, they wanted to honour her chameleon-like adaptation ability to changes during her 70 years of service to the Crown from the end of the colonial empire to Brexit.
Her Majesty’s composure and unwavering commitment have been uniquely solid despite many years living in an ever- changing world. Although she has not presented herself openly as a feminist, throughout her life, she has encouraged women to stand up for their rights. Her legacy continues to remind all women to believe in themselves and treat others with grace and kindness.
Her Majesty opened the 100th annual meeting of the Women’s Institute (WI) at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 2015 with this speech, “In the modern world, the opportunities for women to give something of value to society are greater than ever because, through their own efforts, they now play a much larger role in all areas of public life. In 2015, we continue to demonstrate that we can make a real difference in the lives of women of all ages and cultural backgrounds in a spirit of friendship, cooperation and support.”
Every year British TV broadcasts a charity show, the Royal Variety Performance in Birmingham, of which the Queen holds the patronage.
On November 29, 1999, at this performance, Queen Elizabeth wore what was dubbed ‘The Harlequin Dress’. Some called it the most kitsch look ever seen on a queen— especially our Queen. But for a television appearance, Queen Elizabeth’s harlequin dress was perfect, and it was so bright and fun that it achieved her goal: to be unmistakably unmistakable.
This was the dress that was chosen by Laura because of the variety of colors and its uniqueness, which in turn, enabled her to indulge herself in her collection of buttons.
One might think that each button depicts every dress the queen has sported throughout her reign.
In this picture,
there are 630 buttons
sewn on by hand,
taking a total of 80 hours
(53 buttons a day for 12 days).
This tribute also represents the patience needed by the artist, who,
through the inspiration of the Queen,
used recycled buttons
to create a work of art.
Passion, Patience, Uniqueness: These are the three words to describe this portrayal of the Queen.
