the nature of things

I've been making paper, again

the first time was in 1986, using recycled paper... it was an amazing thing, to lift that first piece of dried paper from the plywood board we had formed them on

I was hooked

over the years I've made paper in that way many, many times, sometimes adding plant material for a different effect, other times embossing a design using objects such as large needles, or else embedding lightweight cheesecloth within the paper

never did I make the paper from plant fibres, though I knew it could be done

this year all that has changed

I was very fortunate to be able to take a course in making handmade paper from plants with Karen Olson (among other techniques involving handmade paper), offered by Fibre Arts Take Two

learning to do this was a revelation... the possibilities are extensive and the ability to bring "place" into the work at a deeper level feels rather profound, with the materials holding a place of greater importance than even the process, at least for me

over the years the materiality of things hasn't been much of a consideration 

(though I do admit a long-held penchant for linen over cotton)

it never mattered what it was I tackled, it was the process intrigued me the most, the materials were simply what I was first told to use, though as I got more experienced, what I found to work best

I rarely considered what they were made of nor where they came from... they were simply the means which made the process possible

over the past decade that began to change, first with cloth (100% linen became my fabric of choice), then thread (hand-dyed), paper (Japanese) and so on,  in fact, now it's become more about the materiality - if the process won't work with the material I'm determined to use I change the "how", not the "with what"

thankfully my first forays into making paper with plants have been a wonderful combination of a process I enjoy and materials that please me greatly

this small paper bowl is the culmination of all I have been doing lately...  the last of the pulp from two paper-making adventures, combining corn husks, Reed Canary Grass, with cotton and abaca linters

draining the water through a bowl-shaped strainer to collect the last of the pulp. compressing and shaping it, then tipping it onto a prepared mold (an upside down jar), a little refining for an even shape and then patiently waiting for it to dry

pleased with the outcome, the wheels already turning for my next paper-making adventure...

I didn't start out interested in paper sculpture but it feels as though process is now swinging to the forefront and "shape" is occupying my thoughts - I know for sure there will still be a dance between process and materials as cotton is a somewhat weak fibre for paper whereas abaca is much stronger

and then there's kozo... there's a bundle of that fibre amongst my supplies...