Helen Hiebert's Blog, page 53
July 23, 2016
Bark Cloth
The Sunday Paper #117, July 24, 2016
Paper of the Week: Bark Cloth/aka Tapa
I visited the Denver Art Museum about a week ago and stumbled across an exhibit on bark cloth. From the exhibition display: Artists from across vast watery stretches of islands in the South Pacific have been sculpting, weaving, carving, and painting artworks for hundreds of years. This exhibition celebrates one unique tradition of making cloth from the bark of trees. (My note: this is the same bark we use to make Eastern-style papers, but instead of macerating the fiber, the people in the South Pacific pound the bark to flatten it into sheets, sometimes pounding pieces together to make really big sheets). The making and designing of bark cloth is a significant creative practice throughout the region. The lives of the islands’ inhabitants are – literally and figuratively – wrapped up in this art form. This unexpected material has played a central role in nearly all aspects of life from birth to death including baby swaddling, elaborate clothing, everyday bed linens, dramatic ceremonial mask, bridal dowries, wealth display, and burial shrowds.
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In the Studio: I’ve been working on a long-distance collaboration for the past two years with Karen Kunc who runs Constellation Studios in Lincoln, NE (definitely worth a trip). We came up with a plan when I was in Lincoln to teach a workshop. I made the paper featuring a watermark in my Colorado studio and then shipped it to Karen. She carved woodblocks and printed the accordion book in her studio. We met up again last week in my studio (after she spent a week teaching nearby at Anderson Ranch) to discuss the final phase. Here we are with the book between us (look closely and you’ll see the watermarks). The final pieces include a clever box, a box label and the colophon. It won’t be long before it’s done!
Also of note:
I’m having an open studio August 13th & 14th from 10am – 5pm as part of the Red Cliff Studio Tour (400 Pine Street, Studio #1, Red Cliff, CO). If you’re in the area, please stop by!
Check out my upcoming workshops in Denver and San Diego. Join us!
Do you know about these how-to guides featuring simple paper projects that are fun to make?
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I’m glad I caught this in my FB feed on Friday, and I think you’ll be interested as well. Check out this gorgeous tibetan woodblock of the Goddess White Tara which Jim Canary purchased in Northern India in 1979 at Tashijong. Jim is hand printing on handmade lokta paper using a Daniel Smith waterbased ink. The image is 17″ x 13 1/2 “ and he’s selling these prints ($30 each, I ordered mine already) to help fund his trip to Asia to document papermakers, block carvers and the traditional method of making palm leaf manuscripts. Jim will be travelling in China,Thailand Cambodia Laos and Myanmar. $5 from each sale will be sent to hand papermakers in Nepal for continued assistance in earthquake damaged areas. If you’d like a print, you can send $30 via paypal to canaryj@gmail.com (Cold Mountain).
My husband and daughter love watching the Amazing Race (in case you don’t know, it is a reality TV game show). This episode features a Papermaking Challenge in Madagascar! If you aren’t familiar with the show, there are a series of challenges and teams get to pick between two events for each challenge. And guess what, NONE of the teams chose the papermaking challenge! Instead they opted to carry a mattress on their heads for a mile. Scroll forward to 18:50 to see the details of the challenge that nobody took!
I was doing a bit of research earlier this week about wrapping paper and found this article in The Atlantic. Wowza! I learned about the beginnings of the empire started by Joyce and Rollie Hall. You’ll have to read to the end of the article to make the same discovery!
I’ve written about French street artist Mademoiselle Maurice before. Here’s her latest work: Lunar Cycles, a large-scale installation comprising 15,000 colorful origami birds. Created in collaboration with Mathgoth Gallery in Paris, the celestial-inspired artwork spans an area of over 2,000 square meters and is the biggest urban mural ever created in the French capital. I wonder how the birds are affixed and whether they end up flying away.
Last week I wrote about paper tessellations. Here’s an article about the artist Polly Verity who makes amazing pieces utilizing this technique.
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If you enjoyed reading The Sunday Paper today, why not sign up to get it delivered to your in-box each and every Sunday? Click here to subscribe (it’s free), and you’ll receive my nifty pop-up alphabet template as a thank you gift!
If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Click on that cute paper button (I made that paper) to see how you can provide support.
And if you run a paper-related business, you might be interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.
Thank you to those who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!
July 16, 2016
Paper Boats and Paper Mills
The Sunday Paper #116, July 17, 2016
Paper Studio of the Week: Petrichor Paper
Stationery set (cotton rag envelopes & bleached cattail notecards) featured in a Buffalo Indie Weddings event raffle. Custom orders are widely accepted for any occasion.
Woo hoo! There’s a new papermill and residency program in the works in upstate New York, and it needs your help to come to fruition. Petrichor Paper has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to move to its new facility in the countryside of Randolph, NY (1.5 hrs south of Buffalo).
Danielle Myers made an impromptu purchase of a small scale hand papermaking operation in Tempe, Arizona in 2013 and has been running her mill out of a room in her home ever since. Interest in her papers, classes, workshops and open studios has grown exponentially, and it is time for a proper set-up. The Kickstarter Campaign will provide funds to relocate her operation and start an artist residency that will include open studio, housing, meals and limited transportation. Click on the link to read more about the cabins and residency in this gorgeous area within close proximity of Jamestown, Chautauqua Institute, Ellicottville (Holiday Valley), Allegheny State Park & Fredonia.
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In the Studio: I’m pleased to announce that my first Paperology column for Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine is in print! The July/August issue features the paper weaving project you see below. It is now on newsstands, but for those of you who live in the boonies like me, you can purchase it in print here, buy a digital copy here or subscribe here. Stay tuned for more Paperology in upcoming issues!
Also of note:
My book Playing With Pop-Ups is now available in French, German, Japanese, Spanish and Italian.
Check out my upcoming workshops in Denver and San Diego. Join us!
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Speaking of Paperology, when I was in Minneapolis last week I met Eric Gjerde, a self-described Paperologist. When his parents asked him at age 5 what he wanted to be when he grew up, he declared “A Paperologist”. Well, he’s done it! Eric showed me some of his new work with biopaper, which he is currently researching with a grant from the Jerome Foundation.
© Eric Gjerde, Under the Sea, 10” x 4” x 4”, biopaper
This is a top notch video called Paper Play by The Incredible Films about Sally Blakemore, a pioneer in paper engineering. I know you will enjoy watching it!
My headline may be slightly misleading, because this boat isn’t made of paper, but its foldability (inspired by origami) qualifies it for The Sunday Paper. And isn’t summer the perfect time for boats? There’s already an Oru Kayak out there, and now here’s a canoe called ONAK. Click through to watch it in action, and if you’ve been looking for a canoe that is easy to transport and store, this might just be the ticket!
Did you catch this article in the Atlantic Monthly about the art of handwriting? It features the hand written letters of artists, including this one by Paulus Berensohn, whom I’ve had the pleasure of meeting at the Penland School.
On a side note, there’s a film out about Paulus’ work called To Spring from the Hand. Watch the trailer and order your copy here. This is one of those great works about art and life.
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About our sponsor: Petrichor means the scent of the dry earth after rain. Petrichorpaper is a small-scale handmade paper mill currently operating out of Buffalo, NY. Besides paper production, classes/workshops/open studio are offered. On that note Petrichorpaper is looking to relocate to a larger space in Randolph, NY while also developing an artist residency. A Kickstarter campaign is underway to make this happen. Please help to make this project come to fruition by backing the campaign or spreading the word!
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If you enjoyed reading The Sunday Paper today, why not sign up to get it delivered to your in-box each and every Sunday? Click here to subscribe (it’s free), and you’ll receive my nifty pop-up alphabet template as a thank you gift!
If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Click on that cute paper button (I made that paper) to see how you can provide support.
And if you run a paper-related business, you might be interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.
Thank you to those who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!
July 9, 2016
Paper Sale / Last Call!
The Sunday Paper #115, July 10, 2016
On-Line Paper Sale Ends Today!
This is the last call for my biannual on-line paper sale. Click here to check out the five paper packages featuring bendable abaca, watermarked alphabets, translucent abaca, stitched abaca leather and Wish Disks. The sale ends tonight at midnight!
And thank you if you already placed an order!
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Out of the Studio:
I’m in Northern Iowa for a couple of days, teaching a plant fiber papermaking workshop in Spirit Lake. It has been fun seeing all of the fields of corn (and making corn husk paper). I’m heading to Minneapolis for a couple of days next to visit with paper friends and record a couple of podcasts. Speaking of podcasts, there’s a new one up with Andrea Peterson. Listen to it here and check out this short video tour of her studio.
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This is a lovely profile of the artist Sun Young Kang, whom I’ve showed with and met. I love how the writer captures the essence and depth of her work, the reality of her life as an artist (working two jobs in addition to her artwork, being a wife and a mother) and staying true to herself which is summed up in the last line: “It certainly would be easier if she pursued something more commercial, but don’t count on it. “This is my art and my truth,” Kang says.”
My foray into paper art began decades ago when I took a paper class at the University of Mainz in Germany during my junior year of college. One of our assignments was to make a piece of furniture out of cardboard. Check out these amazing cardboard pieces made by Karton (sorry, available only in Australia), Chairigami, SmartDeco and Flatgoods.
I’d love to hop over to Hanoi to experience the exhibition Truc chi – Listen to the River by artist Phan Hai Bang. Inspired by the words of Heraclitus: “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man,” the exhibition features 10 artworks called “Raincoats” and a 100m-long river created of paintings on bamboo paper, in which ordinary stories in the lives of Vietnamese people are told. The works are combined with light, music and video installations.
I don’t think we’ll ever get tired of new innovations with origami. Canadian entrepreneur Tony Luna doesn’t claim to have the solution to worsening air quality, but he has come up with a way to make air-filtering face masks more attractive – even fashionable, while at the same time drawing people’s attention to the pollution issue.
Check out this giant paper boat that German artist Frank Bôlter created and set sail in recently in Ireland.
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If you enjoyed reading The Sunday Paper today, why not sign up to get it delivered to your in-box each and every Sunday? Click here to subscribe (it’s free), and you’ll receive my nifty pop-up alphabet template as a thank you gift!
If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Click on that cute paper button (I made that paper) to see how you can provide support.
And if you run a paper-related business, you might be interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.
Thank you to those who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!
July 2, 2016
Summer Paper Sale!
The Sunday Paper #114, July 3, 2016
On-Line Paper Sale!
Twice a year, I have an on-line paper sale, and the Summer 2016 sale begins now! Click here to check out the five paper packages featuring bendable abaca, watermarked alphabets, translucent abaca, stitched abaca leather and Wish Disks. The sale runs now through July 10th and there are limited quantities for each package, so order right away to get what you want!
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In the Studio:
Some things are easier to show with a video, so I made a 4-minute video featuring the papers that will be available in the sale. If you don’t see the video below, just click on this link.
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This is a little off-topic, although it does involve freehand sketching designs (by hand!) onto thin paper. I love this story about Chuck Zunker, who is still practicing the lost art of hand-painted race car lettering.
This is an excellent article about how the ancient art of origami is inspiring cutting-edge technology in fields as varied as space and medicine.
Asif Farooq is building a Cold War-era combat jet made from paper and glue. Those are the only building blocks the artist is using to create a nearly exact replica of the Russian supersonic fighter jet. When his feat of engineering is completed, Farooq’s two-ton paper sculpture of the delta-winged MiG-21 will include upward of 250,000 parts and be a fully representational model of the aircraft, which made its debut in 1956 at Moscow’s Tushino Airfield.
Wowza! Look very close at the image below. It was created on a typewriter by Charles Cannoni, 95, who never even owned his own typewriter. Using select keys on the typewriter — predominantly the x, m, &, @, /, and ( ) keys — he made detailed portraits and landscapes.
I’m sure that many of you know of (and even show your work at) 23 Sandy Gallery in Portland, OR. Be sure to check out the current call for entries for POP-UP NOW II, an international juried exhibition of pop-up and movable artist books. Pop-up books captivate and excite the child in all of us. They come to life as three-dimensional works of art hidden inside the pages of a book. POP-UP NOW II is looking for handmade artist books that pop-up, move, slide, twirl, whirl, light up, or even sound off.
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If you enjoyed reading The Sunday Paper today, why not sign up to get it delivered to your in-box each and every Sunday? Click here to subscribe (it’s free), and you’ll receive my nifty pop-up alphabet template as a thank you gift!
If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Click on that cute paper button (I made that paper) to see how you can provide support.
And if you run a paper-related business, you might be interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.
Thank you to those who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!
June 25, 2016
Mitsumata
The Sunday Paper #113, June 26, 2016
Sponsored Paper of the Week: Handmade Mitsumata Iron Oxide Pink and Grey from the Japanese Paper Place
These handmade mitsumata papers are dyed with iron oxide, and to produce the grey color, mixed with sumi (soot). Added to the Japanese Paper Place (JPP) inventory in just the last 2 years, these papers are typical of the very special finds they discover or commission annually.
Gel pen drawing by Stacey Sproule on mitsumata iron oxide grey.
Japanese paper made from mitsumata is thought to be the “feminine” of the three traditional papermaking fibres: soft to the touch, malleable, and dense (it is less translucent than kozo or gampi), with a subtle elegant gloss and a natural creamy color. In Japan, mitsumata paper is favored for brush calligraphy, backing gold leaf, and until recently for making paper currency. But in the hands of western creatives, these special characteristics call out in other ways: to be touched in a book; drawn on with gel pens; stitched into jewelry; or just carried around in a pocket when a gentle touch is needed.
The Japanese Paper Place in Toronto has been devoted to selling papers and supplies from Japan exclusively since 1978. In the mix of hundreds of kinds of washi, they stock a wide range of mitsumata paper, many of which have aged like good cheese or wine to a peak of ripeness which never wanes.
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In the Studio:
I’m just back from my Florida vacation and am looking forward to getting back into the studio this week! In the meantime, I spent a few hours working on the 2017 Twelve Months of Paper Calendar. Here’s a sneak peak at the first month’s project (December 2016).
My biannual Paper Sale starts next Sunday. Read all about it in The Sunday Paper on July 3rd!
I’m heading to Northern Iowa next week! Care to make plant papers there with me?
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Better late than never, right? I co-juried the Chasing Paper exhibition which is open through today in Lake Oswego, OR. Check it out if you can; it’s all about paper!
In the last 20 years of his career, the Canadian artist, Geoffrey Farmer, has made audacious paper sculptures and video installations from more than 15,000 fragments of images and sound. The “paper works,” as Farmer calls them, pull from art history and the artist’s imagination to explore contemporary culture and the images it produces.
Geoffrey Farmer, Boneyard, 2013, Paper, wood, and glue Dimensions variable, Installation view, Cut nothing, cut parts, cut the whole, cut the order of time, Casey Kaplan, New York, 2014 Photo: Jean Vong Courtesy the artist and Casey Kaplan, New York © 2016 Geoffrey Farmer
Part of my family went to Cape Canaveral while we were in Florida to watch a rocket launch, among other things. And that reminded me of this origami balloon that I saw a few weeks back. The International Space Station is now testing the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), which swelled to its full size upon launch in May, beginning a two-year stint at the ISS. During this time, astronauts will measure how well BEAM holds up against space debris, radiation and temperature swings. Lightweight expandable habitats, made from aluminum and fabric, might provide a home for astronauts on future deep space missions. The actual module looks a bit different than the paper balloon in the rendering, but it is still cool that the space program is giving a nod to origami.
A tiny origami version of the expandable habitat NASA is testing on the International Space Station.
Here’s another exhibition that’s on my wish list, although I probably won’t make it to Pittsburgh. Alison Knowles has a big show at the Carnegie Museum of Art, and some of it showcases her work with paper. The image below pertains to her Homage to Each Red Thing participatory installation, but click over to this video to see the paper work.
Museum visitors participate in the Celebration Red event held on Thursday, May 19, 2016 in the Hall of Sculpture. (Bryan Conley/Carnegie Museum of Art)
Here’s a lovely video about the function of a university special collections library – a profile of the University of Washington’s new conservation center.
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About our Sponsor: The bulk of The Japanese Paper Place’s business is wholesale – check out their resellers list here . Watch for an updated website and special vintage retail section coming in the next few weeks, and in the US, look up JPP partner Linda Marshall at Washi Arts who shares a belief in these remarkable ancient yet contemporary papers and caters to washi lovers in the States.
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If you enjoyed reading The Sunday Paper today, why not sign up to get it delivered to your in-box each and every Sunday? Click here to subscribe (it’s free), and you’ll receive my nifty pop-up alphabet template as a thank you gift!
If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Click on that cute paper button (I made that paper) to see how you can provide support.
And if you run a paper-related business, you might be interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.
Thank you to those who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!
June 18, 2016
Pure Pulp
The Sunday Paper #112, June 19, 2016
Paper of the Week: Stitched Abaca
My biannual paper sale starts July 3rd, and this Stitched Abaca Leather will be one of the featured papers. These are made from translucent abaca formed on an 18″ x 23″ mould and then air dried. Once dry, I spritz them with water and then restraint dry them, which accentuates the deckled edges and makes for a textured (leathery) surface. Finally, I zip them through the sewing machine with one color of thread in the needle and a second color in the bobbin, resulting in a double-sided translucent sheet. What would you make with a sheet of this paper?
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Out of the Studio:
I’m in Daytona Beach, Florida for the week on a family vacation and found these plant-based crafts in the condo we’re staying in.
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This review of “Pure Pulp: Contemporary Artists Working in Paper at Dieu Donné” is a good one, covering the technique, aesthetics and content of works which are currently on view at the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking at Georgia Tech. I hope that a few of you get to see this show!
Richard Tuttle’s “The Triumph of Night (detail)” (2009), hand-cast cotton pulp, wood and wire and box frame. DETAIL PHOTO BY JOHN BENTHAM
This is a clever recycling project – Matsuda Seitai’s Orizuru Sachet – a new life for the 10 million paper cranes sent as prayers for peace to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park by people from around the world every year. President Obama even delivered a couple that he made when he visited a couple of weeks ago.
Is it harder to get published these days? Sam Hayes claims that he’s part of a whole generation with no place in the publishing world. So he printed and posted these fake weather signs on the streets of Chicago to promote his new book, The Weather Man, and he’s making it happen!
Kevin Steele never ceases to amaze me with his incredible and ambitious book productions. It looks to me like he’s covered several paper engineering structures (pull a lever here, turn a wheel there) within the pages of this book: The Movable Book of Letterforms.
I mentioned the book Paper by Mark Kurlansky in last week’s Sunday Paper. Here’s a great interview by Leonard Lopate with Mark and Donna Koretsky from Carriage House Paper.
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If you enjoyed reading The Sunday Paper today, why not sign up to get it delivered to your in-box each and every Sunday? Click here to subscribe (it’s free), and you’ll receive my nifty pop-up alphabet template as a thank you gift!
If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Click on that cute paper button (I made that paper) to see how you can provide support.
And if you run a paper-related business, you might be interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.
Thank you to those who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!
June 11, 2016
Mottled Ogami Paper
The Sunday Paper #111, June 12, 2016
Sponsored Paper of the Week: Mottled Ogami from Paper Circle
To create these gorgeous, one-of-a-kind papers, Paper Circle’s mottled sheets are formed from the same pigmented abaca that is used in making Ogami. Once the abaca is beaten, pigmented, and drained, it is formed into weighed “balls” to ensure consistency of thickness.
Using a pour-over method in our large mould and deckle, Margaret Gustafan, Paper Circle’s main papermaker, has perfected her mottling technique. After she pours each color in, one right after the other, she has a short minute to work her magic with the swirling water before the pulp drains and sets.
The beauty of the paper is that it retains Ogami’s extraordinary archival, water-resistant super-strength, and color, designs upon which any artist can paint, print, sculpt, fold, draw, cut, sew, bind, etc! The colors and sheets are more gorgeous in person and are works of art in their own right.
To buy a sheet of these newly formed, limited quantity, 22″ x 28″ inch sheets, Paper Circle has purposely kept them out of their online store to offer them as an exclusive to Sunday Paper readers! Please email Barb the Director @ papercirclearts@gmail.com, tell her you want a sheet (or three) and she will process your order. Each sheet is $15.99 (not including shipping and handling). You can ask for certain colors and the staff at Paper Circle will do their best to accommodate.
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In the Studio:
We are also having a pigment fest in the studio, mixing 57 colors to make a spectrum in abaca. This is in preparation for a new artist’s book about color and light (you know, the rainbow).
Grab a spot in my Red Cliff Paper Retreat (September 9-11) Two spots left!
Purchase a Custom Paper Pack and warm up for the Twelve Months of Paper (a combination how-to book/calendar, details coming soon)
Have you seen my educational and art videos? You can download all three for $12.99 through VHX.tv.
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I love this illustration by Thomas Allen, who creates pop-up book like cutouts using thrift store novels – and then photographs them.
Did you make gum wrapper chains as a kid? Check out this prom dress made entirely from gum wrappers. 17-year-old Lizzie Rasmuson made a vest for her date too!
Facebook/Madsen Photography
Michele Miller-Hansen created Weave Peace for the Grand Rapids Art Prize competition in 2014. Next to the structure was a simple message: “Write a peaceful intention: a hope, a wish or dream for the world.” Two tables, complete with colorful strips of paper, alongside yarn, were available with writing utensils that let strangers scribe anything they desired. The fluttered pieces of colorful paper wrapped the PVC pipes, mimicking a spider web that was doing its best impression of a rainbow. Miller-Hansen’s rainbow pattern was a symbol of inclusion and harmony, welcoming all people without prejudice.
Have you seen the new book about paper by Mark Kurlansky? I’m working my way through it, and have enjoyed reading about some of the pre-paper surfaces he describes, like writing boards covered with soft plaster and wax tablets that were erasable. I’m so pleased that paper is getting the attention of readers and writers today. There have been several books published in the last few years: Cathy Baker’s From the Hand to the Machine (among others), Nicholas Basbanes’ On Paper, and Lothar Müller’s White Magic (have I missed any)?
I posted this video about Paper Circle before, but maybe you missed it (or it’s worth watching again).
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About our Sponsor: Paper Circle is a non-profit paper, print and book arts organization located in southeast Ohio, whose mission is to provide living-wages and free exhibition space for artists, holistic, arts-based enrichment programming for under-served teen and youth, educational opportunities for the community, and to enhance the creative economy of the region by creating products that support their mission. Like them on FB!
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If you enjoyed reading The Sunday Paper today, why not sign up to get it delivered to your in-box each and every Sunday? Click here to subscribe (it’s free), and you’ll receive my nifty pop-up alphabet template as a thank you gift!
If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Click on that cute paper button (I made that paper) to see how you can provide support.
And if you run a paper-related business, you might be interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.
Thank you to those who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!
June 4, 2016
Viennese Paper
The Sunday Paper #110, June 5, 2016
Dear Friends,
It was a year ago when I started soliciting donations for The Sunday Paper, and I want to give a big round of applause to those of you who have supported me in this endeavor – it means a lot!
If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Click on the paper button at the left (I made that paper) to see how you can provide support.
And if you run a paper-related business, you might be interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.
Thanks againg to those of you who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!
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Paper of the Week: Net Paper from The Papierwespe in Vienna
I’ve had the good fortune of visiting the Paperiewespe in Vienna twice now and am always impressed with how the proprietor (Beatrix Mapalagama) runs her space! She creates an interesting plan each year with new and exciting workshops (often featuring other instructors), open studios, and a nice selection of paper products in her little shop. Plus she makes some really unique papers! The one pictured here is a translucent double layer of abaca: one thin layer is made on the screen you see below and is then couched onto a second solid backing sheet.
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In the Studio:
I’ve got two recent college grads, Eden Marek and Tracy Norman, in and around the studio this summer, which is a lot of fun. I enjoy company in the studio, since it is otherwise quite solitary.
Have you seen my educational and art videos? You can download all three for $12.99 through VHX.tv. They are also available individually for less, or you can just watch the trailers – that’s free!
Paper Talk (my new podcast series) features Tim Barrett from the University of Iowa Center for the Book this month. Have a listen!
The latest How-To Guide, featuring a Solstice Accordion Book, is now available.
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Okay, this is too cool: a book vending machine! How about one of you entrepreneurs out there making a paper vending machine? Let’s see, what could be dispensed: plant papers made from hemp, recycled papers, cool paper products…
Special thanks to the reader who sent me the link to this music video that promotes a new album by the Canadian band Walk Off the Earth. What a clever video featuring cardboard boxes, and I love their music too!
Did you see the Google Doodle this week featuring Lotte Reiniger? Here’s what one of my FB friends typed about Reiniger: “The doodle honors the birthday of German director Lotte Reiniger (6-2-99 to 6-19-81) who made the first animated feature film in 1926. Cinema historians and Wikipedia refuse to give her full credit, saying only that she is the maker of the oldest surviving feature-length animated film. But they never mention what that refers to and they often go on to say “Many consider Walt Disney’s 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs the first animated feature film.” Nope. It was a woman director folks! Lotte Reiniger!”
Two shows open at the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art this weekend. One of them is curated by Donna Seager and includes a piece of mine: the inflatable Text Ball.
Taro Hattori, Obscenity Version 1 (detail), 2010, Cardboard, 20 x 20 x 4 feet, Courtesy of the Artist. Installation view at Headlands Center for the Arts.
I discovered this weekly roundup recently, from the American Craft Council: The Week in Craft is your weekly dose of links about craft, art, design, and whatever else we’re excited about sharing.
It’s been a great week for paper!
May 27, 2016
Japanese momi (crinkled) papers
The Sunday Paper #109, May 29, 2016
Sponsored Paper of the Week: Konnyaku Washi Sampler from Washi Arts
Konnyaku is powdered Devil’s Tongue root, a natural plant starch that, when mixed with water and applied by brush to Japanese kozo washi / paper, gives extra strength, some waterproofing and memory to papers.
Suki Hughes in her book Washi: The World of Japanese Paper says the following: “When a thick, qood quality kozo paper is treated and repeatedly crumpled by the hands it is called momigami or kneaded paper. The application of konnyaku makes kozo washi strong and flexible enough to withstand the rubbing and wrinkling process: both treatments, in turn, render momigami much stronger, softer, and more flexible than untreated paper. Because the mucilage coats the papers pores, the sheet becomes not only wind- and water-resistant, but the papers natural heat-retention qualities are enhanced: and yet the paper still breathes. Sheets of momigami can by dyed or left plain: then they are glued end to end to form a roll or bolt and sewn into clothing, particularly coats. As lining for clothing, momigami often outlasts the textiles that it lines.”
Washi Art’s kyoseishi line of momi paper is already treated with konnyaku and comes in a range of colors which can be further dyed and embellished.
Konnyaku comes as a powder and when mixed with water becomes gelatinous. This thick liquid is painted onto the washi to saturate it. It can be left to dry flat, can be kneaded and crumpled, or manipulated to create crepe like patterns in the sheets. Konnyaku Powder comes in 25g and 100g containers.
Special for Sunday Paper readers: A one recipe size container of konnyaku (makes several cups), a sample of kyoseishi paper treated with konnyaku and twelve assorted sheets of Japanese washi / paper (8.5” x 11”) to test. Instructions + inspiration sheet included. Offer good through June 10th.
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In the Studio:
Speaking of konnyaku, I had the pleasure of meeting the proprietress of Washi Arts – Linda Marshall – when she participated in my workshop in Tacoma a couple of weeks ago. I was intrigued by a konnyaku treated paper she had with her, so I purchased some of the powder and treated some papers myself! Here you see them drying… and I’ll share what I make with them soon.
Grab a spot in my Red Cliff Paper Retreat (September 9-11) before early bird pricing expires June 1st.
Have you seen my educational and art videos? You can download all three for $12.99 through VHX.tv. They are also available individually for less, or you can just watch the trailers – that’s free!
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Paul Jackson is probably familiar to many of you as a prolific writer of how-to books geared towards paper engineering as well as for developing and sharing innovative yet practical uses of paper (for graphic and packaging design). He lives in Israel with his wife Miri Golan, where they run the nonprofit Folding Together, which is a place where Israeli and Palestinian kids begin working separately and gradually come together. Now that’s a cool way to make meaningful connections! Works by Jackson and Golan are featured in Above the Fold, an exhibition which has been traveling around the country for the past year and opens today in Los Angeles.
Miri Golan’s “Untitled III” (2010). Vellum, silicone paper and wood. Photo courtesy of Japanese American National Museum
I crossed paths with Jean Kropper who runs Paper & Pixel many years through hand papermaking (she is the author of a how-to book about papermaking). Her new design company, based in Australia, is quite clever. Check out this promotional video.
I’ve written about The Bookbinder before, but it deserves another mention because it is making a American debut at Yale in June (video and ticket details at the link). From award-winning New Zealand company Trick of the Light Theatre comes a story of mystery, magic, and mayhem. Inspired by the works of Chris Van Allsburg and Neil Gaiman, The Bookbinder weaves shadowplay, paper art, puppetry, and music into an inventive performance for curious children and adventurous adults.
I chuckled when I read the following copy: the world’s only contemporary book art exhibition is set to open at Central Library on June 4 in Liverpool. Well, I disagree and am happy to report that there are several contemporary book art exhibitions going on as I type. But this one is probably the only one with six huge Shakespeare figures on show, handcrafted from paper by students at Birmingham City University.
Here’s a roundup of 10 Geeky Pop-Up Books, featuring videos of most of them: Star Wars, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead… and more!
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About our Sponsor: Washi Arts sells a broad range of Japanese handmade and machine made papers, tools and supplies for artists, bookbinders, conservators, printmakers, architects and designers, calligraphers and printers. Follow Washi Arts on Instagram.
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If you enjoyed reading The Sunday Paper today, why not sign up to get it delivered to your in-box each and every Sunday? Click here to subscribe (it’s free), and you’ll receive my nifty pop-up alphabet template as a thank you gift!
If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Click on that cute paper button (I made that paper) to see how you can provide support.
And if you run a paper-related business, you might be interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.
Thank you to those who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!
May 21, 2016
Paper World Video
The Sunday Paper #108, May 22, 2016
Paper of the Week: Sekishu from Hiromi Paper
© Michelle Wilson 2016, Division 3, woodcut on Sekishu wheat pasted onto found wallpaper
Some papers are invisible! This pigeon is printed on Sekishu, a thin, wispy and delicate paper that has great strength for its weight. It is unsized and a great choice for relief printing. Sekishu is made from 100% kozo and is named after its place of origin, Sekishu in the Iwami area of the Shimane Prefecture. Michelle Wilson carves her images in wood and prints them on this lovely paper and then cuts them out and adheres them to wallpaper from old sample books (another great paper)! Michelle Wilson is a papermaker, printmaker, book and installation artist. She is also one-half of the ongoing collaborative, political art team BOOK BOMBS. Wilson’s imprint is Rocinante Press, based in the San Francisco Bay Area. This piece (and others) will be on view June 3-24 at the NIAD Art Center in Richmond.
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In the Studio:
I am busy designing projects and choosing the papers for the next 25 Days of Paper which will feature a printed How-To Calendar. I hope to have these ready for distribution in September.
There’s one spot left in my Red Cliff Paper Retreat, September 9-11
View my 25th anniversary retrospective catalog here; purchase your own copy here
Join me for a workshop in the coming months.
Have you checked out my podcast series? Listen to my interviews with Catherine Nash and Tatiana Ginsberg. Coming up next month: Timothy Barrett.
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Here’s a fabulous video from Hungary’s World Wildlife Fund. Check it out!
This is a lovely story about a mother who figured out how to engage and employ her autistic son. Their business is Papercatz. Aren’t their paper flowers gorgeous, and they look so real!
Christophe Guberan adapted an inkjet printer to print patterns that contort pieces of paper into three-dimensional forms that he calls hydro-folds. How cool is that? You can see the paper transforming in the video at the link.
Many consider wasps to be the first papermakers. Have you seen this experiment? Mattia Menchetti fed wasps colored paper and guess what happened?!
Here’s a link where you can view the catalog for Just One Look – an amazing exhibition of artists’ books at the University of Washington (I’m honored that my book Vertices is included in the show). And if you’d like to own a copy, you can purchase it here.
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If you enjoyed reading The Sunday Paper today, why not sign up to get it delivered to your in-box each and every Sunday? Click here to subscribe (it’s free), and you’ll receive my nifty pop-up alphabet template as a thank you gift!
If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Click on that cute paper button (I made that paper) to see how you can provide support.
And if you run a paper-related business, you might be interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.
Thank you to those who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!
