Helen Hiebert's Blog, page 7

The Art of Paper

The Sunday Paper #516

July 28, 2024

I host three week-long events in my studio each year. This past week, five of us gathered for the second of two Papermaking Master Classes (view images on Instagram). I will announce dates for next year in the fall. Click here to learn more and express interest.

My next and final in studio event is the Red Cliff Paper Retreat, which will take place August 26-30. One spot has just opened up. We’ll be exploring paper and thread this year: curved stitching, embedding strings, and structural string forms. Cool off and craft with a like-minded group of paper enthusiasts in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.

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Paper in Italy? Yes, please! The Art of Paper with Tom Balbo, Carol Barton, Denise Carbone, Roberto Mannino, and Amanda Degener will be held at the beautiful facilities of the International Center for the Arts in the perfectly-preserved medieval castle-town of Monte Castello di Vibio, in Umbria, Italy, September 22 – October 6, 2024 (coming up soon!). Participants will receive twelve hours of instruction in four areas: hand papermaking, marbling, sewn bookbindings, and designing pop-ups. The workshop will also include a two-day pulp painting workshop with Roberto Mannino.  The session will include field trips to the Fabriano Paper Mill and to the city of Florence. This is an ideal session for teachers, graphic designers, creative artists, and anyone who likes to play with paper. No prior experience is necessary; all skill levels are welcome.

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Check out these cut and folded paper artifacts that were discovered on a lintel, where they are assumed to have settled after falling between floorboards about 350 years ago. These treasures are on display at Sutton House, Hackney, London until December (click through to see a unique triaxial pattern in the floor at the old school).

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With the recent closure of University of the Arts and dissolution of Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) degree seeking programs, it’s a summer of uncertainty for many Philadelphia artists. A recent group show at AUTOMAT featured the work of five artists who have deep connections to the art community in Philadelphia. The work by Morgan Hobbs caught my eye. Appearing heavy, each piece is mostly hollow under the exterior coating of the newspaper pulp, and viewers were invited to rearrange and rebuild new structures.

Installation view of Pathways, featuring the work of Morgan Hobbs (center) and Kate Moran (right). Courtesy of Addison Namnoum.

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A Letter in Mind is The National Brain Appeal’s annual art fundraiser. Anyone can submit an envelope artwork that will be sold to help fund advances that the neurological community so desperately needs. The submissions deadline for 2024 has just ended, but you can still learn about and support this wonderful project.

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About our Sponsor:  The International Center for the Arts is an interdisciplinary arts and humanities center in central Italy, in the medieval castle-town of Monte Castello di Vibio. From its mountain perch, it overlooks the famed, Tiber River on its way to Rome and the lush Tiber Valley. It is an all-inclusive facility that provides 24/7 bi-lingual site support, airport welcome and departure services, airport transfer, three, chef-catered meals per day, single occupancy accommodations, and excursions once a week, in addition to fully equipped workplace for visual artists in paper making, book-binding, painting and drawing, printmaking, sculpture , clay arts, and photography, and crafts people of all disciplines, in addition to writers, filmmakers and composers, as well as scholars.

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If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper?

Tell 3500 paper enthusiasts about your work by promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

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I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

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Beating Flax

The Sunday Paper #515

July 21, 2024

Registration opened this week for New Altitudes, the annual meeting of the North American Hand Papermakers, which is taking place in Denver, October 17-19. I’m honored to be giving the Anita Lynn Forgach Keynote Lecture, and I’ll be talking about how moving to altitude helped me grow my business (among other things). There will be many other wonderful presentations, demonstrations and exhibitions, all relating to handmade paper. I hope to see some of you there! Scholarships are available.

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I’ve featured the work of Paul Cocksedge on the blog before. In his Shade edition, the intrusive fittings and flexes of conventional lamps vanish.

© Paul Cocksedge, Paper + LED, edition of 100.

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The work of Roberto Mannino is featured in a show opening this week (through August 16th) at Traffic Zone in Minneapolis. “Contemporary papermaking is an artistic discipline based on the control between states of matter, from fibrous to semifluid and to solid and substantial again… A successful piece is the one that embeds and reflects this umbilical cord, the dialogue between the artist and the matter, where a natural process reveals itself.”

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I haven’t published a video in my Papermaking Series in awhile. I get quite a few questions about beating pulp, so I made this video when I was beating raw flax recently.

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I enjoyed Episode 102, in the Confluence Documentary Series: Material World (look for it on your local PBS station). It features many artists and how they interact with their materials. Matt Shlian (who I featured in this episode of Paper Talk) talks about his relationship with paper.

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Paper TidbitsLast month we explored Hexagonal Weaving in The Paper Year. Watch the video, featuring member’s work.Did you have a chance to listen to my interview with Emily Martin on Paper Talk?

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If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper?

Tell 3500 paper enthusiasts about your work by promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!

I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

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A Paean to Paper

The Sunday Paper #514

July 14, 2024

I had the pleasure of interviewing Emily Martin on Episode #126 of Paper Talk. Martin has produced more than fifty artist’s books, often using movable and/or sculptural paper engineering techniques. Her books are included in public and private collections throughout the world, and she has received grants and residencies from the College Book Arts Association, the Center for Book Arts in New York City, and the Bodleian Bibliographical Press in Oxford, England among others. Martin has two adult daughters and lives in Iowa City, IA with her Vandercook SP15 printing press. She rides her bicycle as often as she can, sometimes all the way across the state of Iowa. Enjoy our conversation!

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Want to learn to make Japanese paper in Japan? I met Paul Denhoed when we were both working paper-related jobs in NYC in the mid 1990’s. Paul has been in Japan for over 20 years now, and is offering papermaking workshops at Oguni Mill. Spend six full days there, learning about the traditional craft of papermaking (washi). Learn, in English, how traditional Japanese paper is made, and try your hand at making sheets of your own that you can take home at the end of the Oguni Washi Intensive.

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I just caught wind of this exhibition, which is open for a couple more weeks at the Sandy Spring Museum in Maryland. A Paean to Paper features many paper artists who are new to me, and there is a lovely online catalog.

© Maria Barbosa

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This video shows how a town in India is keeping their papermaking tradition alive.

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Paper Tidbits

On a sad note: some of you will know Susan Kristoferson (I interviewed her on Paper Talk in 2021). She passed away last week. I was in touch with her in late May, when she sent me this lovely image of a paper weaving she created with her own paste papers in my Weave Through Winter online class a couple of years ago. I have so many fond memories of Susan, whom I met first at Friends of Dard Hunter conferences; connected with in Oregon, when I moved there in 1998 (she was generous and supportive to a newcomer); and stayed in touch with through the years after she moved to Canada. Susan had such a passion for surface design techniques, especially itajime and paste papers. Rest in peace, dear Susan.

Here is the information I have from a paper colleague who is in touch with her family: It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Susan Kristoferson, who bravely battled fallopian tube ovarian cancer since October. Despite her determined spirit and the excellent care she received, Susan passed away on Saturday July 6th. We will always cherish her strength, warmth, and the profound impact she had on all of our lives. Details are still being finalized, but a celebration of life is planned for Saturday, August 3rd, at the beloved home she cherished in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

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If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper?

Tell 3500 paper enthusiasts about your work by promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!

I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

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Japan Paper Tour Recap

I’m back from Japan, and next week, we’ll return to the regular Sunday Paper. This week is all about my trip – I hope you have time to read it.

But first,  I want to remind you that The Paper Year is open to new members through July 10th. We explore a different technique and project every month, and the third quarter launches tomorrow with Paper Inflatables, like the pink one below that I saw at Ozu Washi in Tokyo (what a coincidence)! Read more and sign up to join The Paper Year.

Now, Japan!!!

The Japan Paper Tour was an 11-day trip in June of 2024. The seed was planted when I traveled there with my husband in late 2019. I blogged about that trip here – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 – and started collecting names of those who might be interested in traveling with me in the future. The pandemic set in shortly afterwards, but the trip finally came to life five years later.

Pre-Tour

I flew to Japan a week before the tour began to acclimate and get over jet lag. Two participants joined me for a couple of days in Tokyo followed by a brief trip to two of the Art Islands (Teshima and Naoshima). In Tokyo, we went to paper shops: Itoya (like a paper Disneyland, filled with eye candy + crowds); Paper Nao (hand painted papers – 1000’s of them!); and Ozu Washi (a lovely shop with a museum and demonstration area). We also stumbled across the Fukui Antenna Shop, featuring craft products (including paper) from Fukui prefecture, where we were headed first on the tour. We caught up with Paul Denhoed at dinner one evening, who is associated with Oguni Mill in Northern Japan. I know Paul from my time in NYC when I worked at Dieu Donné and he worked at Kate’s Paperie.

Day 1: Train to Takefu

Our group converged at Kansai Airport’s Hotel Nikko, where we had dinner together and spent our first night. Our trip planner (and Kyoto guide later in the trip), Masa Fujiwara, greeted us and sent us on our way to our first stop, Echizen Paper Village.

L to R: Masa Fujiwara (JP), Helen Hiebert (CO), Linda Armstrong (GA), Diane Tomasso (CO), Helen Spielman (NC), Karen Jones (CO), Jill Powers (CO), Gina Pisello (WA), Kathy Bayard (NC), Eric Avery (TX), Michelle Scarlett (ME), Susan Mackin Dolan (CO).

We took the train to the brand new Takefu Station, a few miles from the paper village, and then walked through the rice fields to a business hotel, the Route Inn Takefu – note the street sign to the Japanese Paper Village. June is hot and steamy in Japan, and shopping (mostly for paper) was a big part of the tour. At this stop, we enjoyed fruit popsicles after arriving at the station.

Day 2:  Mill Visits + Paper Shrine

The tour’s inception came from my previous trip to Japan when I met Nick Cladis, who teaches papermaking at the University of Iowa Center for the Book. Nick lived in Echizen for 6 years and spent a day giving my husband and me a delightful tour of several mills, followed by a potluck dinner with members of the papermaking community there.

We took taxis into the paper village each day, where we met up with Nick, who was our guide and translator. We spent an hour  each at three different mills. I could write a full blog post about each visit, but to keep this brief, I’ll share one tidbit from each. At Igarashi Mill, we saw the three main plants used in papermaking (kozo, mitsumata and gampi) and learned about a scientist who is trying to cultivate gampi, which is very difficult to do; at Yamaguchi Mill, we met the husband and wife team (and their apprentice) who create gorgeous single and double-layer sheets that are all board dried; and at Taki Mill, we all got to try spraying into the pulp on a huge sheet of paper.

That afternoon we visited the Okamoto Otaki Shrine, the only shrine in Japan to be dedicated to Kawakami Gozen, the goddess of paper.

Day 3: More Mills + A Paper Distributor

We began our day at the shrine again (a good taxi drop-off location) and walked to Yanase Mill, where we gaped at two young papermakers working in tandem to create huge sheet after sheet. Mrs. Yanase showed us how she makes hikkake paper, an unusual stenciling technique. Next, we visited Osada Mill, where the proprietor shared several of his techniques with us. Many of these mills create large sheets for fusuma door panels and other interiors, such as lighting and wallpaper. Our third mill that day was Ryozo, where they make paper by hand, and then utilize a conveyor belt system – that they couch the sheets onto – to press and dry the sheets. They also create two different kinds of lace papers, and we were treated to a demonstration.

That afternoon we visited paper distributor, Sugihara Shoten, who has a beautiful showroom where we saw more papers from numerous mills around Echizen, as well as products created with the papers and special projects that have been facilitated with companies like Fendi.

Day 4: Udatsu Paper & Craft Museum and Paper Shops

We divided into two groups and split our time between learning how to make Japanese paper at the Udatsu Paper & Craft Museum and visiting several paper shops in the village. Each participant got to try their hand at making 2 large sheets of paper, which definitely takes some getting used to – my sheets were nothing to write home about, but I truly enjoyed the experience.

Day 5: Travel to Gifu, then Mino: Lanterns + Umbrellas

I met Andrew Dewar about 3 years ago, when he joined my Facebook group, The Paper Studio. He participates in our “flaunt it Fridays” almost every week, but more importantly he is an expert paper folder, specializing in paper objects that fly. When I learned that he lived in Gifu, near Mino, I asked him whether he would like to guide us for a couple of days. I knew that Isamu Noguchi had been in the area in the 1950’s to help modernize their collapsible lanterns (if you can’t make it to Japan, you can visit Noguchi’s old studio just outside of NYC). Andrew took us to Ozeki & Co., where Noguchi’s Akari Lights are still available, along with the traditional Gifu designs. Then we went to Kawara-Machi and visited Gifu Wagasa, a delightful shop that sells paper umbrellas. We were able to step into the workshop and meet a young craftsman who prepares the bamboo parts for the umbrellas.

After touring in Gifu, we had a lovely meal on the river – I think we counted 10 courses – and then took the public bus to Mino.

Day 6: Paper + Light

As luck would have it, a paper colleague who had been in Mino introduced me to Akiko Furuta, who lives in town and is a volunteer tour guide. After a brief tour of everyone’s room in the traditional Japanese ryokan (Nipponia Mino Merchant Town Hotel), filled with traditional shoji screens, gorgeous woodwork, fusuma paper doors, and gardens, views), Akiko generously handed out brochures and took us to a few sites, pointing out others for us to return to on our own later in the day. Mino has several paper and lantern shops, and Hideka Kano gave a lively miniature chochin (collapsible lantern) demonstration. Mino has an annual paper lantern competition, and the Mino Washi Akari Art Gallery is filled with innovative designs. The afternoon was topped off with an origami lesson with Andrew, who taught us how to make three different designs, two which flew.

Day 7: Travel to Kyoto

We re-connected with Masa in Kyoto, who planned a three-day itinerary of historic sites in the mornings, leaving our afternoons free to visit paper shops and artists. Masa is married to Sarah Brayer, an American paper artist who has been in Japan for 40 years and was my connection to Masa (I met Sarah when she came to make work at Dieu Donné in NYC in the mid-1990’s).

We had time for a few activities between our train ride to Kyoto and checking in at the Celestine Hotel Gion (Masa chose excellent hotels and planned our train travel). Our first stop was in the upper food court at the Kyoto train station, where Eriko Horiki, a paper artist who has done installation and lighting work all over Japan, did a recent ceiling installation piece. Next we visited Sanjusangen-do, a Buddhist temple with a great hall that houses 1001 life-sized, wooden statues of Kannon, the goddess of mercy (carved in Japanese cypress covered in gold leaf). Next, we visited Kawai Kanjiro’s house, tucking into a small doorway that opened up into a beautiful home designed by the ceramic artist in the 1930’s, complete with a huge kiln out back.

Day 8: Kyoto Zen Tour

I think it would be cool to be a tour guide like Masa, who has a chance to visit these special sites during different seasons. I can only imagine Ryoan-ji in the spring (with flowers) or fall (with colorful leaves). The rock garden was stunning and contemplative in summer too. I learned that the main rocks in Japanese rock gardens have at least half of their “body” buried underground. We headed to Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion next, a Zen temple whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. Masa knows the abbot at Zuiho-in, located in a vast complex of Daitoku-ji which hosts a large number of Zen temples. The abbot served us tea and answered our questions about the temple and his life there. After a delicious lunch on the temple grounds, several of us wandered through the streets of Kyoto to a fabric shop, an indigo shop, Aizenkobo (where we got to see the vats of indigo) and Morita Washi.

Day 9: Day Trip to Nara

We took two vans to Nara, the former capital of Japan and a Unesco World Heritage city. Our first stop was at Todai-ji, which features the Great Buddha Hall housing the world’s largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana. We walked through Nara Park to Kasuga Taisha Shrine. I actually got lost with a couple of tour members and missed seeing this site (with numerous stone lanterns, darn!) but this sentiment makes up for it:

“Just like in ancient times, services are offered every morning and evening, and still today, prayers are offered for national and global peace, and for the happiness and wellbeing of all people”.

After lunch at the Nara Hotel – of architectural interest and built for visiting dignitaries in 1909 (Helen Keller and Albert Einstein among them) – we visited Horyuji temple, which houses the world’s oldest surviving wooden structures.

Day 10: Arashiyama Tour

When we were in Kyoto in 2019, my husband and I rode our bikes from our airbnb to Arashiyama, a stunning bamboo grove. This time, we traveled by train and walked across the river into the lovely neighborhood that is adjacent to the forest, meandering through a few gardens on the way, where we saw a lotus flowers in full bloom. That afternoon, we visited the Chushin Art Museum, where the artist Kyoko Ibe met us and talked about her work in handmade paper. What a treat to hear her speak about the work. Several of us visited Rakushikan Paper Shop afterwards.

Day 11: Printmaking

Most of the group visited Karamaru on our last morning in Kyoto, a traditional printmaking shop that I’d stumbled across in 2019. They practice the karakami style of woodblock printing, which involves placing a sheet of paper on top of the block (they have a collection of 300-year-old woodblocks) and hand rubbing each print. We participated in their printing experience (we watched a short video, followed by a demonstration, and then each us us got to print 3 sheets). At the end of our session, the master printer showed us how he prints fusuma door panels, which requires 24 passes and a lot of moving the paper around with perfect registration. Several of us visited Kamiji Kakimoto afterwards, another wonderful paper shop that was within walking distance (the shelf in the photo houses papers made by hand from various mills in Japan).

Studio Tour + The Grand Finale

That evening, we went to Masa and Sarah’s house for a studio tour with Sarah Brayer, who works in paper, creating work in Echizen as well as in her lovely standalone studio. The tour was followed by a dinner that Masa prepared with his assistants.

The grand finale was really special. We were seated at a table in front of fusuma door panels that were painted by Sarah, when Masa opened the doors to unveil a room behind them. A geiko (geisha) was sitting there in front of a wall of shoji screens. She performed three dances for us and answered our questions.

I’d never done anything like this (organizing, planning and leading a tour), and I really enjoyed it. I loved being in Japan, and I’m considering putting together another one in 2026. Feel free to let me know if you’re interested in coming along. In the meantime, I purchased quite a bit of paper (which I unveiled in several recent posts over on Instagram). I’m keeping some for myself, but I’m creating a sampler for those of you who would like a selection of unique papers from Japan. I’ll offer those for sale later this week, and you (my blog readers) along with my newsletter subscribers, will be the first to hear about it. Thanks for for following my paper journey!

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Pop-Up House

The Sunday Paper #512

June 9, 2024

A quick note: I’m on my way to Tokyo as you read this, and I’ll be taking a blog sabbatical for the rest of the month. The next issue of The Sunday Paper will be posted in July! Follow my travels on Instagram if you wish.

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The Paper Year opens for registration again July 1-10, 2024, and we’ll be celebrating with a FREE Zoom workshop on July 1st. Come make a Pop-UP House with me. Click here to sign up for the workshop and get the supply list. Please invite your paper-loving friends.

Check out the Pop Up & Out Books that Paper Year participants created in May with guest artist Kit Davey (work by Dale Emmart pictured below).

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How fun! A giant paper boat that really floats and holds a person. 1070 square feet (100 sq metres) of paper were used to create the 12-foot long vessel. The boat weighs approximately 220lbs (100kg). 500ft (150m) of sticky tape and ten litres of glue were used to finish it.

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From Fiber to Finish, From Petals to Paper. These two events at the Arboretum at Penn State Childhood’s Gate Children’s Garden remind me of The Papermaker’s Garden Project I initiated years and years ago. Instructors from Penn State University Libraries will lead the workshops, and I love how they are fostering our future: “Understanding the physical properties and processes of how paper is made is helpful to those of us who are responsible for preserving books and other documents. We hope our papermaking event will help participants appreciate both plants and paper in a new way and introduce the art and science of papermaking to a new generation of budding conservators.”

The Arboretum at Penn State grows papyrus, the earliest known plant material used for making a writing material, the precursor to paper. Attendees of University Libraries’ papermaking events will learn about a variety of plants at the Arboretum that can be used to make paper. Credit: Penn State University Libraries / Penn State. Creative Commons

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Ooh la la! If you happen to be in Singapore, hop on over to see the works on paper by Helen Frankenthaler. The exhibition (June 29 – August 25) introduces close to 40 of her print works from the National Collection of Singapore and the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, New York, with a spotlight on her woodcuts on handmade paper. This special exhibition also explores Frankenthaler’s influential and collaborative partnership with American master printer Kenneth Tyler.

Helen Frankenthaler, Gateway (Screen), 1988, 28 colour etching, relief, aquatint and stencil on TGL handmade paper mounted in a hand-patinated cast bronze screen (three panels), 205.7 x 251.5 x 172.1 cm. © 2024 Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / Tyler Graphics Ltd., Mount Kisco, New York. Collection of Singapore Art Museum, comprising part of the National Collection of Singapore.

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What a fascinating description of folding: how a single-celled organism uses an element of origami to rapidly attack.

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Paper TidbitsHave you had a chance to listen to my interview with Roberto Benavidez on Paper Talk?

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If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper?

Tell 3500 paper enthusiasts about your work by promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!

I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

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Piñatas

The Sunday Paper #511

June 1, 2024

I have always loved grids, and this week I explored them in two ways, while using up pulp from the Papermaking Master Class last week. On the left is a watermark featuring a Japanese pattern called shippo – seven treasures – referring to the seven treasures of Buddhism (gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, agate, red pearl, and carnelian). These treasures represent the seven powers of faith, perseverance, sense of shame, avoidance of wrongdoing, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom. The shippo design, with its eternal chain of interconnected circles, is a pattern of good omens, filled with wishes for happiness, harmony, and karma. This watermark is inspired by my upcoming trip to Japan.

The piece on the right is still wet in the photo – I embedded hemp string grid in between sheets of high shrinkage, translucent abaca. It will shrink as it dries, and I’m curious to see what happens.

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I had the pleasure of interviewing Roberto Benavidez on Episode #125 of Paper Talk. Benavidez is a sculptor specializing in impeccably crafted piñata forms that play with the underlying themes of race and sin that are innate in the piñata. His forms are layered with his identity as a mixed-race queer artist. Benavidez has been featured in national, international and on-line publications, including ARTnews, Artsy, Atlas Obscura, hifructose.com, Hyperallergic, Politiken, The Guardian, The New York Times and This Is Colossal.  He has exhibited his work in numerous group and solo shows, and Benavidez’s Javelina Girl (Illuminated Piñata No. 14) was featured on the cover of The New York Times, Fine Arts & Exhibits section on October 23, 2022 . Enjoy our conversation!

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I have always had a fondness for type, so I was delighted when a reader shared this paper alphabet with me. Reina Takahashi transposes the expressive, refined flourishes common in calligraphy into this exquisite series of paper type.

As seen on Colossal, All images © Reina Takahashi.

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What an interesting story about Kim Parker’s floral patterns – inspired by walks in her Carroll Gardens neighborhood in Brooklyn – and how they became the newest forever stamp. This is a bit of a stretch, but stamps are printed on paper!

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This is a fascinating discovery of an old typeface that was dumped into the Thames River.

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Paper TidbitsA sad note about the passing of Fran Lacy, who worked at Twinrocker Handmade Paper back in the day.I head to Japan next Sunday, June 9th. There will be an edition of The Sunday Paper that day, but then I’m taking a little break (there might be a brief note mid-trip) and I will be back in your in box on in early July. In the meantime, I’ll be posting about The Japan Paper Tour on Instagram.

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If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper?

Tell 3500 paper enthusiasts about your work by promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!

I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

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Bark Rhythms

The Sunday Paper #510

May 26, 2024

We had a lovely week in the studio during the first Papermaking Master Class of 2024. Participants traveled from the Adirondacks, Ohio and Los Angeles, and Shawna Moulton came to assist from Florida. The class is based on my book, The Papermaker’s Companion – we explored equipment and studio set-up; processing and pigmenting pulp; Western and Eastern sheet forming; and a variety of techniques, inlcuding: stenciling, pulp painting, watermarking, internal and external armatures. We also spent a day at Susan Mackin Dolan’s studio, where we learned about her unique methods for creating professional papers without a beater, press or drying system.

I’m holding two sessions this year and will be announcing 2025 session dates in October 2024. Read more and apply here.

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Priscilla Robinson’s exhibition, Wondrous World, at Wally Workman Gallery in Austin closes today, but you can still take a virtual tour and hear her talk about the work here. I interviewed Robinson on Paper Talk a few years ago.

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Bark Rhythms: Contemporary Innovation and Ancestral Traditions, curated by Jill Powers and Lisa Miles, is currently on view at the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking in Atlanta. This exhibit features artists from around the world who are practicing and innovating in the historic traditions of making bark paper and barkcloth. There are several upcoming programs, including virtual lectures, the exhibition opening and a hands-on workshop. Click through to find out more and sign up.

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Congratulations to Janna Willoughby-Lohr for winning first place in a nationwide pitch competition. Willoughby-Lohr is a hard-working creative paper entrepreneur who runs Buffalo-based Papercraft Miracles. Watch her talk about the win, and listen to my interview with her on Paper Talk.

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If you’re near Santa Fe this summer, check out Origami in the Garden’s larger-than-life sculptures  – originally folded in paper, and transformed into metal.

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Paper TidbitsInCahoots Residency offers individual and collaborative residencies to printmakers, book artists, letterpress printers and writers in Sonoma County, CA. Next deadline: June 1.The Jaffe Center for Book Arts in Boca Raton, Florida, is accepting applications for JCBA’s Helen M. Salzberg Artist in Residence Program. Artists working in the book arts (and other media, too, as long as the creative project can be thought of as book arts related) are encouraged to apply.

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If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper?

Tell 3500 paper enthusiasts about your work by promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!

I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

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Summer of Twists

The Sunday Paper #509

May 19, 2024

I’m delighted to welcome Shawna Moulton to the studio for two weeks. I met Shawna when I was a visiting artist at Arnold Grummer’s Paper on the River event several years ago. She is the third intern sponsored with the assistance of the Arnold Grummer family. Shawna has been here this past week and will assist me in the first Papermaking Master Class of 2024 next week.

Shawna is a multi-disciplinary artist and art educator based in South Florida. She has been in residence at the Bakehouse Arts Complex since 2022 and is presently a member of the Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator. Shawna was born in Freeport, Bahamas, raised in Kingston, Jamaica, and then migrated to the United States. The artworks she creates reflect her search for identity through her heritage as an immigrant in America, with deep connections to the Caribbean rooted in the richness of the African Diaspora.

I’m delighted to have a clean studio (before the master class) and look forward to working with the group.

 

We cut up 3 pairs of worn jeans, beat them to a pulp and formed a few sheets. Master Class participants will use the rest of the pulp.

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Origami tessellations are repeating patterns folded from a single sheet of paper, using a background grid (folded in advance) to help locate the twisting structures used to construct the pattern. These twists come in a variety of shapes, 30 of which will be taught in the free Summer of Twists series by Gathering Folds starting on June 3. Whether you learn all 30 twists or stick with the 8 most basic ones, there are hundreds of patterns to be folded from these shapes. The process of preparing the grid is meditative, and folding the pattern onto the gridded paper is a never-ending source of puzzles. Paper packs and a pattern ebook are available for purchase to support you as you work through the series together with hundreds of folders around the globe.

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I recently learned about the work of Kelly Joy Ladd, who works with paper in such interesting ways!

© Kellly Joy Ladd, Universe Series, 88”x48”x6” acid-free paper and light, site-specific, 2024.

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If I lived in San Francisco, I would go see the current show of Hayv Kahraman’s work at the ICA San Francisco. Her work confronts the legacy of colonialism in botany – please click through and read her powerful story – “I’ve learned I don’t have to have control over everything in my environment. Control was what I thought could keep me safe.” Kahraman is a painter, but the Turkish marbling that she incorporates into the work drew me to this article.

Hayv Kahraman, Love Me Love Me Not Date (2023). Courtesy of the artist, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, Pilar Corrias, London, The Third Line, Dubai, and Vielmetter Los Angeles. Courtesy Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco. Photo: Glen Cheriton, Impart Photography.

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This is a lovely story about William Huffman, who is frequently on the move around the globe bringing Inuit art to new cultures, setting up exhibits, networking and making connections that promote Inuit art and way of life to the world. Click through to see a Korean paper igloo.

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Paper TidbitsApply for Maine Media’s Book Artist in Residence. Deadline: June 9th.Dieu Donné’s 2025 Workspace Residency for NY State-based visual artists is now open for applications. Deadline: June 30th.Have you had a chance to listen to my interview with Megumi Inouye on Paper Talk?

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About our Sponsor: Gathering Folds helps aspiring tessellation folders to deeply understand tessellations with courses and tutorials focused on broad structures, theory, and folding skills so they can approach new patterns with confidence and even start designing patterns of their own.

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If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper?

Tell 3500 paper enthusiasts about your work by promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

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In Praise of Shadows

The Sunday Paper #508

May 12, 2024

Happy Mother’s Day!

Look what happened this week. It was snowing when I drove up to the studio on Tuesday – but I was sure it wouldn’t stick. It became increasingly snowier and windier as the day progressed, so I decided to head back home (down the mountain road). What usually takes 20 minutes took more like an hour – with stuck semis, a snowplow off the road (!) and several fire fighters directing traffic.

In contrast, here’s today’s view.  That’s spring in the Rockies!

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I had the pleasure of interviewing Megumi Inouye on Paper Talk. She is a gift wrapping and packaging artist who is known for her sustainable wrapping designs and creative innovations. Inouye encourages repurposing, utilizing everyday things around us and using organic and recyclable items. She attributes her passion for gift wrapping to her Japanese heritage and the cultural values that underlie the meaning behind the art of giving. Our discussion centered around her new book, The Soul of Giftwrapping. Enjoy our conversation!

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The lovely light works of Aline Dalgleish are currently on display at Khaas Gallery in Islamabad, Pakistan. From the artist’s statement: “Combining memories from the past and recent creations, this collection of Light Sculptures and other Paper Works is an expression of a scramble through the gloom and an attempt to see beyond, to touch the essence of things, that inner light, always present, always elusive. It is also an expression of the reassurance that however enclosing the darkness, the tiniest pinprick of light can never be overcome.” I wish I could view this show in person!

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I have made some fun discoveries while working on the manuscript for my upcoming book about paper weaving. I taught at Arrowmont about 10 years ago, the week after Jackie Abrams taught a basket making course. Strips of paper were still in the trash can when I arrived, and I learned that she used a pasta machine to cut paper (how brilliant – to be able to cut multiple fettuccini-width strips). I was curious about who came up with the idea, and Shereen LaPlantz’s name came up during my investigation. Shereen and Jackie have both passed away, so I reached out to Shereen’s husband, David, who got right back to me via email to tell me that he remembered helping Shereen cut microwood (a paper-backed wood veneer) with a pasta machine! I still don’t know for certain whether Shereen was the first, but it was fun to go down that little rabbit hole.

David and I exchanged several emails, and he sent me Shereen’s book, Twill Basketry, which features baskets made with reeds, plants and microwood. The page spread above shows folded baskets (one-sheet wonders that you weave flat and then form) and her models are definitely made with paper. I never had the opportunity to meet Shereen – I did speak to her once, asking for advice about writing how-to books – but I’m delighted that she left so many resources for us. Be sure to look her up – she wrote several books on basketry and book making.

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Check out the Twisting Lights that Paper Year members created in April. The Paper Year will open for registration again in July. Hold Your Spot.

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Paper TidbitsHow did I not know about this paper company in the UK?Artist Aron Wiesenfeld renders introspective scenes on a 3 x 3-inch canvas, the Post-It Note!

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If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper?

Tell 3500 paper enthusiasts about your work by promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!

I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

The post In Praise of Shadows appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.

Episode 124: Megumi Inouye

You can listen to this episode by clicking on the white arrow above, or subscribe to the Paper Talk podcast on Apple Podcasts (or find more listening options on Spotify) so you never miss an episode. If you enjoy the show, tell a friend about it! Thank you so much.

Megumi Inouye is a gift wrapping and packaging artist. Known for her sustainable wrapping designs and creative innovations, she encourages repurposing, utilizing everyday things around us and using organic and recyclable items. She attributes her passion for gift wrapping to her Japanese heritage and the cultural values that underlie the meaning behind the art of giving. Her new book, The Soul of Giftwrapping, features creative techniques for expressing gratitude, both literally and figuratively. Enjoy our conversation! 

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We talked about gratitude, wrapping gifts, and her new book: The Soul of Giftwrapping.

The book is filled with stories about gratitude and features a selection of fun and unique ways to wrap gifts with paper (and other materials). This pleated paper design requires no tape!

The Gratitude Bow was inspired by the pointed leaves of a poinsettia plant. Throughout the book, you are encouraged to repurpose and upcyle paper materials. The dark brown bow below is made from the handles of a grocery bag.

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Megumi Inouye’s recommendations:

Check out the paper materials at your local reuse center (Scrap SF,  Scrap PDX Portland, Art from Scrap Santa Barbara, Reverse Garbage near Sydney Australia)This Scotch Paper CutterHow to Wrap Five Eggs by Hideyuki OkaTsutsumu: The Japanese Package by Hideyuki Oka

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Visit Megumi Inouye’s website to learn more about her work, and you can find her on Instagram too.

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Music featuring excerpts of Makin’ Paper folk song by Peter Thomas. Listen to the full song and find out about other paper and book arts folk songs.

Gary A. Hanson did the sound editing for this episode. He practices and refines his skills in audio production while making his own podcast I’ll Have a Beer and Talk, a show about tech news, culture, weird animal stories and of course, beer. Gary is also the Deckle in Pulp & Deckle, a Portland-based community hand papermaking studio.

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