Helen Hiebert's Blog, page 8

North Country Shifu

The Sunday Paper #507

May 5, 2024

I am so looking forward to wrapping up the manuscript for my book, A Paper Weaving Journey (working title) and getting it off to my publisher, Storey Books, by mid-June. Writing a how-to book is not for the faint of heart, and I am delighted to be nearing the finish line. The first section of the book will cover weaving basics, which begins with strips of paper. There are so many ways to do that! Here are just four simple ideas: straight strips, leaving gaps between the strips, varying the strip widths, and diagonal strips. I’m excited to be featuring the work of many participants from my Weave Through Winter online class in the book.

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Don’t miss the Washi Workshop: North Country Shifu with Velma Bolyard, an in-person workshop in Blaine Washington (between Bellingham WA and Vancouver BC). Learn to make paper yarn and paper cloth with visiting artist Velma Bolyard, May 31 — June 02. Take beautiful sheets of handmade Japanese paper, cut them to spin into thread called kami-ito, then weave into cloth called shifu using a simple loom and needle. In this class, you can expect to work a bit with color as well, making marks on papers that will be spun up into secret-keeping textiles. Velma will bring many samples, including  her own work, as well as work by historical and contemporary artists.

Shifu is defined as a spun and woven paper textile, in which at least the weft (but sometimes also the warp) of the textile is made with paper. This textile technique was developed in rural Japan as a way to make a warm cloth. From that humble beginning it has been refined into exquisite textiles often viewed as art. Velma Bolyard has simplified her paper spinning and weaving processes over her many years of making shifu, and participants will be able to go back to their own studios and introduce spinning kami-ito into their work and explore these techniques further.

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If you can’t attend the workshop and are lnterested in learning more about kami-ito and shifu, here are two recommended books: Kigami and Kami-ito by Hiroko Karuno and A Song of Praise for Shifu by Susan Byrd.Long fibered, pure kozo paper papers work best for this technique. For those just beginning, papers in the 25g range will work well. Recommendations: Kurotani 16 / Sekishu Banshi Tsuru and Sekishu Mare / Usu Kuchi Light / Kizuki Somegami (available at Washi Arts).

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What is it like to work in a family business that dates back to 1550? Read the brief history of Pergamena, a boutique tannery located in New York’s Hudson Valley. They work with leather and parchment, which are paper-adjacent, and the CEO, Jesse Meyer makes this poignant comment about running a craft business: “Every day, we as a country are becoming further and further removed from the concept of making quality tangible goods in service of chasing the lowest cost and the highest profit.”

A scrap of parchment

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I love the way that Nancy Cohen works with paper (and glass). She describes her process as ‘thinking with her hands’ and says: “concerns outside the studio and challenges within are explored through physically pushing the boundaries of paper and glass.”  If you’re in NYC, hurry up. The show is at Kathryn Markel Gallery and is closing today.

Nancy Cohen, ‘Topography of the Body,’ (54 x 38 in, paper pulp and handmade paper, 2022)

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For the pet lovers: check out these Silhouettes by Cassie. She’s keeping a popular 18th & 19th century art form in the US alive.

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Paper TidbitsThe North American Hand Papermaker’s annual conference will take place in Denver October 17-19, 2024. They are currently accepting proposals for talks, panel discussions and demos.One more note about shifu, and this is a great intro to a fundraiser: “When your 91 year old former textiles teacher in Japan expresses a desire to come to the UK to share her knowledge and skills about a process you are equally passionate about, what do you do?….You make it a reality!” Read how Eleanor Burkett is doing just that,and pitch in! French Paper is manufactured in America. Check out their latest multipack.

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About our Sponsor: Washi Arts is a merchant of fine Japanese papers, tools and supplies created by individual papermakers and small mills in Japan. Linda Marshall is the proprietor of Washi Arts and is hosting visiting artist Velma Bolyard, who creates original artist books and paper sculptures using her own handmade papers, Japanese Washi, and botanical print papers. Her woven books and vessels are small treasures.

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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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Mitsumata travels from Nepal to Japan

The Sunday Paper #506

April 28, 2024

Finalists for the 2024 Paper on Skin wearable paper art awards have been announced. Thirty-five works of exceptional quality will be presented at the gala parade and award evening in Devonport, Tasmania, (AUS) on 21 September 2024. “Paper on Skin evolves every year,” says Coordinator, Lyndal Thorne. “2024 is no exception. We have had a 60% increase in entries. The creative and innovative use of paper continues to amaze and impress us. The selected finalists have demonstrated a mastery of technique and a visionary approach to the challenge of creating a wearable garment made from 80% paper.”

Thirty-five works have been selected involving a total of forty artists, representing 11 countries, who are in the running for ten prizes worth a total of AUD $14 000 dollars. Paper on Skin major partner – Devonport City Council; the event is also supported by North West Support Services and the Tasmanian Government. Click through to see the finalists. I am so excited to be attending this event!

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Amsterdam-based duo Lyske Gais and Lia Duinker created this unique wearable catalog (1,400 pages!). The arm piece contains black-and-white hand illustrations from 303 of Rembrandt’s etchings and drawings. The Cooper Hewitt Museum owns the original piece.

As seen on Colossal. All images © Lyske Gais and Lia Duinker, shared with permission.

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Mitsumata is the traditional fiber used to make for Japanese bank notes, and cash is still common in Japan. Every 20 years, the world’s third-most-traded currency goes in for a redesign, and 2024 is one of those years. This is a fascinating story about how farmers in Nepal are now supplying the fiber needed to print the yen – enough to fill about seven cargo containers – first winding its way downhill to the Indian port of Kolkata, to sail 40 days to Osaka.

The bark goes through an arduous process of stripping, beating, stretching and drying.

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Alberta Street Gallery in Portland, Oregon is currently hosting the Third Annual Paper Invitational featuring works by sixteen artists who have either dedicated their artistic endeavors to paper based art or have created special works for this show. Open Daily, 11-7, until May 28th. David Friedman has work in the show and created this wonderful signage for the exhibition.

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There are a couple spaces remaining in the North Country Shifu Workshop, hosted by Washi Arts in Blaine, Washington (between Bellingham WA and Vancouver BC) May 30 – June 2. Learn to make paper yarn and paper cloth with visiting artist Velma Bolyard.

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Paper TidbitsThe North American Hand Papermaker’s annual conference will take place in Denver October 17-19, 2024. They are currently accepting proposals for talks, panel discussions and demos.Goran Konjevod folds paper in the most amazing ways.

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About our Sponsor: Paper on Skin is a biennial event that began in Burnie in 2012, drawing on the region’s industrial papermaking history. This area – the beautiful North-West Coast of Tasmania – has now transformed from its industrial past. It has become a region celebrating culture, food, innovative technologies and tourism. Paper on Skin is emblematic of this change. 2024 will mark the 7th iteration of Paper on Skin.

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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 Mitsumata travels from Nepal to Japan appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.

My Life in Paper

The Sunday Paper #505

April 21, 2024

I truly enjoy having a busy life, but over the next 2 months though, I have a lot going on. When I start to get overwhelmed, it helps to notice that I’m making progress. Here are three things I accomplished this week: I put together some samples for my fall workshop in Tasmania; I worked out on the projects I will feature in the third quarter of The Paper Year (hold your spot if you’d like to join us); and I got the entire manuscript for my next book, A Paper Weaving Journey, into one document.

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I had the pleasure of interviewing Beth Kephart on Paper Talk. Kephart is a National Book Award finalist, the award-winning author of some 40 books in multiple genres, an award-winning teacher of memoir, a widely published essayist, and a women who loves paper. Her new book is My Life in Paper: Adventures in Ephemera (Temple University Press). We had a delightful conversation about the book, which began with letter writing to the late Dard Hunter. Enjoy!

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This article is from 2020, but how fascinating! Daphne Mohajer va Pesaran provides an overview of some of her work for the Paper people – making clothing from paper in Japan project. There are very few communities continuing to make paper clothing or textiles throughout Japan – in Shiroishi, there are only four people who make the specially treated paper or the clothing itself, as there is no consumer demand. It is used in one annual Buddhist ceremony near Kyoto.

Mashiko Endō talking about a garment she constructed. Endō and her late husband Tadao were Shiroishi’s most prominent papermakers, until he passed away in the 1990s and she retired in 2017 at 93 years of age. She took no apprentice but generously shares her knowledge (Photo: Daphne Mohajer va Pesaran)

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Mindell Dubansky heads the Sherman Fairchild Center for Book Conservation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and it is a delight to visit her in the basement of the museum. This is a great NY Times article (with moving images) titled: Quick! Someone Get This Book a Doctor: Inside the book conservation lab at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I love Dubansky’s quote: “We have a lot of violent equipment.”

The office guillotine comes in handy not for beheading colleagues but for slicing large stacks of paper. “It makes a terrifying noise,” said Andrijana Sajic, an assistant librarian for book conservation.

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Shivali Johri Srivastava, along with her mother Kavita Johri Srivastava and father Anil Srivastava, alumni of GITAM Deemed-to-be University, Hyderabad (2016-20), have jointly secured their 15th Guinness World Record for the largest display of 3,200 origami pigs/boars. This record also marks the highest number of records held by one family in Hyderabad, with a total of 15.

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Paper TidbitsRebloom, a paper art biennial of The International Association of Papermakers & Paper Artists, (IAPMA) opens today in Hagen im Bremischen, Germany.Nominations for the Hall of Papermaking Champions are now being accepted through 11:59pm EDT on July 15, 2024. NAHP established these awards in 2020 to honor those whose contributions during their careers have significantly inspired or changed the course of papermaking. Paper artists, traditional papermakers, paper historians, toolmakers, scientists, conservators, and others are all eligible for nomination. Click here for more details and to submit a nomination.

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Let’s honor our earth tomorrow. Years ago, I made this artist’s book, Handle With Care, with a phrase running around the equator that says: “You are holding the world in your hands”.

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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 My Life in Paper appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.

Red Hats for the Bergstutzen

The Sunday Paper #504

April 14, 2024

I love discovering new papers – I purchased these lovely sheets (these are detail shots) at The Paper Place in Toronto. The birds and butterflies are cut out of papers printed with different patterns, and the shapes are machine stitched through the center onto natural colored base sheets. So interesting!

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I first met Bea Nettles when we were both teaching at the Women’s Studio Workshop and shared an apartment many moons ago. The Hirsch Library at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, recently acquired more than 50 photographically illustrated books from Nettles, making for one of the most substantial collections of her work. They are currently exhibiting 14 publications representing the full range of this singular figure in the field of photobook making.

Bea Nettles, Observer Series, Various objects.

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You have to watch this! SALTICE connects children with professional artists for an interdisciplinary production which includes storytelling, music, dance, paper art and videography. The vision of composer and director Ruben Zahra is to adopt paper as the primary material for the costumes, props and set design through the application of origami techniques, pop-up sculptures and paper engineering.

POLLY VERITY | red hats for the Bergstutzen

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A reader turned me onto the work of Jaq Belcher. The art of meditation and the ancient wisdom revealed in his art is accessed through the repetition and precision of cutting the seed shape over and over from a large sheet of white paper.

© Fields, Jaq Belcher

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I hope that some of you get to see show, Anni Albers: In Thread and On Paper at The Blanton Museum in Austin (through June 30, 2024).

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Paper TidbitsWomen’s Studio Workshop, in Rosendale, NY, is seeking a new Executive Director.Here’s the March video of the Map Folds Paper Year members explored in March.

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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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The Japanese Paper Place

The Sunday Paper #503

April 7, 2024

I’m flying home from Toronto today, where I spent a couple of days with my childhood friends Alicia & Sharon (we celebrated meeting 50 years ago)! Of course, I had to make a couple of paper stops, and one of those was serendipitous. Remember my giveaway for the 500th blog post? Two of the winners, Paula and Vicki, both live in Toronto, so I met up with them near our airbnb, to hand deliver copies of The Art of Papercraft.

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Clockwise from top left: we three amigos, The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library has an incredible exhibition of pop-up books (open through April 26th); The Japanese Paper Place is the largest paper warehouse I’ve ever seen (this wall of chiyogami features at least 500 different designs); we took the ferry to Ward’s Island, where there were lots of little Little Free Art Library boxes – this one filled with origami rabbits.

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Registration for The Paper Year, my membership group, closes on Tuesday April 10th. Here are the techniques and projects we’ll be exploring over the next three months. It is such a fun community to be a part of. Check out this page to learn more about the group, watch the video and join us!

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Nancy Jacobi, founder of The Japanese Paper Place, gave us a lovely tour of the warehouse. Below – clockwise from top left: hanging piece by Susan Ruptash; Andrew Huot of Big River Bindery, Nancy Jacobi, me, and Susan Ruptash; a sheet of heritage washi from my paper order; and a paper curtain.

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The Hallie Ford Museum in Salem, Oregon, has a small but growing collection of work by self-taught artists — and they’ve unveiled it. A sampling of this work may be seen through April 22 in the Salem museum’s Study Gallery and Print Study Center.

Matt Conklin (American, born 1989), “Untitled (apartment building),” 2022-23; paper, cardboard, digital photographs, and acrylic paint.

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Three Masters of Fine Arts graduate students now have their thesis exhibits on display at The Center for Design and Material Culture at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Human Ecology.

Heather Kohlmeier, Photo Courtesy The Artist

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A Stockholm-based startup has developed a way to turn paper waste into a durable, high-tech composite it calls “wood metal.”

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Paper TidbitsHave you listened to my interview with Claire Van Vliet 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!

The post The Japanese Paper Place appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.

Gum Wrapper Sculptures

The Sunday Paper #502

March 31, 2024

Thanks to all who entered the giveaway to celebrate 500 Sunday Paper blog posts. Here are the lucky winners: Christina Little, Paula Hartmann, Linda Farrelly, Claire Marcus, and Vicki N. All five of them will receive a copy of my book, The Art of Papercraft. (Winners: please reply to my e-mail if you haven’t already with your snail mail address).

A big THANKS to all of you, dear readers, for subscribing to The Sunday Paper and sharing paper stories with me!

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I had fun teaching the Interactive Eclipse Card workshop on Zoom on Friday afternoon. Thanks to all who attended, and if you’d like to make your own card, watch the recording and make along with me at your own pace.

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The Paper Year, my membership group, is open for registration now through April 10th. Here are the techniques and projects we’ll be exploring over the three months. It is such a fun community to be a part of (if I may say so myself – I’m just the guide for this amazing group of paper lovers). Check out this page to learn more about the group, watch the video and join us! Registration closes on April 10th.

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I had a lovely interview with Claire Van Vliet on Paper Talk, a printmaker and typographer who founded Janus Press in San Diego, California in 1955. Van Vliet received a MacArthur Genius Grant in 1989 and is known for her innovative use of pigmented pulp to create images in edition for books, prints and broadsides. She has exhibited and lectured in universities and museums around the world. Her next exhibition is Paperworks: Claire Van Vliet, which will be on view at the Boston Athenaeum September 10 – December 30 2024. Enjoy our conversation!

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I’ve written about the Drawing on Blue exhibition at the Getty before, but here’s an incredibly informative article about the blue paper, that is still being produced in France today at Moulin du Verger. As early as the 14th century, mills in northern Italy began manufacturing blue paper, which was initially used to wrap commodities, but artists soon began using it. The blue hue provided a helpful middle tone for artists working with white and dark drawing media. Blue paper was also particularly well suited for pastels, since it tends to enhance the appearance of certain colors and provides an undertone for modeling and shading.

Handmade blue and white paper dries in the loft at Moulin du Verger paper mill.. Photo: Michelle Sullivan

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If you’re near Santa Barbara, CA, pop in to see Karen Bit Vejle’s ‘Poetry in Paper’ which is on exhibit at Solvang’s Elverhøj Museum (through April 7). She has a unique way of highlighting positive and negative space with cut paper.

“Sparrow and Bumblebee Combat” by Karen Bit Vejle | Photo: Courtesy

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Lyndon J. Barrois Sr.has been creating gum wrapper sculptures for decades. The works are tiny and incredibly detailed portraits of historical figures and athletes in flight (think Patrick Mahomes). Apologies if this is behind the NY Times paywall, but the animated story is totally worth a peek if you can access it!

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Paper TidbitsGardens of Discovery Ecological Centre is offering accommodations for two friends or partners with varied skills (housekeeping, building/garden maintenance, papermaking, letterpress, bookbinding, horse care, computer skills) to spend up to a year on Patmos, Greece working on a handbound Gospel of St John, among other projects. Please inquire at islandresidency@gardensofdiscovery.org.Many of you know that I swim for exercise. It was fun to see the film Nyad up for an Oscar earlier this month (a great film about Diana Nyad’s attempts and then success at swimming from Cuba to Florida). Just this week, I caught wind of Rachel Hazell’s new book, Today’s Changing Room, featuring photographs of her lockdown swims on the Isle of Iona in Scotland.

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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 Gum Wrapper Sculptures appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.

Paper Limericks

The Sunday Paper #501

March 24, 2024

Thanks for all of your comments about post #500 last week! I love this paper community – enjoy these limericks from Chuck Crockford,  a reader and supporter of this blog, as well as a member of The Paper Year. He wrote the limerick on the left for issue #100 and the one on the right just last week. Thanks, Chuck!

As I mentioned last week, in celebration of 500 Sunday Paper blog posts, I’m doing a GIVEAWAY – 5 lucky winners will receive a copy of my book, The Art of Papercraft. Enter to win by telling me one thing you like most about The Sunday Paper. The deadline is 3/29/24 and winners will be announced next Sunday.

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Join me this coming Friday for a one-hour FREE Zoom workshop at noon MST (Denver). In honor of the solar eclipse (which will occur on April 8th) we’ll be creating this Interactive Eclipse Card. Make the card, and then spin the wheel of the volvelle (one of the oldest forms of moveables) and illuminate the moon phases (and the eclipse) with your phone or flashlight!

This workshop will also include a brief presentation about my Paper Year membership program, which will be open for registration March 29th – April 10th.

Sign up for this one-hour workshop and invite your friends. 

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Check out this article by L. Clark Tate highlighting black artists working in paper.

An immersive paper art installation by Veronica Hodges.

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A new short film called “Gruff” features extraordinary artwork by filmmaker Julian Curi, who drew all of his characters and backgrounds by hand on paper, manipulated the drawings like puppets before the camera, and used computers to erase the wires, giving his film a uniquely intimate feel. The film centers on the relationship between its heroine, Hazel, and her emotionally distant father, Abuelo, a character loosely based on Curi’s own father. Here’s a brief segment on CBS Sunday Morning.

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I’m ending today on a sad note: paper friend Sara Gilfert passed away on March 15th. I met Sara shortly after discovering papermaking in the early 1990’s, and saw her over the years at papermaking conferences. In 2002, Sara founded Paper Circle in Nelsonville, Ohio, a non-profit arts organization with the mission of the preservation, advancement and celebration of the paper and book arts, where her legacy lives on. Sara was recently inducted into the NAHP Hall of Papermaking Champions.

Sara’s family is planning a memorial service for her birthday on June 1, 2024, and they have a request. If you have digital photos of Sara, please send them to her daughter, Susan Gilfert: sgilfert@gmail. They plan to create a presentation featuring photos of Sara’s life. Godspeed, dear Sara.

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The Future of Hand Papermaking – Can You Help? 

Sara and I were in touch via e-mail just a few weeks ago about the potential of a staff person from Paper Circle coming to work in my studio. Every request that I receive (and they are coming more frequently) tugs at my heart. Although I’m passionate about the future of our craft, every intern I host requires planning and coordination prior to arrival; care and guidance while they are here; and financing to cover their expenses to be able to spend time here. Just yesterday, I received this request from a college student:

“I have an inkling that papermaking could be my life’s passion, and want to gain more experience.

Your internship would be a dream come true!”

Here are the questions that linger in my mind: Are there other studios that provide paid internships (or assistantships)? Is there an institution that could oversee a national program? Are there individuals who could help establish a fund to support paid internships? Here is my current offering, and I’d love to hear from you if you would like to be part of this conversation!

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Paper TidbitsHave you had a chance to listen to my interview with Goran Konjevod on Paper Talk?The Focus on Book Arts (FOBA) in-person conference is back June 26-30, 2024, at a new location: the Western Oregon University Campus in Monmouth Oregon. Workshops this year feature a number of new to FOBA instructors, as well as long time favorites – covering book making, paper making, surface design, content creation and printmaking techniques – sign up before they fill up.Check out the paper weavings created by participants in this year’s Weave Through Winter online class.

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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.

———————————————————————————————––––––

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 Paper Limericks appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.

The 500th Edition of The Sunday Paper!

The Sunday Paper #500

March 17, 2024

Today’s blog post is a bit different, because we are celebrating the 500th edition of The Sunday Paper! Keep reading to find out about a giveaway and some fun facts about this blog.

But first, an invitation:

I’m excited to be hosting a one-hour FREE Zoom workshop on Friday, March 29th at noon MST (Denver). In honor of the solar eclipse (which will occur on April 8th) we’ll be creating this Interactive Eclipse Card. Join me and make your own card, and then spin the wheel of the volvelle (one of the oldest forms of moveables) and illuminate the moon phases (and the eclipse) with your phone or flashlight!

This workshop will also include a brief presentation about my Paper Year membership program, which will be open for registration March 29th – April 10th.

Sign up for this one-hour workshop and invite your friends. 

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I wrote the first edition of The Sunday Paper on May 3, 2014 and have been blogging (almost) weekly ever since.

A huge THANK YOU to you, dear readers – whether you’ve been reading since day one or this is your first issue – your shared enthusiasm for paper inspires me.

In celebration of 500 posts, I’m doing a GIVEAWAY 

If you know me, you know that I have spent my career creating and discovering new papers, exploring techniques for working with paper, and figuring out which paper is best for a particular project. All of these things come together in my latest book, The Art of Papercraft, and I’m raffling off five free copies. If you already own a copy (and you win), you can pay it forward by sending it to a friend or donating it to your library.

Enter to win by telling me one thing you like most about The Sunday Paper. 

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A bit of Sunday Paper history:

Here’s what I wrote in the first issue of The Sunday Paper, and it still rings true, 10 years later:

They keep saying that paper will become obsolete, yet artists, craftspeople, designers and creatives are keeping it alive and well. A healthy number of people are even making paper by hand (in some cultures they are still using age-old traditions). How cool is that? The Sunday PAPER is a resource for ideas and inspiration, all having to do with this amazing material. Each Sunday, I’ll bring you stories and examples of people doing exciting, innovative, and beautiful things with paper, as well as links to interesting paperfacts I’ve unearthed from around the globe. I hope you’ll enjoy reading this paper, Papier, papel, хартия, Papir,紙, Papper, פּאַפּיר… and don’t hesitate to leave your comments and suggestions below.

Here are some highlights from every 100th issue of The Sunday Paper.

Issue #100 featured a giveaway; a Paper of the Week (I’ve tested out various columns over the years, and this was one of them); the work of Paul Johnson; Paperhouse Studio in Toronto; some amazing origami vessels that were featured on Eric Gjerde’s website; and an installation made up of 35,000 paper cubes. Read Issue #100.

Issue #200 featured an early episode of my podcast, Paper Talk (which is still going strong – I just released Episode #121); an armada of 180 boats created by Steve Messum; Paper/Print: American Hand Papermaking, an exhibition at the International Print Center New York; a 3D paper installation of a Lexus; and a flexagon in the opening scene of the movie A Wrinkle in Time. Read Issue #200.

Issue #300 featured my Twelve Months of Paper Calendar (remember those?);  Ayumi Shibata’s paper cut three-dimensional shapes in which paper expresses the yang, light, and the process to cut expresses the yin, shadow; a feature from my free Facebook group, The Paper Studio; and a video about John Collins, who flies world record paper airplanes. Read Issue #300.

Issue #400 featured the book launch for The Art of Papercraft, the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center (KBAC)’s non-juried exhibition The Illustrated Accordion; Mahatma Gandhi’s swadeshi dream – the movement for national independence in India boycotting foreign goods and encouraging the use of domestic products; and UCLA’s Hammer Museum and its affiliated Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts, which both collect works on paper.  Read Issue #400.

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The Sunday Paper is FREE, and I want to make sure that you know about the other free paper resources I offer:

The Paper Advisor is a place to find resources about paper, including information about tools and supplies, how-to videos, and paper tips – all in one place!My Podcast, Paper Talk is an ongoing series of interviews (with me) featuring artists and professionals who are working in the field of hand papermaking and paper art.Youtube videos, featuring papermaking and papercraft tutorials.The Paper Studio is a Facebook group, where we share what we’re creating with paper every Friday.

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Did you know?

You can advertise on the blog and t ell 3500 paper enthusiasts about your work by promoting your business in T he Sunday Paper.You can make a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper. You’ll find these links on the bottom of every edition of The Sunday Paper. Thanks to those of you who already support the blog!I make a living by teaching online and in person, creating artist’s books and selling a few products. Explore my website to find out about these opportunities.

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That’s all for today. Thank you so much for following this blog; keep sending suggestions; and I’ll see you again next Sunday!

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The post The 500th Edition of The Sunday Paper! appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.

Inspire & Create

The Sunday Paper #499

March 10, 2024

I had the pleasure of interviewing Goran Konjevod on Paper Talk. Konjevod grew up in Croatia, where he studied mathematics and computer science. After completing his graduate studies at Carnegie Mellon, he worked as professor of computer science at Arizona State University from 2000 until 2010, when he moved to California where he is now based in Livermore. Konjevod started designing origami sculptures in 2005 after folding examples from books for a long time. He has been trying to develop new approaches to folding paper and other sheet materials, using mostly very simple folds (but lots of them). His pieces rely not only on geometry but also on the mechanical properties of paper, with the pleats generating tension and curving the paper into three-dimensional forms.

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Blog reader Jackie Bufton sent me a copy of her lovely (and free) e-zine called Inspire & Create.  Each monthly issue includes: something about the place she lives, which is in the beautiful English Riviera – Torquay in Devon; the Crafty Corner, featuring some form of papercraft; printable paper(s) to use in the paper craft (designed by Bufton); links to demonstrations; coloring pages; and a bit about the campaigns she is involved in through the Women’s Institute.

Take a look, and if you like what you see, you’ll find subscription (and donation) info on the last page of the e-zine.

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We have quarterly guest artists in The Paper Year, and in February, Emily Martin shared her Springy Legged Robot design with us. Pictured here are works by Clara DeMott, Carol Marie Vossler, and Gabriele Lundeen. Check out all of the member variations in this video. The Paper Year will open to new members soon. Find out more here.

 

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Pulp & Bind brings together 18 artists working across Southern Appalachia who are deeply engaged with the mediums of paper and book as a form and a concept. The structural potential of paper, its emotive qualities and familiar insinuations, and the alternately highly-refined and visibly handmade possibilities of the material are just some of the recurrent themes across this exhibition at the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum (through June 2, 2024).

Leigh Suggs, Pacing the Races VI, handcut acrylic on Yupo, 40×30 in. (image courtesy of the artist)

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Ed Hutchins, director and curator of the Architecture of the Book Collection in Salem, NY, organizes a monthly postcard mailing featuring works from his collection. The theme for 2024 is ‘Women about Women’, and the first 3 months feature works from Alicia Bailey, Ione Foote, Elsie Sampson, and Katherine Ng.  An upcoming zoom presentation, hosted by the Book Arts Guild of Vermont, will provide an opportunity to find out more about these artists and their featured work.  Here is the link to the zoom meeting, Sunday March 17, 5-6pm EST.

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Paper TidbitsThe Minnesota Center for Book Arts has fellowship and internship opportunities. Deadline is tomorrow!The Crane Paper Museum, located in the rag room for the first Crane paper mills closed in the spring 2022 when the company, which makes paper currency including for the United States, upgraded its security operations. This summer, the museum hopes to hold multiple pop-ups at locations throughout Berkshire County.

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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!

The post Inspire & Create appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.

Carving Out Time

The Sunday Paper #498

March 3, 2024

I took a quick trip to the Boulder/Denver area on Friday/Saturday. One of the highlights was a Front Range Artists’ Book Conversation. We gathered at the University of Denver’s special collections and were treated to a viewing of books by Susan Loudermilk, Emily Martin, Julie Chen, Rhiannon Alpers, Maureen Cummins, Sammy Seung-min Lee and Alice Austin.

I find it so interesting when the stars align: Emily Martin was our February guest artist in The Paper Year – we created her Paper Robots – like the orange figure in top right image below; and this month we’re exploring Turkish Map Folds – the blue structure Alice Austin used for her book, bottom left.

Alicia Bailey, who runs Abecedarian Artists’ Books, is the catalyst behind this group, and she is working with Katherine Crowe (at right, bottom right image) Special Collections Curator, University of Denver Libraries, on an upcoming exhibition called Pulp to Pages. Entries are now be accepted, and the show will take place in the library during the North American Hand Papermaker’s annual conference in Denver next October.

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The headline for this piece caught my eye (and then, the woodcuts!!): Portrait of the Artist as a Working Mother. Printmaker LaToya M. Hobb’s work revolves around the busy-ness of family life. Her suite of five 8-by-12-foot prints collectively titled “Carving Out Time” is on view at the Harvard Art Museums through July 21. The exhibition incorporates children’s activity guides, as well as public events conceived by a group of Black women undergraduates at Harvard.

“The Studio” from “Carving Out Time,” 2020–21, woodcut on cotton paper. Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Margaret Fisher Fund, 2022.224.5 © LaToya M. Hobbs Photos by Ariston Jacks; courtesy of the artist

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I’ve known about the work of Peter Callesen for over a decade. I was familiar with his small, yet mighty, pieces, but hadn’t discovered his larger works. Most of his creations explore difficult ideas of morality and human impact on the environment. So powerful, and all crafted from our beloved, humble material – paper.

Peter Callesen, as seen on My Modern Met.

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The work of Barbara Earl Thomas is currently on view at the Arthur Ross Gallery at the University of Pennsylvania through May 21. Thomas created exquisite paper cut portraits, along with The Transformation Room, a luminous installation created from light and intricately cut Tyvek, which offers a moment of respite for reflection and inspiration.

Detail of The Transformation Room, by Barbara Earl Thomas

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Papier-mâché made the New York Times style section this week (this might be behind a paywall). The article features a brief history (did you know that papier-mâché means ‘chewed paper’ in French) and several contemporary artists who are using the medium to create representation, reproductions of mundane objects and functional décor.

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Paper TidbitsAre you looking for a job? Hand Papermaking is seeking a new Executive Director.The Paper Year will open for registration again April 1-10. Click here to Hold Your Spot.

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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 Carving Out Time appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.