HAND PAPERMAKING
NEWSLETTER
Number 112, October 2015
Newsletter Editor: Shireen Holman
Advertising & Listings: Mary Tasillo
Columnists: Sidney Berger, Maureen and Simon Green, Elaine Koretsky, Margaret Mahan, Winifred Radolan, Mary Tasillo.
Hand Papermaking Newsletter is published quarterly. Annual subscriptions are $55 in North America or $80 overseas, including two issues of the journal Hand Papermaking. For more subscription information, or a list of back issue contents and availability, contact:
Hand Papermaking, Inc.
PO Box 1070, Beltsville, MD 20704-1070
Phone: (800) 821-6604 or (301) 220-2393
Fax: (301) 220-2394
E-mail: info@handpapermaking.org
Web: www.handpapermaking.org
The deadline for the next newsletter (January 2016) is November 15. Please direct all correspondence to the address above. We encourage letters from our subscribers on any relevant topic. We also solicit comments on articles in Hand Papermaking magazine, questions or remarks for newsletter columnists, and news of special events or activities. Classified ads are $2.00 per word with a 10-word minimum. Rates for display ads are available upon request.
Hand Papermaking is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Staff: Tom Bannister, Executive Director; Mina Takahashi, Magazine Editor; Shireen Holman, Newsletter Editor and Office Manager; Mary Tasillo, Outreach; Suzanne Oberholtzer, Design Director. Board of Directors: Tom Balbo, Zina Castañuela, Jeffrey Cooper, Kerri Cushman, Susan Mackin Dolan, Mary Hark, Steve Kostell, Kate Martinson, Anne Q. McKeown, Julie McLaughlin, Alta Price, Amy Richard, Michelle Samour, Eileen Wallace, Teri Williams, Erin Woodbrey. International Board of Advisors: Yousef Ahmad (Qatar), Timothy Barrett (US), Simon J. Blattner (US), Kathryn & Howard Clark (US), Mandy Coppes-Martin (South Africa), Jane Farmer (US), Peter Ford (UK), Helen Frederick (US), Peter & Pat Gentenaar (Netherlands), Simon Barcham Green (UK), Dard Hunter III (US), Kyoko Ibe (Japan), Winsome Jobling (Australia), Elaine Koretsky (US), Carolina Larrea (Chile), Roberto Mannino (Italy), Beatrix Mapalagama (Austria), Bob Matthysen (Belgium), Giorgio Pellegrini (Italy), Brian Queen (Canada), Victoria Rabal (Spain), Vicky Sigwald (Argentina), Lynn Sures (US), Aytekin Vural (Turkey). Co-founders: Amanda Degener and Michael Durgin.
Dear Readers,
Next year Hand Papermaking celebrates its 30th anniversary, and plans are underway to spotlight papermakers 30 years old or younger. Throughout 2016, a focus on the “next generation” of papermakers will engage and showcase young talent in our field. As guest curator for the program, I’m soliciting your help to identify especially talented and promising paper artists under 30. Please contact me directly with your suggestions, before Dec 15.
Where possible, include contact information and images (or weblinks) and a few words about the work and work ethic of the young artist. Self-nominations are also welcome!
Tatiana Ginsberg
tsginsberg@gmail.com
Dear Friends of Hand Papermaking,
Three decades of Hand Papermaking magazine and newsletter provide a unique repository of information and inspiration documenting our field. Words are precious, but they are not the real thing! To broaden our range of publications to include the most tangible expression of our vocation, we launched our first limited-edition portfolio in 1994. These themed collections of handmade papers are prized in personal and institutional collections, and enjoyed by a wide audience through traveling exhibitions. Most importantly, they provide an archival record, showcasing the work being done in our time by leading paper artists.
To ensure future generations’ access to the exceptional work in our portfolios, we established the HAND PAPERMAKING PORTFOLIO ARCHIVE FUND. Resources in the Fund allow us to set aside 10% of each portfolio edition for placement in esteemed libraries and teaching institutions worldwide. You can help us share these cultural treasures by making a tax-deductible gift to our Portfolio Archive Fund. If you do, you’ll get some tangible thanks! (See www.handpapermaking.org/paf)
Curious about the shortlist of prestigious institutions ready to accept a gift of one of our limited-edition portfolios? Just ask. Do you have a particular institution in mind? Perhaps your alma mater? Let’s talk about how we can pursue a gift in your name.
Since 1986, with support from a generous community of paper aficionados like yourself, our organization has curated and presented the finest work in our field, inspiring the ongoing revival of the craft, and facilitating the emergence of handmade paper as a vibrant contemporary art medium. We’re proud of our past, but focused now on the future. The amazing paper art we’ve amassed must be treasured long after our time. If you agree, please support this Fund by making a donation online, or call (301) 220-2393, or mail your gift of any size to Hand Papermaking, PO Box 1070, Beltsville, MD 20704. On behalf of those unknown who will someday share our passion, thank you!
Tom Bannister Mina Takahashi Susan Mackin Dolan Executive Director Portfolio Editor Board Chair & Portfolio Committee Chair
> TEACHING HAND PAPERMAKING
Based in Philadelphia, Winifred Radolan operates an itinerant teaching papermill, and has taught papermaking to thousands of adults and children. In this column Winnie continues her series describing her Washi in the Garden workshops.
Our annual Washi in the Garden workshops have become a beloved tradition for local paper enthusiasts. We always welcome a few newcomers along with our more experienced devotees. Because this year’s selected date was one that could finally accommodate a new artist who had been trying for a year to work with me, I decided that in addition to our usual fibers, I would harvest my kozo tree for the occasion.
Rona Richter and I have learned from past team teaching experiences that our group is interested in hearing about the history and technique of the process we use to prepare fibers for their sheet forming pleasure. However, we have had limited success in enlisting any enthusiastic hands-on fiber beaters. But I was certain that this particular new paper artist would be happy to pound the small yield from my young tree.
A busy schedule last fall postponed my November kozo harvest until family holiday vacation week in December, also a time of whirlwind activity. But since the previous year’s harvest had been sabotaged by other circumstances, I was determined to move forward with this batch. I cut, steamed, and stripped the branches before the holidays got hectic. Then, not having time to scrape away the outer bark, nor wishing to have a moldy mess, I tucked my harvest into a plastic bag and delayed the process by freezing it, something I had never previously done.
Fiber preparation for our group of eight artists included cooking and, I confess, Hollander beating both kozo and gampi. I planned on offering vats of natural kozo and gampi, two pigmented gampi vats, and a kozo/ abaca blend for sheet forming. In addition, I defrosted the frozen fibers from my tree and took a short cut that I remember doing with Marilyn Wold a long time ago. I cooked the kozo, bark and all, and then peeled away the outer bark while rinsing the fibers. The cooked and cleaned fibers were stored in the refrigerator for some traditional hand beating during the workshop.
While I was preparing our fibers, Rona was readying her patio area, washing down vats and buckets, gathering sugeta, and preparing the neri from her harvested tororo aoi roots. We set up the tent, tables, and equipment a day ahead so we could be relaxed and ready for our washi makers.
Always a congenial, fun, and interesting group, our artists arrived and patiently listened while we described fiber preparation and reviewed sheet forming basics. As heat and humidity factors can negatively influence success, we were most grateful that the recent heat spell had subsided and we had the luxury of beautiful summer weather.
For a while the rhythm of kozo beating accompanied the sound of singing birds and sloshing vats of fiber in use. Before our lunch break all else was relatively quiet, as artists enthusiastically built their posts of washi, with the plain and pigmented gampi vats getting the most action. The hand beaten kozo, when complete, formed exquisite paper with a slight green tinge of freshness to it. Later, when dry, it possessed a wonderful crispness and rattle that was most satisfying.
Following lunch the group experimented with inclusions, layered colors, stencil patterns, and lace papers. The posts grew, the energy waned, the building heat began to compromise the neri, and before we knew it, the clock indicated pressing time was at hand. We employed our usual method of sandwiching the posts between absorbent chamois and plywood boards, weighted down by a tired papermaker sitting in a chair atop the post! Everyone took their pressed papers home on their Pellon to dry.
As I pen this account, I am excited to say that our second washi workshop of the summer will be a return to “The Big Pour!” Eight artists are already teamed up to work in pairs, pouring buckets of hydrated and neri’d kozo and gampi into moulds to form paper that measures 18” x 24” and 22” x 30”. All of the artists, Rona, and I look forward to this upcoming Washi Adventure!
> PAPER HISTORY
Maureen and Simon Barcham Green, from the United Kingdom, write a joint column on Paper History. Maureen is a paper historian, and author of Papermaking at Hayle Mill 1808-1987. Simon was the last of the Green family to run Hayle Mill. He provides consulting services to papermakers worldwide. This column is a continuation of the saga of Springfield Mill, its history and the closing of the mill this year.
Four months after a disastrous fire that all but destroyed Springfield Mill much of the damage was repaired and the firm back in business. A report at the time describes the mill which was, after repair and rebuilding, virtually new:
There are twelve large lofts for drying purposes, and the sizing department contains four machines and one “tub.” The finishing and glazing room is a fine building of about 120 ft. by 90 ft., over which is the sorting and picking room, and of the other principal rooms the ten-vat house is worthy of mention, being about 100 ft. long by 30 ft. wide. The beating room and chest room are proportionately large, there being nine washers and beaters in the former, and six large chests in the latter. The rag cutting and sorting rooms are also fine, well-lighted buildings.1
William Balston Jr. died in 1882 and the firm passed to his brother Richard E. Balston’s eldest son, Richard, who preferred country pursuits to papermaking and left the day-to-day running of the firm to his three sons, Frank, Maurice, and Charles. During their tenure Springfield was one of the largest handmade mills in Europe, with 18 vats in full operation. As Hugh Balston, William Balston’s great, great grandson wrote:
By the end of the nineteenth century ‘Whatman Paper’ had become a household phrase (and is included to this day [1980] in the Oxford English Dictionary); it was the ‘sine qua non’ of watercolour painting to have one’s Whatman block. Whatman writing papers were used by Royalty, Queen Victoria used it for her private stationery, and Ministers of State used it for all occasions where the preservation of documents and manuscripts were considered essential.2
When war was declared in 1914 an embargo on German goods meant that the company recognized an important void in the market and began producing a range of filter papers all of which were “developed in the laboratory at Springfield Mill and the manufacturing specifications established, aided by the considerable efforts of H. Reeve Angel and Co. Ltd. and their American company these paper became universally known in most corners of the world.”3
During the period after the war, Whatman filter paper was used by Archer J. P. Martin (1910- 2002) and Laurence W. Synge (1914-1994) in the development of chromatography as the company pursued interests in new and innovative uses for cellulose based products. By 1930 the first Fourdrinier machine was installed as W. & R. Balston diversified, phasing out some of their more traditional papers. Production of handmade sheets of Antiquarian ceased in the early 1930s as the company continued to expand its programme of technologically advanced products. This change in emphasis continued after the Second World War, and in 1965 a new plant was erected on site for the manufacture of advanced modified cellulose products. In 1975 W. & R. Balston merged with H. Reeve Angel to form the Whatman Reeve Angel Group of Companies.
More recently Springfield Mill has become world renowned for the manufacture of highly specified papers used for cellulose based chromatography, filter papers, extraction thimbles, and base paper for FTA (Flinders Technology Associates)— a cotton-based cellulose membrane containing lyophilized chemicals that analyses many types of bacteria and viruses.
Although William Balston did not take advantage of the new paper machine, it can be argued that Springfield Mill was the prototype for all modern paper mills. Steam power enabled a location without access to a source of water power, and surplus steam addressed the problem of drying paper. The small laboratory installed at Springfield showed the way forward to a technological, rather than craft-based future.
Sadly, as of this past summer, paper manufacture at Springfield Mill ceased as the present owners, GE Healthcare, completed moving production of their cellulose-based chromatography media to Norway and their filter paper, extraction thimbles, and base paper for FTA to Tonglu, China.4 Whether new developers acquiring the site will retain any of the historic buildings and equipment for future generations remains to be seen. Those of us affiliated with Springfield Mill as well as many who have been privileged to visit the mill, through various phases of its history, will mourn the end of an era.
1. A Souvenir of the Centenary: Springfield Mill, 1807-1907 (Maidstone: R. W. Burkitt, Kent Arms Printing Works, 57, Week Street, 1907), p.3.
2. Balston, H., Whatman Reeve Angel Group, a Short History (Maidstone: Whatman Reeve Angel, 1980), p. 2.
3. Ibid.
4. http://www.gelifesciences.com/GELS/ campaigns/whatman-manufacturing
> DECORATED PAPER
Sidney Berger, a professor at Simmons College in Boston and Director of the Phillips Library at Peabody Essex Museum, has been collecting and researching decorated paper for over forty years. In this column Sid features the work of scholar Richard J. Wolfe.
In my last few columns, I have highlighted important paper decorators. But in the world of paper decoration another kind of importance exists: the scholars who have enlightened us about decoration. One such, and perhaps the most learned person in the field, is Richard J. Wolfe, author of the monumental Marbled Paper: Its History, Techniques, and Patterns: With Special Reference to the Relationship of Marbling to Bookbinding in Europe and the Western World (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1990). I have given the full title here because it is indicative of the personality of the person who wrote this marvelous book. The book is not merely about paper; it is also about the impact that decorated papers have had on the related craft of bookbinding—a circumspection on the part of its author that characterizes all of his work.
I have known Dick for decades, when he was a scholar working at the American Antiquarian Society and as a friend. The breadth of his knowledge is remarkable, and his linguistic abilities have made it possible for him to plumb the depths of scholarship about paper decoration as no one else has been able to do, as we can see from his publications.
On a recent phone call, Dick told me that he saw gaps in our knowledge about marbling and other paper decoration, and he wanted to fill in those gaps. To this end, he has written a host of important books on the subject. Now retired, Wolfe was once Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine at Harvard University, and he was also Joseph Garland Librarian of the Boston Medical Library. These prestigious posts exposed him to hundreds of thousands of volumes from the manuscript period to today, and the bindings he saw, many with their paper covers, piqued his interests. He wanted to know as much as he could about the origins and making of these papers.
I have written that often printers, binders, and book designers—and even type designers—are given credit for their contributions to particular books, but that the papermakers and artists who decorated the papers for books are usually ignored and languish in anonymity. And their techniques and tools are equally overlooked. This was one of the “gaps” that Dick wanted to fill. So he immersed himself in the world of paper, studying English, French, Italian, and—particularly—German sources for his enlightenment. German, of course, since millions of books have been bound in block-printed, paste-, and dutch gilt papers produced over the centuries in Germany. With his facility in German and French, Dick has been able to discover important but obscure sources that are revealing about paper history, and to translate them into English. For instance, he learned about the use of pigments, he identified authors of obscure sources, and he studied the tools and techniques of paper decoration. His translation, with extensive preface, of M. Fichtenberg’s Nouveau Manual Complet du Fabricant de Papiers de Fantaisie (New and Complete Manual on the Making of Fancy Papers; Paris, 1852) is a model of scholarship.
Another volume on paper decoration has a title page that says it all: Der Vollkommne Papierfärber—The Accomplished Paper Colorer, A Facsimile Reproduction and Translation into English of the Earliest Extant German Treatise on Paper Marbling and Decoration, together with an Introductory Discussion of the Earliest Specialized Literature in Germany on the Marbling and Decoration of Paper, Translated and Introduced by Richard J. Wolfe (New Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Press, 2008). Dick’s scholarship is again in evidence in his “Historical Introduction,” that proves him to be a master of the subject. He says in the introduction that his efforts “resulted in a significant enlargement of our knowledge of the earliest distinct and significant literature of paper marbling and coloring in Germany” (p. 3). This is typical of Wolfe: finding new information in old, hitherto hidden texts and then sharing it with the world in his publications.
Wolfe is responsible for many other publications on decorated paper. To mention just two others: James Sumner, The Mysterious Marbler: With an Historical Introduction, Notes on the English Marbling Tradition, and Eleven Original Marbled Samples by Richard J. Wolfe (North Hills, PA: Bird & Bull Press, 1976; and later reprints, notably the one from Oak Knoll, 2009, containing thirteen original samples); and Richard J. Wolfe, The Role of the Mann Family of Dedham, Massachusetts, in the Marbling of Paper in Nineteenth-century America and in the Printing of Music, the Making of Cards, and Other Booktrade Activities (N.p.: Richard J. Wolfe, 1981). These two books, along with others that Wolfe did for The Bird & Bull Press, contain original samples of marbling that he did himself. I have always contended that for someone to be an expert in any craft, she or he must practice that craft, not merely read about it. Dick is a superb marbler, having mastered all the traditional patterns and even the difficult Turkish type of decoration in which stencils are carefully cut out to create pictures in the pigments, and the marbling bath (or the sheet to be marbled) is masked off to allow two or more patterns to be marbled onto the surface of the sheet. Hence, he understands what there is to know about the art, from the preparation of the papers and pigments to the creation and shape
of the tools to the final decoration. For this reason, we can rely on him to produce solid, trustworthy scholarship on paper decoration.
I have concentrated here, of course, on Richard J. Wolfe the paper historian, but his credentials are much wider than this. He has published on the history of science, medicine, music printing, bibliography, bookbinding, book illustration, and other topics. The range of his knowledge and activities is remarkable.
In the long run, from my perspective, we all owe Richard Wolfe our thanks for two of his accomplishments: for his deep, original, impeccable scholarship about decorated paper and for the beautiful marbled papers he has made over the years, some of which grace the pages of his publications, some of which reside in collections like ours.
> FOR BEGINNERS
Mary Tasillo is a papermaker, book artist, and mixed media maven based in Philadelphia. She teaches workshops nationally. Here Mary explains various methods of creating watermarks in handmade paper.
Have you held a sheet of paper up to the light and spotted a secret design? Many paper mills as well as contemporary hand papermakers use a watermark in their papers to identify the paper’s source. Some paper artists also use watermarks to artistic effect—as an art form in and of itself, or as one of many visual elements built into the paper. A common question I am asked when teaching papermaking to beginners is “Can I create this effect by pulling a sheet of paper and then pressing an object into it?” A true watermark will have clearer results, and is created by adding a low-relief image to the surface of the mould, then forming the sheet over it. The paper will be thinner over this low relief as less pulp settles over it, thus creating a translucent area when the paper is held up to the light.
One of my favorite stories about historical watermarks appears in Peter Hopkins’s column in Hand Papermaking Newsletter #70, April 2005. He relates that a mill that was dismissing employees who were union organizers agreed to send them off with a good letter of reference. What they did not relate to the fired employees was the secret message contained in the paper’s watermark, which would reveal to the competing mill that the bearer was a union organizer.
Historically, watermarks were created by sewing brass wire directly to the mould in the desired form—a method that is still employed. (See photo of a Fabriano watermark.) This method can take some time but can produce crisp results and a design that will hold up on your mould over time. A brass thread or fishing line might be used to secure the wire design.
Several adhesive-backed materials, for example, magnetic sheeting, have also been used with success. You can cut a design from the material with a knife, and then adhere it to the mould’s surface while all materials are dry. (See photo of a watermark by Shannon Brock.) Be sure to go over the whole design firmly with the flat of your hand to ensure even contact. For adhesive-backed vinyls, ensure that their thickness is less than the thickness of the wet sheets you’ll be pulling so that you don’t create open areas, rather than thinner areas, in your paper.
Helen Hiebert teaches a method utilizing puffy paint for fabrics. Tape together a layer of black plastic window screening and a layer of mosquito netting the size of your mould. Add your design with puffy paint. Once it is dry, this is a removable surface for your mould and you can use different designs interchangeably without sewing or sticking anything to your mould’s surface.
Winnie Radolan uses a wire window screen backed with hardware cloth, duct taped together around the edges, as a surface for “drawing” with Mortite window caulking. Depending upon the thickness of caulking rope used, this can create a watermark or stencil. This material could even be applied directly to the surface of a window screen mould.
Keep in mind that certain pulp preparations work better to preserve the watermark. Shorter fibers help preserve detail as they settle around the watermark design. A lower shrinkage fiber such as cotton rag will also help to preserve the integrity of the image as the paper dries.
Do you have another watermark creation method you favor? Write to us at newsletter@handpapermaking.org and we’ll share it in the next issue.
Listings for specific workshops and other events in the following categories are offered free of charge on a space-available basis. The deadline for the January 2016 newsletter is November 15. Contact each facility directly for additional information or a full schedule. Teachers: Tell your students about Hand Papermaking! Brochures and handouts can be mailed to you or your institution. Email newsletter@handpapermaking.org.
> CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN, (865) 436-5860, www .arrowmont.org. Classes and workshops in a variety of disciplines, including papermaking.
The Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta, Canada, (800) 565-9989 or (403) 762-6180, www .banffcentre.ca. Contact wendy_tokaryk@ banffcentre.ca for registration info.
John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC, (704) 837-2775, www.folkschool.org. Classes in papermaking and other crafts in the mountains of west NC.
Pulp to Pages for Your Books, March 13-18, with Rajeania Snider. Explore the basics of papermaking, using several decorative techniques to make paper to bind at least three different books.
Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild, Toronto, ON, (416) 581-1071, cbbag@cbbag.ca, www.cbbag.ca. Book and paper workshops located on-site in Toronto and in off-site studios.
Papermaking for Book Artists, September 26-27, with Emily Cook & Flora Shum. Learn the basics of European and Nepalese papermaking with a mind to making decorative coverstock and high quality text weight paper for books.
Carriage House Paper, Brooklyn, NY, (800) 669-8781, www.carriagehousepaper.com. Papermaking workshops offered in a well-equipped studio space. Visit website for schedule.
Columbia College Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts, Chicago, IL, (312) 344-6630, http://www.colum.edu/ academics/book-and-paper/index .php. Papermaking classes in spacious downtown studios.
Dieu Donné Papermill, New York, NY, (212) 226-0573, www.dieudonne.org. Beginning and advanced papermaking classes for adults and children.
Introduction to Contemporary Papermaking, October 6, November 3, or December 1, with staff instructor. Learn the basic papermaking process, as well as various artistic techniques.
Creative Techniques for Artists with Open Studio, October 13, November 17, or December 8, with staff instructor. Explore advanced techniques and their application for two- and three-dimensional projects, with a different focus at each session; experiment on your own with studio pulps.
Fine Line Creative Arts Center, St. Charles, IL, (630) 584-9443, www .fineline.org. Providing year-round classes in papermaking, textiles, and other art forms.
Papermaking with Natural Fibers, November 6-7, with Carol Kazwick. Collect plants and flowers from around the barn and the prairie, process them, and use them to make beautiful and unique handmade paper.
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME, (207) 348-2306, www .haystack-mtn.org. Workshops in various disciplines, including papermaking and book arts. Scholarships available. Deadlines are March 1 for Residency and Scholarship applicants and April 1 for Regular applicants.
Hook Pottery Paper, LaPorte, IN, (291) 362-9478, jonandrea@hookpotterypaper. com, www.hookpotterypaper.com. Classes in papermaking and pottery and a residency program in northern Indiana.
Jaffe Center for Book Arts, Boca Raton, FL, (561) 297-0226, www.library.fau.edu. A book arts collection, gallery, and studio, including Paper Lab.
Paper Possibilities, November 14-15, with Helen Hiebert. Create a sampling of handmade paper objects that expand and collapse, open and close, fold and unfold.
Kalamazoo Book Arts Center, Kalamazoo, Michigan, (269) 373-4938, info@kalbookarts.org, www.kalbookarts.org. Classes in book printing and binding, printmaking, hand papermaking, and creative writing.
Magnolia Editions, Oakland, CA, (510) 839-5268, www.magnoliapaper.com. Workshops in papermaking, printmaking, and book arts.
Mary Ashton Studio, Seattle, WA, www. maryashtonstudio.com. Papermaking and book classes.
Pulp Painting, September 12, with Mary Ashton.
Western Papermaking Open Studio, September 13, with Mary Ashton.
The Mill Paper and Book Arts Center, Rhinelander, Wisconsin, (715) 360-3804, info@themillbookarts.org, http://themillbookarts.org. Classes, studio access, and other resources in paper, book, and print arts in Northern Wisconsin.
Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Minneapolis, MN, (612) 215-2520, www.mn bookarts.org. Classes at the Open Book center for book and literary arts.
Beater Training, first Tuesdays, with staff instructor. Learn beater operation, safety procedures, and cleaning for MCBA’s three beaters as a prerequisite to renting the beaters for your own use.
Open Studio: Paper Beater, Tuesdays, with staff instructor. Beat fiber for paper for future sheet-forming.
Open Studio: Papermaking (B.Y.O. Fibers), Tuesdays and select Saturdays, with staff instructor. Get into the vat, hone your sheet-pulling technique, and enjoy the fellowship of other artists, using your own previously beaten fibers.
Papermaking with Spent Grains from Dangerous Man Brewing, September 26-27, with Bridget O’Malley. Learn the basics of papermaking and then experiment to determine the best ways to integrate spent grains in handmade paper.
Marbling on Fabric, October 4, with Mary Holland. Experience the process and materials needed to marble onto fabric that can be used in a variety of projects.
Paper, Cloth, and Indigo Dye, October 17 & 24, with Mary Hark. Make paper from fibers that offer a range of surface qualities and withstand immersion dye techniques such as linen, flax, abaca, and Asian fibers; then explore the effects of indigo with prepared textiles and handmade papers made in class.
Paper Marbling, November 6 or December 5, with Suzanne Hughes. Explore paper marbling—try your hand at “throwing” color and building patterns that you can use to decorate cards, journals, or other papercrafts.
Make Simple Paper Lanterns and Vessels, November 21-28, with Regula Russelle. Learn the skills to make simple lanterns and vessels with handmade paper and paper casts.
Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory and Educational Foundation, Cleveland, OH, (216) 361-9255, http://morgan conservatory.org. Workshops in hand papermaking and the arts of the book in an innovative green environment.
Paper Circle, Nelsonville, OH, (740) 753-3374, www.papercircle.org, papercir clearts@gmail.com. Call or e-mail for information about upcoming paper classes.
Open Studio, second Saturdays, with studio artists. Gain new skills while working on themed, relaxed projects.
Papermakers of Victoria, at Box Hill Community Arts Centre, Whitehorse, Victoria, Australia, phone 9885 2479. Workshop and exhibition information can be found at www.papermakers.org.au.
Making Paper from Plants, October 25, with Gail Stiffe. Learn how to turn common garden plants and weeds into paper.
The Papertrail, New Dundee, Ontario, Canada, (800) 421-6826, www.papertrail. ca. Classes in papermaking, marbling, and related arts and studio rental scheduled on an as-needed basis.
PapierWespe (PaperWasp), Klimschgasse 2/1, Vienna Austria, (0676) 77-33-153, office@papierwespe.at, www.papierwespe .at. Workshops in English and German taught by paper specialists in downtown Vienna. Penland School, Penland, NC, (828) 765- 2359, www.penland.org. A full program of craft workshops, including papermaking.
Paper & Place, October 4-10, with Ann Marie Kennedy. Create art made from linen, flax, and abaca pulps, incorporating natural materials such as mineral colors, natural dyes, and plant and seed textures.
Peters Valley Craft Center, Layton, NJ, (973) 948-5200, www.petersvalley.org. Workshops in papermaking and a variety of crafts.
Pyramid Atlantic, Silver Spring, MD, (301) 608-9101, www.pyramidatlanticart center.org. Workshops in papermaking, printmaking, and book arts.
Papermaking Society, Third Thursdays. For details contact Associate Papermakers Laura Kinneberg and Lynette Spencer at pyramidpaper@gmail.com.
Intro to Japanese Papermaking, September 26, with studio instructor. Form strong, thin sheets of paper using the nagashizuki method with flexible screens.
Intro to Western Papermaking, October 17, with studio instructor. Learn the basic techniques of Western-style hand papermaking, including pulp preparation, sheet forming, couching, pressing, and drying.
Spinning Paper Thread, October 25, with studio instructor. Prepare papers to make shifu, or paper thread, and use them to weave a small cloth.
San Francisco Center for the Book, San Francisco, CA, (415) 565-0545, www.sfcb .org. Book arts classes and events year-round.
Introduction to Western Paper Marbling, November 15, with Pietro Accardi. Learn basic history, techniques, tools, and styles of European marbling.
Snow Farm, The New England Craft Program, Williamsburg, MA, (413) 268-3101, www.snowfarm.org. Study in a pastoral setting near the five-college communities of Amherst and Northampton.
Paper Marbling, October 18-24, with Regina St. John. Make an endless array of exquisitely marbled papers in an astonishing complexity of color and pattern.
The Soapbox: Independent Publishing Center, Philadelphia, PA, info@philly soapbox.org, www.phillysoapbox.org. Workshops in papermaking, bookmaking, and printmaking in small West Philadelphia studio.
Fruit & Vegetable Papyrus, October 4, with Winnie Radolan. Create unique, translucent compositions from fruits and vegetables using techniques similar to that of the proto-paper papyrus.
The Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA, (412) 261-7003, www. contemporarycraft.org. Classes in fiber, book art, and other media in Pittsburgh’s Strip District.
Paper from Plants: Western Style, October 14, with Katy Dement and Albert Pantone. Turn weeds, including the invasive Japanese knotweed, into paper.
Paper Lanterns, October 24-25, with Katy Dement. Construct lanterns from a variety of plants, pulps, fibers, and recycled papers.
Holiday Cards, December 9, with Katy Dement. Use vintage ephemera and natural plant materials to illustrate with wet on wet collage.
Southwest School of Art, San Antonio, TX, (210) 224-1848, www.swschool .org. Classes at the Picante Paper Studio. Individual papermaking classes can be scheduled for one person or a group; please contact Beck Whitehead at bhwhitehead@swschool.org for more information. Studio time, consultation, and instruction available most Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and select Saturdays.
SpeakEasy Press, Dillsboro, NC, www .speakeasypress.com, frank@speakeasypress.com, (205) 310-4740. Working and teaching studio space for papermaking, letterpress printing, and bookbinding. Workshops, apprenticeships, and collaborative work with other artists are available in the print/binding and papermaking studios.
Paper Sculpture, December 5-6, with Frank Brannon. Learn to make paper using various garden fibers and cast over armatures to create sculptural pieces at the North Carolina Arboretum.
Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill, Truro, MA, (508) 349-7511, www.castlehill .org. Workshops and events in the arts on Cape Cod.
University of West England, Bristol, U.K., (0)0117 3284810, sca.cpd@uwe.ac.uk, www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk. Classes offered through Continuing Professional Development at the School of Creative Arts.
West Dean College, Chichester, West Sussex, U.K., (0)1243 811301, short.course@ westdean.org.uk, www.westdean.org.uk.
Introduction to Creative Papermaking, October 30 - November 1, with Jane Ponsford. Explore traditional papermaking techniques to create paper artworks inspired by the landscape.
Experimental Papermaking: Material Journeys, January 31 - February 4, with Jane Ponsford. Discover creative papermaking using cotton and linen pulps and incorporating structure using thread, wires, and paper pulps.
Making Marbled Papers, February 12-14, with Louise Brockman. Learn to produce beautiful hand marbled papers, starting with Suminagashi and progressing to gouache marbling techniques.
Wisconsin Center for Book and Paper Arts, Madison, WI, (608) 284-8394, wcpaperarts@hotmail.com. Offering tutorial programs in hand papermaking and decorative papers.
> EVENTS
Save the date for Rock Paper Scissors: Morgan Conservatory’s 8th Annual Benefit and Silent Auction takes place on October 3. Visit http://morganconserva tory.org or call (216) 361-9255 for info.
Dieu Donné’s Annual Benefit Exhibition and Event takes place in October and will honor Melvin Edwards and Janice Oresman while celebrating 25 years of artist residencies. Silent auction works by over 100 artists will be on view and available for bidding October 1-15. For more information contact Bridget Donlon at bdon lon@dieudonne.org or (212) 226-0573.
Paper Points North is the theme for the next Friends of Dard Hunter annual conference, taking place October 22-24 at the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada. The primary focus is to question how we honor the traditional methods of papermaking while expanding into new methods of research, innovation, sustainability, education, and activism. The beautiful setting and retreat environment of the Banff Centre will encourage community, invigoration, and exchange. Visit www. friendsofdardhunter.org for more details on speakers, demos, exhibits, etc.
The College Book Art Association holds its National Conference January 7-9 in Nashville, Tennessee. The conference features speakers, demonstrations, tours, and exhibitions. This year’s theme is “Telling the Story.” Details can be found at www.collegebookart.org.
Southern Graphics Council International holds its next conference in Portland, Oregon, a community integrating tradition, innovation, and technology, while also promoting social awareness and sustainability. The multi-faceted event takes place March 30 to April 2 and is themed “Flux: The Edge of Yesterday and Tomorrow.” SGCI represents artists of original prints, drawings, artist books, and handmade paper. For more information, visit www .sgciportland.com.
The next IAPMA (International of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists) Congress will be held in September 2016 at the Ibrahim Mütteferrika Paper Museum, in Yalova,Turkey. The museum was founded in 2012 to preserve Turkish papermaking history, and is named for the first official papermaker of the 18th century’s Ottoman empire, and the first Turkish pressman to run a printing press with movable Arabic type. More information can be found at www.iapma.info.
> EXHIBITS
The Seventh International Exhibition of Mini Textiles will take place June 16-27 in Kherson, Ukraine. Artists working in all fiber arts techniques exhibit small works in this juried exhibition. For more information, visit http://scythiatextile.com or email scythiatextile@gmail.com.
Dieu Donné’s Workspace Program Exhibition 2015 features new work in handmade paper by emerging artists in residence and takes place in two parts. Artists Blane De St. Croix & Natalie Frank were in part one. Part Two includes work by Jarrod Beck & Ethan Greenbaum, November through January. For more information visit www.dieudonne.org or call (212) 226-0573.
The Visual Arts Gallery of New Jersey City University presents the work of Nancy Cohen: Hackensack Dreaming, from September 8 to October 21. The exhibition will premier an installation consisting of numerous glass and mixed media sculptures and hand-made paper sheets. For venue information, go to: http:// njcu.edu/Visual_Arts_Gallery.aspx. The installation then travels to The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in November and December, and to The Power Plant Gallery, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, in January and February.
The 6th National Collegiate Handmade Paper Art Triennial features student works in handmade paper and was juried by Joan Hall. The exhibit will be on view at Morgan Conservatory in the fall, and travel to the Corcoran School of Arts and Design in the spring. For more information, contact papertriennial@gmail.com.
Aimee Lee and Kristen Martincic will have a two-person exhibit at Morgan Conservatory opening October 15 and running through December 5, including work with kozo, gampi, and other Eastern fibers. Their work artwork will explore themes of water and swimming in Buoyancy. Visit http://morganconservatory.org for more information.
Paper West: Regional Works on Paper Exhibition showcases contemporary works on paper by artists throughout the Intermountain West and takes place in the Gittins Gallery on the campus of the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, November 2-27. Visit www.art.utah.edu for venue details.
The International Fibre Art Exhibition “Fibremen 5” features contemporary work by male textile artists. The exhibit will take place October 22 - November 5 in Kherson, Ukraine. For details, visit scythiatextile.com.
Pittsburgh’s Fiber Art International 2016 takes place May 6 to July 31 at Society for Contemporary Craft and Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh, PA, and will then travel. More information is available at http://fiberartinternational.org
The 11th Paper Biennial Rijswijk will be held from June to October 2016 and will showcase the diversity and ingenuity of contemporary paper art. The exhibit takes place at Museum Rijswijk in The Netherlands. For details as the date approaches, visit www.museumrijswijk.nl.
> PUBLICATIONS AND VIDEOS
Kites: The Art of Using Natural Materials is a recent book by John Browning, published by Culicidae Press. The author uses leaves, plants, trees, paper, and bamboo to make kites that bring delight to both mind and eye. Throughout the book the images show how the different shapes, colors, and textures of the natural materials have been combined to form structures which are functional kites. Visit www.johnbrowningkites.org and http://culicidaepress.com/2015/07/03/ browning-kites/
Arlene Shechet: Pentimento in Paper was a recent Art21 feature. The piece follows the artist as she worked in the Dieu Donné studio to prepare for her twenty-year survey at the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston in 2015. She discusses the links between her ceramics and papermaking practices. Visit www.art21.org for more on the series.
Read Rona Conti’s June 5 article “What do Calligraphy, Handmade Paper and Rejection have in Common?” by visiting https://beyond-calligraphy.com
The Kalamazoo Book Arts Center was recently featured in an eight-minute segment on Kalamazoo’s television station WGVU. The segment includes some great footage of the papermaking process and can be viewed at http://video.wgvu .org/video/2365533385/.
A company in Taiwan is creating durable and water-resistant paper from stone, made from the leftovers of marble mining. A giant origami paper boat launched on a lake in south London was made from almost 100 meters of paper and carries one person at a time. A bridge built out of more than 22,000 sheets of paper, a temporary installation by artist Steve Messam, was built in England’s Lake District. For videos and stories visit bbc.com and search: paper from stone, origami boat, paper bridge.
Douglas Parrish of August, Georgia, prefers papermaking over the new 3D printers. Read his story at http://dandy goat.com/161
Negative Space in Handmade Paper: Picturing the Void is number 11 in Hand Papermaking’s series of limited-edition portfolios. 19 compelling artworks were selected by a distinguished jury (Lesley Dill, Cynthia Thompson, Paul Wong). The work as a whole encourages viewers to ponder what is omitted. A handbound booklet, with letterpress printed cover, contains statements from the artists, details about each piece, and a commissioned essay by Buzz Spector. View more details at: http://portfolios.handpapermaking.org.
Kinokuniya, San Francisco, CA, is now handling sales of Washi: The Soul of Japan—Fine Japanese Paper in the Second Millennium (reviewed by Akemi Martin in our Winter 2013 magazine). This 12 volume compendium of Japanese paper can be acquired by contacting Mr. Satoshi Ito at (415) 567-6787 or satoshi_ito@ kinokuniya.co.jp.
> MISCELLANEOUS
Pyramid Atlantic Art Center plans to move to an historic building known as “The Arcade,” at 4318 Gallatin Street, Hyattsville, Maryland. Pyramid will improve the 13,000 square-foot property before moving in and opening operations in 2016.
Morgan Conservatory announces the release of their Engravers Paper, a paper designed and developed by our staff in conjunction with professional engravers and relief printers. The paper will be tested extensively by the Wood Engravers Network (WEN) who is holding their annual national workshop in Morgan Conservatory’s Letterpress Studio. Workshop participants are collaborating to create a folio which will challenge the flexibility and limits of this unique paper. For more information visit http://morganconserva tory.org.
> CLASSIFIEDS
Classifieds in Hand Papermaking Newsletter cost $2 per word, with a 10-word minimum. Payment is due in advance of publication.
20 lbs of abaca @ $7.00 per lb; 14 lbs cotton rag half-stuff @ $2.50 per lb. Plus shipping. Contact prentice@uoregon.edu or call (541) 343-1154.
Unbleached Philippine Abaca $6.00 lb. For samples, please send SASE to Ifugao Papercraft, 6477 E. Grayson, St., Inverness, FL 34452
Need affordable paper for workshops? We offer authentic hanji, lokta, washi, & xuan. Mention this ad for 10% discount. paperwoman@paperconnection.com
Cotton Linter Pulp. All quantities available. Call Gold’s Artworks, Inc. (910) 739-9605.
300#+ bale organic ¼” hemp, $1000 OBO, pick up in NC. 5# Noble & Woods Hollander $7500. (260) 306-1179 kozokitty@gmail.com
Custom Built Paper Presses for sale, large and small. 23-inch C&P paper cutter. Contact The Pterodactyl Press in Cumberland, Iowa, (712) 774-2244, floyd_ pearce@yahoo.com
Looking for a used 2 lb Reina Beater to acquire for the International Printing Museum. Any leads please contact mail@ printmuseum.org
HAND PAPERMAKING loves to hear from readers. Send your letters to the editor: newseditor@handpapermaking.org
> SPECIAL THANKS
Hand Papermaking acknowledges these recent contributors to our non-profit programs. All donations are greatly appreciated and tax deductible. Our tax ID number is 52- 1436849. See our profile on GuideStar. Call or write for information on annual giving levels, premiums, automatic monthly gifts, and in-kind contributions; or details on adding Hand Papermaking to your estate plans.
Patrons: Yousef Ahmad, Anonymous, Tom Balbo, Jeffrey Cooper, Susan Gosin, Nancy & Mark Tomasko, Gibby Waitzkin. Underwriters: Sid Berger & Michèle Cloonan, Susan Mackin Dolan, Kyoko Ibe, Ann Marshall, Pierrette Samour, Beck Whitehead, Pamela Wood. Sponsors: Cathleen A. Baker, Simon Blattner, Tom & Lore Burger, Gail Deery, Michael Durgin, Jane Farmer, Helen Frederick, Helen Hiebert, Lois & Gordon James, Winsome Jobling, Suzanne Johnson, Barbara Landes, Peter Newland & Robyn Johnson, Laura Merrick Roe, Michelle Samour, Kimberly Schenck, Richard H. Schimmelpfeng, Aviva Weiner. Donors: Annie Alexander, Ines Ballugera, James Barton, Jody Beenk, Carol J. Blinn, Peter S. Briggs, John C. Brown, Bob & Annie Cicale, Kathryn & Howard Clark, Elizabeth Curren, Kerri Cushman, Jennifer Davies, Amanda Degener, William Donahue, Walter Doyle, Iris L. Dozer, Linda Draper, Karla & Jim Elling, Kathy Fitzgerald, Kathryn Flannery, Sara Gilfert, Lori B. Goodman, Connie Hershey, Nancy Howes, Katherine Ilowiecki, Sally Wood Johnson, Gloria Justen, Joyce Kierejczyk, Betty L. Kjelson, David Kimball, Steve Kostell, Tom Lang, Aimee Lee, Dirk Lee, Mary Lou Manor, Anne Q. McKeown, Julie McLaughlin, Betsy Miraglia, Catherine Nash, Paper Circle, Sharon Pettus, Nancy Pobanz, Pyramid Atlantic, Brian Queen, Sara Ringler, Sally Rose, S.A. Scharf, Mary C. Schlosser, Kathleen Stevenson, Betty Sweren, Mina Takahashi, Carla J. Tenret, Elise Thoron, Bernie Vinzani, Aviva Weiner, Mary Ann Weisberg, Paul Wong. Supporters: Jane Ingram Allen, Mary Austin, Tom Bannister, Anne Beckett, Elena Osterwalder Bonny, Ariella Brodecki, Nancy Cohen, Marty Davies, Georgia Deal, Sarah & Joshua Dickinson, Rose Folsom, Joan Giordano, Mabel Grummer, Robert Hauser, Jo Etta Jupe, Ellen Mears Kennedy, David Lewis, Katie MacGregor, M. P. Marion, Edwin Martin, Lynne Matott, Kathryn Menard, Margaret Miller, Dennis Morris, Suzanne Oberholtzer, Oblation Papers, Margaret Prentice, Dianne L. Reeves, Eve Reid, Amy Richard, Kim Schiedermayer, Marie Sturken, Burt Van Deusen, Teri Williams. In-Kind: Adobe Systems Inc., Janet DeBoer, Peter Ford, John Gerard, Robert Hauser, Dard Hunter III, Hanne Husø, Tom Leech, Roberto Mannino, Rick McSorley, Microsoft Corporate Citizenship, Steve Miller, Britt Quinlan. Founding Contributors to the Hand Papermaking Endowment: 49er Books, Shirah Miriam (Mimi) Aumann, Cathleen A. Baker, Tom Balbo, Timothy Barrett, Sidney Berger & Michèle Cloonan, Tom & Lore Burger, Jeffrey Cooper, Jeanne M. Drewes, Jane M. Farmer, Fifth Floor Foundation, Helen Frederick, Sara Gilfert, Tatiana Ginsberg, Susan Gosin, Joan Hall, Lois & Gordon James, Sally Wood Johnson, David Kimball, Elaine Koretsky, Karen Kunc, Barbara Lippman, Winifred Lutz, Susan Mackin-Dolan, David Marshall, Peter Newland Fund of the Greater Everett Community Foundation, Margaret Prentice, Preservation Technologies L.P., Michelle Samour, Peter Sowiski, Marilyn Sward, Betty Sweren, Gibby Waitzkin, Tom Weideman, Beck Whitehead, Paul Wong & John Colella, Pamela Wood. Contributors to the Hand Papermaking Portfolio Archive Fund: Simon Blattner, Drachen Foundation, Michael M. Hagan, Joan Hall, Joyce Kierejczyk, Betty L. Kjelson, Ann Marshall honoring David Marshall, Laura Merrick Roe, Julie Reichert, Mary C. Schlosser, Mina Takahashi, Aviva Weiner, Beck Whitehead.