HAND PAPERMAKING

NEWSLETTER

Number 113, January 2016

Newsletter Editor: Shireen Holman

Advertising & Listings: Mary Tasillo

Columnists: Sidney Berger, Maureen andSimon Green, Donna Koretsky, MargaretMahan, 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 (April 2016) is February 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 Hand Papermaking Readers,

As most of you know, I co-founded Hand Papermaking with Michael Durgin in 1986, and about 10 years later I co-founded Cave Paper, a production paper mill located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I plan to retire soon, so I am offering my 50 shares in Cave Paper to a qualified buyer. This includes my share in whatever equipment and inventory that is owned by Cave Paper on the day of the sale. The other shareholder, Bridget O'Malley, is looking for a new business partner. She and I have been involved in building this business and producing product for clients for the last 20 years. 

Cave Paper has one employee, James Kleiner, and a very active (summer only) internship program. A person who is interested in becoming part of the business must be someone with hand papermaking and/or small business experience. Cave Paper is open to a person with new ideas and who can consider relocation to Minneapolis. The hope is to have a smooth transition. Interested parties might consider working a month with pay, between June 7 and July 7, as Bridget will be out of town. 

I have a flexible exit schedule. I could retire soon, or in the next 1-5 years. I will be fielding calls, but feel free to talk with any of us about the shares/job. We feel firm about the price of $1000 per share. Email cavepaper@gmail.com or call (612) 359-0645. 

Happy Papermaking! 

Amanda Degener

Dear Papermakers,

Let’s face it, professional hand papermaking equipment can be expensive. And, it can be tricky to easily find your local papermaking workshops, makers, and educators if you’re new to the scene. So, in an effort to connect, grow, and promote hand papermaking, and with the assistance of light roast coffee, I’ve compiled a map via Google Maps. See it at http://bit.ly/1FVNOC1 

Join your local community paper studio, visit a papermaking museum, buy locally made papers, and say hello to your paper neighbors. Also, share the map with friends who might be interested in learning about papermaking history, process, or artistic techniques. 

There’s a handy list on the left of the map, and you’ll notice that red indicates a mill or studio, green indicates a university, and blue indicates a museum. Clicking on a marker or on a name in the list should give you a corresponding website. 

Please help fill this map out—it’s a work in progress! If you have additions or corrections, email paperslurry@gmail.com or leave a comment at http://bit.ly/1C3cIid and then take a look around my Paperslurry blog! 

May Babcock 

Providence, Rhode Island

> ALONG THE PAPER ROAD... 

Since 1998 this column has featured paper musings from Elaine Koretsky—renowned paper historian, researcher, and traveler. Her daughter, Donna Koretsky, now continues the legacy. In this issue Donna describes her own silkworm experiments based on research her mother began. 

As some readers may know, Elaine Koretsky’s health has been declining and her adventures while traveling around the world researching traditional papermaking came to an end a few years ago. Nevertheless, she continued to share her paper musings in this column, ‘Along the Paper Road,’ reminiscing from the comfort of her home in Brookline, Massachusetts. Lately though, writing has become more difficult for her and I have been helping her with the column. We finally decided that I would take over the honor of writing it, continuing in the spirit of her passion for paper. 

For a number of years I have been fascinated with Elaine’s research on silkworms, and have continued the work and learned a great deal. As paper enthusiasts, we all know by now that paper was invented in China over 2000 years ago. But silk was invented in China way before that—nearly 3000 years before paper was invented. Silk comes from the cocoons of silkworms, and in ancient China, sericulture, the production of silk from silkworms, was a huge industry. It is conceivable that in the presence of so many silkworms and cocoons, at some point there would be an accidental discovery of a paper-like material that could be written upon. I investigated this notion personally by acquiring live silkworms and simulating conditions in which paper could accidentally be made. 

There are a number of noted archaeologists and scholars, myself included, who believe that the idea of papermaking probably developed from the manufacture of silk thread. Elaine discussed these theories in three articles she wrote for her column in Hand Papermaking Newsletter (No. 95, July 2011; No. 97, January 2012; and No. 104, October 2013). My conclusions are based upon my own discoveries about how it is possible for silkworms to make paper. 

First of all, a silkworm is not a worm. It is the larva of a species of moth, Bombyx mori. Most moth and butterfly larvae are known as caterpillars, but since these larvae are from silk producing moths, they are called silkworms. Newly hatched silkworms are tiny—about 1/8th of an inch long. Over the course of 4-6 weeks they mature to their adult length of about three inches by eating lots and lots of mulberry leaves. These mulberry leaves are from the white mulberry tree (Morus alba), not the mulberry Broussonetia papyrifera that is used for making paper. 

During these 4-6 weeks, the silkworms molt four times. They shed their old skin and grow a new skin. The periods between molting are called instars. So there are five instars in a silkworm’s development. The last instar is when the silkworm eats the most, and therefore grows the most. 

On its head are twelve simple eyes— it can see light and dark but not images. Near its lower lip is an opening called a spinneret, from which the worm exudes its silk. Inside its body are two silk glands, one on either side. These are the organs that produce the silk. The spinneret sends out a single thread of silk, but it is actually made of two joined threads. The threads stick together due to a sticky substance called sericin. Silk is in liquid form when it is inside the silkworm’s body, but dries when it comes in contact with air. 

When the silkworm is ready to spin its cocoon, it first sends out short threads to anchor itself to a leaf (or, if it is in a silkworm farm, to the inside of a cardboard tube). It then begins the remarkable feat of spinning its cocoon. It takes about three days for a silkworm to make its cocoon, which, amazingly, consists of a single unbroken strand of silk that has a length of about one mile. It first spins the outer layer of its cocoon and then continues to add the inside layers. Silkworms have a unique way of making the patterns of the cocoons. They move their heads in a kind of figure 8 pattern as they wrap the cocoon in silk. The gummy coating of the sericin on the silk thread causes the layers of silk thread to stick together, producing a thick, strong, perfectly oval cocoon. 

While inside the cocoon, the silkworm enters the next phase of its metamorphosis. It changes from a larva to a pupa, and about three weeks later its metamorphosis is complete and it emerges from the cocoon as an adult moth. It secretes a liquid that dissolves a hole in the hard cocoon so that it can emerge. The adult moth does not fly. And it doesn’t even eat. Its sole purpose is to reproduce. The moths mate, the female moth will lay about 500 eggs, and then that is the end of their lifecycles. 

To make silk thread for human use only unbroken cocoons are used because only whole cocoons contain the unbroken single strand of silk. The cocoons are placed in boiling water, which does two things. It dissolves the sericin that holds the cocoon together, thereby loosening the threads, and it also kills the pupa that is inside. A worker, usually a woman, somehow finds the ends of the silk strands, and about eight or so strands of silk from eight cocoons are wound together to make a strand of silk thread. This process is called Reeling of the Silk. 

The Chinese attribute this amazing invention to a woman. The legend is that an empress was sipping tea underneath a mulberry tree when a cocoon fell into her cup and began to unravel. She was so amazed that she looked for the source and discovered the silkworms in the tree. She then figured out how to cultivate them, reel in their silk, and weave it on a loom. The Chinese realized the value of this beautiful silk cloth and managed to keep its technique a secret (under penalty of death) for nearly 3000 years. 

Silk cloth was used as clothing for well over 2000 years. Then finally someone figured out it could also be used as a means of communication. The first evidence of silk’s use for writing was in the 6th century BC. The cloth was written upon with a brush and black ink, and held ink well due to its absorbency. Silk books were either rolled or folded into eighths and stored in lacquer boxes. However, it was expensive as a writing surface, so silk cloth was used primarily by royalty and as final editions of books. Bamboo and wood were more popular as writing surfaces, as they were cheaper and the materials were readily available. 

So how might a silkworm make paper? 

In her articles for Hand Papermaking Newsletter, my mother cites a number of historical references to paper made from silk cocoons, from beaten silk cocoons, from silk cocoon residue, and from the floss silk from the waste of silk cocoons. The problem that I have is that there is no physical evidence of paper being made from silk. In my own research, I have not been successful in tracking down any proof of the existence of silk cocoon paper or silk floss paper. Nothing has been dug up that I know of. I haven’t been able to locate any examples in any museum. Everything seems to be hearsay. 

So that’s why I decided to experiment on my own. In the January 2012 issue of this newsletter, Elaine describes how she and I were able to create the conditions under which ten silkworms spun their silk on a sheet of mesh screening, producing a sheet of paper about six inches square. 

The more involved I became in working with silkworms, the more aware I became of people doing similar research and experiments. Two years ago MIT’s Media Lab created something pretty fantastic using 6,500 silkworms as sort of a living 3-D printer. Their project explored how digital and biological fabrication techniques can be combined to produce architectural structures. They programmed a robotic arm to imitate the way a silkworm deposits the silk to build its cocoon. The machine then deposited silk thread across metal frames to create twenty-six panels. These panels were then attached to form a dome that was suspended from the ceiling. 

They then placed the 6,500 mature silkworms on the dome, enabling them to spin their silk onto the armature. I regret that I never got to see the silk pavilion and unfortunately it has been dismantled. However the Media Lab produced an excellent six-minute video of their project. You can see the video at https://vimeo .com/67177328 

Although the paper made by silk-worms doesn’t fit the true definition of paper because it’s not beaten fiber, and it wasn’t made with water, I join my mother Elaine Koretsky in the belief that it is about time the lowly silkworm receives the credit it deserves for its role in the development of paper. 

> 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 describes one of her regular “open vats” days, during which students can simply experiment with various pulps or come with special requests. 

Once a year it is a treat for me to process a collection of special pulps and offer them to my friends in a “day of open vats.” There is no specific instruction, other than to have a blast, but I do honor special requests. This year, five wonderful papermakers shared the experience with me. 

These summer workshops are offered in the open-air garden in southern New Jersey. In previous summers my tent has only been needed as protection from the sun and falling debris from surrounding trees. But this year’s workshop fell on the first day that broke a long dry spell with a soaking rainfall. So the tent had to be set up on a deck with access to indoors, if needed. Four six foot tables, one for vats and the others for couching spaces, were a cozy fit, with the addition of our papermakers. But no one’s spirit was dampened and it all unfolded like an orchestrated dance, with everyone finding their own rhythm. 

The fiber choices were varied and delicious. And I’m not sure how all those vats actually fit on one table! One vat was filled with black cotton denim. Two others featured abaca with various cooked plant fiber inclusions, such as iris and gingko leaves. The vat that was everyone’s hands-down favorite, and the first to become exhausted, contained sisal. And there were two vats of linen, one white and one green. I found myself very busy recharging all of these, as everyone’s post of papers increased in height! No one seemed to notice the weather outside the tent, as they were wet enough from their production frenzy! 

One of my special requests for the day was a tutorial in cooking and processing someone’s iris leaf harvest. She arrived with a cut and soaked batch of leaves. We placed them in a cooking pot filled with a hot water and soda ash solution to dissolve the non-cellulose elements. Throughout the day I instructed her to check the pot, with an occasional fiber turning. When the cooking had completed, we skipped the over-night cool down period and commenced rinsing the fibers. I then instructed her in processing small amounts in the blender, following which we made up a small vat of pure iris leaves. To aid the sheet forming, we added a small amount of neri, or formation aid. Everyone was able to pull a small and exquisite sheet of pure iris leaf paper from this vat. And I beat the remaining cooked iris in my Hollander with abaca for the woman to take home with her. 

My other special request was from someone who had been unable to get the day off from work to partake in an earlier annual event, “the Big Pour” of large Japanese sheets of paper. So I arranged for him to have his own pouring adventure as part of this open vat day. We set up the pouring mould on the covered front porch, to avoid having rain-textured paper. The other four papermakers actually took a break from their vats to witness the pouring and draining process. The pouring mould was raised up on saw horses so that one could watch the neri-thickened water as it parted from the new paper, raining down in long, thin continuous threads, quite beautiful to behold. 

When the vats were thinning and the collective energy waning, I pressed everyone’s posts of papers in my Aardvark press, answered some questions about drying sheets, and enlisted some cleanup assistance. It was a splendid day, not dampened at all by the elements. I experienced a very content exhaustion at day’s end, sending everyone home with large posts of paper from some of my favorite fibers. I am already looking forward to next summer’s paper adventures in the garden! 

> 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, “Papermaking Friends,” describes the cross-fertilization and cooperation as well as competition created by friendships between papermakers and mills. 

Most of the time in recent centuries papermaking has been a very friendly industry. Although, as Elaine Koretsky has related, China until very recently had strict laws to prevent the secret of handmade papermaking escaping! In the 1990s some new-wave papermakers applied pressure to others not to help papermakers in India, despite having learnt from others themselves. But those are rather rare exceptions. 

Going back to England in the sixteenth century, there were no successful paper mills in the country until John Spilman brought the technology and papermakers from Germany.1 His mill in Dartford closed some years after he had died, but presumably the explosion in production that followed resulted from his employees spreading the knowledge in the spirit of friendly rivalry that prevails today. The workers developed friendships nationally through the tramping system (a system of labour migration)2 and the masters were in frequent personal contact, both at their mills and homes as well as at church, as many, including Huguenots, shared non-conformist Protestant roots. 

Joshua Gilpin was welcomed at Turkey Mill by ‘P. Hollingsworth and his partner’3 on the 11th March 1796. The hosts might have been less friendly had they realized that all the notes and sketches Gilpin was making were to enable him to transform his Brandywine Paper Mill near Wilmington, Delaware. Whether this did much harm to the Hollingsworths’ business we don’t know, but it would be interesting to know if Gilpin was just as friendly with John Dickinson. Joshua Gilpin built his own paper machine (the first in America) in August 1817. It was apparently based on Dickinson’s cylinder mould design. Dickinson had not patented the design so as to keep it completely secret, so how did Gilpin devise his own based on that design? 4 

In 1818 Charles Cowan of Penicuik undertook a fact-finding trip to Kent. “We were invariably received with much kindness, often with a cordial welcome, particularly by Messrs. Green at Hayle Mill, and Mr Allnutt at Ivy Mill, near Maidstone, and Messrs. Buttanshaw at Hampton Mill, near Tunbridge.”5 The Greens would have probably comprised John Green V who had just bought Hayle Mill from John Pine and/or his sons John Green VI and Charles Green. The friendship clearly flourished as a few years later Charles Green was working for Cowan at his mill in Penicuik. 

The friendship between masters was genuine but, in addition, was sometimes useful in their negotiations with the workers, such as in the case of the important “Proceedings at a meeting of the vat paper makers held at the Bell Hotel, Maidstone on Tuesday 8th, March 1853.”6 Two of the leading masters at the meeting were John Barcham Green of Hayle Mill and William Hodgkinson of Wookey Hole Mill, Somerset. They were in almost daily correspondence at times over several years, covering not only key papermaking issues but also considerable details of their current state of health!7 

In 1862 a fire started by a disgruntled employee destroyed William & Richard Balston’s Springfield Mill in Maidstone. Friends and rivals rallied round and supplied all the paper needed to keep the Balstons’ customers satisfied whilst the mill was rebuilt—in only 10 weeks. 

As described in our last article, W & R Balston Ltd started making filter papers in 1914, as these could no longer be obtained from Germany. However J Barcham Green & Son also entered this market making the first British laboratory filter papers a few weeks earlier.8 Given the supreme national effort at a time when workers were already starting to leave the mills to fight, I wonder if there may have been co-operation between the two mills rather than simply commercial rivalry. The Greens became a small competitor with Balstons in this field for the next 60 years. 

By the time of the Second World War, Hayle Mill was struggling again—this time from shortages of men, raw materials, orders, and of course the difficulties of shipping produce around the world. After Herbert Green died in 1940, his son John Barcham Green II clearly came to the conclusion that the business would have only a few years to survive. Despite being reassured by his accountants that the company was actually in good shape, he approached various other companies with a view to selling Hayle Mill. Rémy Green, his son and my father, who was in the army at the time, asserted very strongly forty years later that this could not be the case; however, his father’s notes and letters are in the archives. 

After the war, Rémy installed a new cylinder mould papermaking machine using funds provided by his wife Daphne. Rémy had learnt a great deal about paper machine operation when he worked for some months at the Papeteries de Lana, Docelles in Eastern France. Maurice Lecole, the owner of the Papeteries de Lana, became his friend and mentor for many years. Shortly after the war, Rémy also became friends with Georg Poerringer, a papermaker at Annweiler am Trifels in the Südliche Weinstraße district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Poerringer licensed Green to make aviation spirit filter board, allowing Hayle Mill to become the dominant supplier to that market in the UK for some years. Georg also introduced Rémy to German wines, of which he became very fond. Years later, the family friendships allowed me to work at both these mills for a period of time, as was the case at other mills where Rémy had friends. The new paper machine increased the company’s ability to compete with Balstons, although at about that time Rémy came to know Hugh Balston well as they both served on the bench of Bearsted (and later Maidstone) Magistrates’ Court. Rémy also used his machine to make many industrial filter papers, a market Balstons did not pursue. 

Rémy not only learnt from established papermaking friends, he also became friends with the new wave of American paper makers, notably Walter Hamady and his mentor Laurence Barker. He had a long running correspondence with Henry Morris who would ask questions about the consistency of papermaking stock. “Should it be like cream?” Rémy’s reply was to mention that in England there is single cream, double cream, and Devonshire cream—all of different viscosities! It is not known whether Rémy met or corresponded with Douglass Morse Howell and both he and his father expressed their views on Dard Hunter in ways not to be repeated here. 

I had graduated in Paper Science at the University of Manchester and worked in these other mills, so I had a fairly broad understanding of papermaking when I joined the business in 1968. Much to my surprise, I found that Rémy had now reached the view that the business was not viable in the medium term. He kept at home a top-secret file called “Project K” which included negotiations with the Inveresk Paper Company (which owned both Wookey Hole and St Cuthberts Mills at the time) and with his old friend Hugh Balston. At the time these negotiations did not come to fruition, probably because the possible buyers were reluctant to take on the ownership of a very tired range of buildings, some dating back 150 years. 

Hayle Mill continued in business, mainly due to its paper machine working flat out making filter papers, drawing and watercolor papers, and, notably, printmaking papers. Our J Green paper dominated the 1960s print boom. The handmade side of the business was perceived as seriously loss making. A few years later Rémy approached Hugh again, mainly because he was concerned to keep his 70 or so employees in work. This time terms were agreed by which Balstons acquired the business but only leased Hayle Mill. All of the staff found work, mainly at Springfield Mill where some stayed for decades. Surprisingly, perhaps, Balstons tried hard to keep hand-made production at Hayle Mill going. I think this must have reflected in Hugh’s personal interest and particularly his cousin John’s who was responsible for research and development. Another cousin Anthony Balston was Company Secretary. 

Balstons was determined that some of the deficiencies at Hayle Mill had to be addressed, particularly the obsolete electrical wiring. Their chief engineer Peter Howard managed a contract to completely rewire Hayle Mill, albeit at our expense. Without this work, it could have well burnt down in later years as some of the insulation had already shown signs of previous ignition! Rémy became manager of Green’s Fine Paper Division whilst I had a technical position without title. This was very wide ranging and I learnt a lot about Balstons’ ways of working, many of which I admired but some less so. 

Unbeknownst to us, Balstons was also facing great change and had brought in a new chief executive from outside to make it happen. Jeremy Leigh Pemberton came from a marketing background so the cultural shock at Springfield must have been immense. He was neither a Balston nor a papermaker! However he could see that the relationship with Balstons’ sales agents H. Reeve Angel and Co Ltd was not entirely efficient. He engineered a merger in 1974 to form Whatman Reeve Angel plc, which flourished and grew enormously for over 30 years. 

Efficiency and productivity of course mean fewer jobs, and an ‘overheads study’ led to redundancies which included John and Anthony Balston, Rémy, and me. John was now able to focus on his historical studies leading to several highly regarded books, Anthony became a judge, and Rémy retired. The management did not realize that I had already decided that, much as I enjoyed working at the mill and had made some good friends there, I would not be able to progress in the middle management hierarchy prevailing. I was thus relieved to be called in by my manager Colin White and offered a very generous package to leave at once. I learned from Colin that when giving staff this type of news it does not help to then talk for a further 40 minutes to justify the decision! On the way home, I bought some wine and called on my friends Wendy and Graham Clarke and we agreed that we should try to buy back the handmade business, the closure of which had not yet been announced but seemed imminent. The next day I asked for a meeting with Jeremy Leigh Pemberton. Ever courteous, he agreed, even though he must have anticipated my pleading for my job back; my actual idea must have been a huge surprise. 

Time has moved on and most of the people mentioned above are no longer in this world and both Hayle Mill and Springfield Mill have closed. Like Whatman’s Turkey Mill nearby, Hayle Mill is preserved (one as a small business park and the other being residential). The future for Springfield is not bright. Only one building, the chimney and the beam from the Boulton & Watt steam engine are ‘listed’ by the regulator Historic England, despite a review this year. The site has been sold for housing development. Recently Jeremy Leigh Pemberton invited me to lunch to discuss how we might influence the developer to try and retain some sense of the importance of this great papermaking site, features like its quietly famous Button Walk and maybe a few more buildings. In a recent email Jeremy was kind enough to say “You are a real friend to Whatman and to the History of English papermaking,” to which I can only add that he and the Balstons were very real friends of Hayle Mill and the Greens too. 

Footnote. Our approach to the developers will be a friendly one, but evidence of worldwide support could help. If you would like to write something quotable about the importance of Springfield Mill and the Balstons to the history of papermaking, art, and technology, and any features of the mill you would like to see retained, please do write to me at simongreen22@gmail.com. 

1. John Tate’s venture was not a success. 

2. Jean Stirk, “The Tramping System,” The Quarterly, British Association of Paper Historians No. 6 (March 1993). 

3. Gilpin’s diary quoted in an essay by Maureen Green in: Theresa Fairbanks Harris and Scott Wilcox, Papermaking and the Art of Watercolor in Eighteenth-Century Britain: Paul Sandby and the Whatman Paper Mill (Yale Center for British Art & Yale University Press, 2006), 94-99. The partner would have been William Balston but the initial is surely wrong, as it would presumably have been either Thomas or Finch Hollingsworth. 

4. http://paperindustryweb.com/pjcurtis.htm 

5. Charles Cowan of Logan House, Reminiscences, printed for private circulation, 1878. Various facsimile reprints are available or online at http:// tinyurl.com/offwr4k. 

6. The original manuscript notes are in the Hayle Mill Archives and reprinted in facsimile by Henry Morris’ Bird & Bull Press, North Hills, PA, 1970. 

7. Hayle Mill Archives and the forthcoming: Maureen Green, Hayle Mill; The History of How a Handmade Paper Manufacturer Survived in the Age of the Machine (Ann Arbor, MI: Legacy Press, 2016). 

8. Samples of Green’s first making of filter paper are in the Hayle Mill Archives. 

> 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. Continuing his series on individual paper decorators, here Sid discusses the work of Chris Weimann. 

No series on important paper decorators would be complete without a piece on Christopher Weimann, one of those rare geniuses who come along seldom, make their names prominently in the world they adopt, and then pass away too soon. Chris was born in 1946, and in his quiet 42 years had an immense impact on the world of marbling. When he died in 1988 he left a legacy of research, innovation, and artistry that puts him at the top of the marbling hierarchy in terms of importance and contributions. 

To write about Chris, I spoke with his wife Ingrid, who gave me some important insights into what he was like as a person, and that may explain what drove him as a scholar and artist. Ingrid told me that Chris was basically quite shy, but when he was working he was sharply focused and dedicated. This is evident in the work he produced, not a single sheet of which is anything but perfect. 

When Chris came upon marbling, he was smitten, and it clearly became the focus of his life. Marbling was one of his two passions, the other being his wife Ingrid. Ingrid understood Chris’s desire to be a marbler, to live and breathe it as a craft and an art, so she made a life for him that allowed him to indulge all of his skills and intellect, artistry and energy in this occupation. And excel he did! 

For centuries scholars and lovers of the arts saw the marbled pictures of the Deccan empire (from Turkey, Persia, and Abyssinia), but no one knew how these pictures were made other than the fact that they were marbled. Chris figured it out by studying the history, looking minutely at the originals, and experimenting with a masking technique that had not been used in 300 years. It worked, against the advice of “experts” who said it could not be done the way he proposed—which was to create the pattern as a stencil in many pieces, cut it out from paper, lay all of the pieces precisely onto the sheet to be marbled, and marble through it. It looked impossible since the stencil was composed of many tiny, meticulously cut pieces of paper, all of which had to be placed with absolute precision. (The method is depicted in Ingrid’s blog at cweimannmarbledworks.blogspot.com.) Sometimes he used a resist to add to the stencils. What we have here is Chris at his best: a deep-thinking and intrepid scholar, reading extensively about the process, formulating a methodology for reproducing the art of centuries ago, and then proving it can be done by doing it. And doing it brilliantly. 

It should be added that when he came to marbling, there were no handbooks or modern manuals on the subject, and he was able to perfect the craft through years of research and painstaking trial and error, experimentation, and determination. What texts there were were in German, so at the Huntington Library he was able to see some sources that Ingrid translated for him. No one was teaching it, so he had to teach himself. And his success came additionally from his training as a color matcher (he once had a business in this field) and his ability to manipulate primary colors. 

Ingrid told me that while marbling was Chris’s passion, he knew he needed to do more remunerative work, so he was a restorer of museum objects, achieving a level of skill almost unknown in someone as young as he was. When he was working for museums and private collectors, he had to use a proxy to take in and return the works he fixed because curators would not trust their treasures to someone as young as Chris was. In fact, Ingrid recounted a few stories of Chris who lectured in various venues, with dignitaries approaching a group of people to congratulate Chris on the beauty of his marbling, only to shake the hand of others much older than Chris. They could not believe this young fellow was the maker of such mature and elegant pieces. 

Another characteristic of this brilliant scholar/artist is his modesty. Ingrid points out that over and over, when he was speaking at any conference or lecture, he would say about his progress as a marbler, “We are still learning. We are still searching.” He never said “I”; always “We.” And it was characteristic of him to think in terms of what more there was to learn—to strive for. As Ingrid said, Chris loved working with his hands—this made him happy— and marbling became the work of his heart. 

I wish to add here what I have alluded to above: Ingrid was Chris’s muse, and she did everything in her power to give him a life that allowed him to marble. She was his best critic—Chris relied on her to say whether his works were ready for a public or not. She said that nothing left their home (where he worked) unless she gave it her imprimatur. So in a way, Ingrid was part of the artistic production that made Chris famous pretty much across the world (photo courtesy Ingrid Weimann). 

I wish to give additional credit where it is due: The wonderful bookseller Muir Dawson, whose personal passion for decorated paper was manifest in the books and other things he sold, became like a father figure to Chris, encouraging him along the way, and publishing two of Chris’s beautiful and important books, Marbled Papers; Being A Collection of Twenty-two Contemporary Hand-Marbled Papers, Showing a Variety of Patterns and Special Techniques (Los Angeles: Dawson’s Book Shop, 1978) and Marbling in Miniature (Los Angeles: Dawson’s Book Shop, 1980). Muir also sold many sheets of Chris’s marbles to admiring and fortunate collectors—fortunate in that they were acquiring great works of art that would sadly stop being produced with Chris’s untimely death at the age of 42. 

Before Chris came on the scene, there was a small but growing interest in marbling, probably influenced by the work of Rosamond Loring, whose book on the subject (Marbled Papers: An Address Delivered before the Members of the Club of Odd Volumes, November 16, 1932 [Boston: Club of Odd Volumes, 1933]) was the first serious twentieth-century text published in the United States on the subject. But marbling until Chris came along was not exciting, artistic, or awe-inspiring. When Chris came up with his amazing flowers and pictures in marbling, he influenced the next generation of artists in this medium. His inspiration cannot be understated. And it was not merely in his imagery: he pioneered the use of acrylics and methyl cellulose size; he became a great marbler through his careful study of the history of the craft; and thanks to his influence, marblers in untold numbers now share their work with others—on paper and on the Web, where hosts of marbling sites can be accessed. 

In the beautiful volume that Ingrid Weimann and Nedim Sönmez produced (Christopher Weimann (1946-1988): A Tribute [Tübingen, Germany: Jäckle- Sönmez, 1991]) we find the following at the beginning of the chapter titled “His Work, Our Life”: “The man who works with his hands is a laborer. The man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman. The man who works with his hands, his brain and his heart is an artist.” This describes Christopher Weimann. 

Chris’s contributions are many, and in the long run, we look back at a corpus of his work that is impressive, not for the number of sheets that he produced, but for the quality of his work, the intensity of the research he did to get to the point of being one of the great marblers in history, and the overall beauty of what he produced. 

> FOR BEGINNERS 

Mary Tasillo is a papermaker, book artist, and mixed media maven based in Philadelphia. She teaches workshops nationally. In this column Mary describes making beautiful sheets of papyrus from common fruits and vegetables. 

While Egyptian and Sudanese papyrus pre-dates the first paper by several thousand years, it is considered a proto-paper because the plant is not separated and re-formed at a microscopic plant fiber level. Papyrus is named for the African plant papyrus, which was stripped of its outer bark and then sliced into long, thin pieces. These pieces were then overlapped, pounded together, and dried under weight to create a surface suitable for writing, as well as in the creation of mats, baskets, and other objects. 

Papermakers will try anything related to paper, which is how we came to have Winnie Radolan teaching a Vegetable and Fruit Papyrus workshop at The Soapbox: Community Print Shop and Zine Library in Philadelphia this past October. Winnie kindly provided a list of good fruits and vegetables for papyrus making ahead of time, so that the workshop could be a bit of a potluck, targeting items that are firm when fresh but soften when boiled, as well as things that are not too starchy. Best of all, Winnie’s list targeted things that look great as papyrus such as starfruit, daikon, kale, and persimmon. 

In addition to fruits and veggies and some standard kitchen utensils, this project requires a lot of newspaper, cut up bed sheets, or old pellon that can be permanently dedicated to such a task (this proto paper is not archival and especially if beets are used, these materials will become stained), and a screw-top or hydraulic press. Be sure that the newspaper and bed sheets are cut to fit in the press. 

After looking through Winnie’s extensive collection of papyrus, we adjourned to the kitchen where we started multiple pots of water to boil while we got to work. We selected the sharpest knives to create slices 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Experiment with directionality, and feel free to remove any stems or seeds (though we included some delicate stems and seeds to great effect). 

Once the water is at a gentle boil, add the vegetable slices. Boil each type of produce separately, as each vegetable will have a different cook time. We tried carrots, beets, snow peas, kiwi, pear, cucumber, and acorn squash. Estimated cook times for some additional items appear below. Each item should be cooked just until the tines of a fork will penetrate the vegetable easily. Be careful not to overcook or else your vegetables will not hold together. Then remove the vegetables from the boiling water and rinse gently in cold water. 

Sample Cook Times: 

Beets 10 minutes 

Ginger root 15-20 minutes 

Daikon radish 10 minutes 

Summer squash 5 minutes 

Kiwi fruit 5-10 minutes 

Pomegranate 10 minutes 

Once these materials have been parboiled, it is time to get creative. Lay out a folded section of newspaper and a piece of old sheet or old pellon. Arrange the vegetable slices on top of the sheet into any composition, being sure that all slices overlap other slices somewhere. Keep a generous edge of the sheet around the papyrus composition to absorb water and allow for expansion of the piece as it flattens. Once one composition is complete, add another sheet and another section of newspaper. These newspaper sandwiches can be stacked. Once all papyrus sheets have been created, it is time to begin a gradual pressing process. Place the stack in the press, and bring the press’s platen down until it is only just past contact with the stack of papyrus. Let it sit here for an hour, and then gradually add a little more pressure every 30 to 60 minutes. 

Pressing and drying the papyrus will take time and care. Other than gradually bringing the pressure down, leave the papyrus undisturbed for 24 hours. After the first 24 hours, open the press and exchange the wet newspaper sections for dry ones, without peeling back the sheets to peek, bringing the press back down firmly at once when returning the stack to the press. Exchange the newspapers every 12 hours until the papyrus is dry. On the second newspaper exchange, gently peel one of the sheets back from the composition. For every exchange afterwards, peel the sheets back from each side, flipping them over. This helps prevent the papyrus from sticking to the sheets. 

For the first part of the drying process, the whole stack smells a bit like vegetable soup, and you may wonder whether these compositions will ever transform from stacks of parboiled vegetables into beautiful flattened papyrus. Persevere. Keep exchanging the wet newspapers for dry and cranking down the pressure, and in a few days you will have beautiful sheets of fruit and vegetable papyrus. These papyrus sheets will be a bit fragile. They may be written or drawn on with ink, but they may also be enjoyed as pieces of art in and of themselves. 

(Helen Hiebert has also written about Vegetable and Tamale Papyrus in the January 2006 issue of Hand Papermaking Newsletter, No. 73.) 

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 April 2016 newsletter is February 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/workshops in a variety of disciplines, including papermaking. 

Papermaking, June 19-25, with Kerri Cushman. 

The Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta, Canada, (800) 565-9989 or (403) 762-6180, www .banffcentre.ca. Artist residencies in fully equipped papermaking studio, and other disciplines. 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 western North Carolina. 

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. 

Illuminated Paper: Make Art, Make Lamps, June 26 to July 2, with Pam Granger Gale. Enter the world of handmade paper, from fiber selection and processing to pulling sheets of paper for creative use in lamps. 

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. 

Carriage House Paper, Brooklyn, NY, (800) 669-8781, www.carriagehousepaper.com. Papermaking workshops offered in a well-equipped studio space. Visit website for workshop schedule. 

Cronquist Paper Studio, PMMS, Graudu iela 59, Riga, Latvia, http://ilzedilanesart. blogspot.com, ilze.dilane@gmail.com, +371 25608690. Papermaking workshops using pulp from denim jeans and cotton rags, pulp painting, and surface decoration. 

Desert Paper, Book and Wax, Tucson, AZ, (520) 740-1673. Papermaking, book, and mixed media encaustic workshops, as well as consulting and studio rental. Visit www .papermakingresources.com for registration information. 

Dieu Donné Papermill, New York, NY, (212) 226-0573, www.dieudonne.org. Beginning and advanced papermaking classes for adults and children. Open studio sessions also available. 

Introduction to Contemporary Papermaking, January 12, February 2, March 1, or April 5, with staff instructor. Learn the basic papermaking process, as well as various artistic techniques. 

Casting with Molds and Laminate Casting, January 26 or April 12, with staff instructor. Explore two different sculptural papermaking techniques: casting with molds to achieve a solid sculpture composed of thick cotton pulp, and laminate casting to produce a hollow sculpture made of thin paper. 

Embedding, Blowouts, and Simple Watermarks, February 9 or May 10, with staff instructor. This course covers incorporating materials into your sheets of paper as well as stencil techniques with a number of creative applications. 

Pulp Painting, Stenciling, and Pigmenting, March 15, or June 14, with staff instructor. Learn proper pulp coloring techniques and create a range of pulp paint consistencies for a variety of purposes. 

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. 

Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA, (215) 922-3456, www.fleisher.org. Offering workshops and community programs in a range of media. 

Papermaking with Plants, Mondays, Spring 2016, with Mary Tasillo. Explore several techniques for processing plant fibers. 

The Hall of Awa Japanese Handmade Paper, 141 Kawahigashi, Yamakawa-cho, Yoshinogawashi, Tokushima 779-3401, Japan, fax 81-883-42-6085, www.awagami.com. 

34th Handmade Paper Workshop, August 16- 20, with staff instructors. Learn traditional Japanese papermaking methods in this five day intensive: preparing kozo bark for cooking, cleaning and beating the fiber, making the paper, and drying it. 

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. 

Paper Contains the Universe, July 17-29, with Aimee Lee. Begin with paper mulberry, processing virgin fiber into tissue thin sheets, move to ever versatile abaca, and use natural dyes and finishes, followed by paper manipulation. 

Joomchi & Beyond, August 28 - September 3, with Jiyoung Chung. Create strong, textural, and painterly surfaces by layering and agitating long-fibered handmade papers. 

Helen Hiebert Paper Studio, Red Cliff, CO, www.helenhiebertstudio.com. Annual papermaking retreat in the Rocky Mountains. 

Red Cliff Paper Retreat, September 9-11, with Helen Hiebert. Cut, fold, layer, collage, weave, glue, and make paper as you explore its potential in two and three dimensions. 

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. 

Inter-Ocean Curiosity Studio, Englewood, CO, (303) 789-0282. For more information on papermaking workshops with Ray Tomasso, contact him at ray@raytomasso .com or (303) 552-8256. 

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. 

Jill Powers Studio, Boulder, CO, jpowesstudio@gmail.com, www.jillpowers .com. Classes in paper and other materials, retreats, and private mentoring sessions. 

Kalamazoo Book Arts Center, Kalamazoo, Michigan, (269) 373-4938, info@kalbook arts.org, www.kalbookarts.org. Classes in book printing and binding, printmaking, hand papermaking, and creative writing. 

Mary Ashton Studio, Seattle, WA, www .maryashtonstudio.com. Papermaking and book classes. 

MayBe Studio, Abita Springs, Louisiana, (985) 893-3184. 

Hand Papermaking, selected Saturdays, with Mary-Elaine Bernard. Learn Eastern and Western methods of making paper and incorporate local plant fibers. 

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.mnbookarts .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. 

Paper Marbling, June 3, 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. 

Suminagashi, May 6, with Erin Maurelli. Create lovely and unpredictable patterns using this ancient decorative marbling technique. 

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. 

Natural Dyes on Paper, February 13, with Aimee Lee. Learn the particularities of how handmade paper accepts dyes from plants cultivated in the Morgan garden (dahlias and marigolds) or used in kitchens (onions and pomegranates). 

North Country Studio Workshops, Bennington, VT, (603) 380-4520, http:// ncsw.org. Advanced level arts workshops in a range of media. 

Oregon College of Art and Craft, Portland, OR, (503) 297-5544, www.ocac.edu. Continuing education and degree programs. 

Paper and Book Intensive, Ox-Bow, Saugatuck, MI, www.paperbookintensive.org. Workshops in book and paper arts over two weeks each spring. 

Buying and Harvesting Fiber for Papermaking, May 15-26, with Frank Brannon. Compare paper made from fibers sourced from many locations, discussing how to locate and harvest fibers locally. 

Hanji in its Many Guises: Korean Paper at Work, May 15-26, with Aimee Lee. Learn the process of making hanji (Korean paper) from raw paper mulberry bark, and methods of manipulating paper—from sheets both made in class and imported from Korea. 

Paper Circle, Nelsonville, OH, (740) 753- 3374, www.papercircle.org, papercirclearts@ 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. 

paperTHINKtank, Philadelphia, PA, http://paperthinktank.wordpress.com A papermaking studio offering workshops throughout the year. 

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. 

Bamboo, Light, Paper, March 26-27 or April 23-24, with Anna Rubin. Create bamboo armatures to support airy paper sculptures. 

Penland School, Penland, NC, (828) 765- 2359, www.penland.org. A full program of craft workshops, including papermaking. 

Hand in Hand: Books, Paper, and Print from the Top, March 13 to May 6, with Christopher Davenport. Dig into book making from gathering and preparing fibers to surface treatment, from printing to binding techniques. 

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.pyramidatlanticartcenter .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. 

Robert C. Williams Paper Museum, Atlanta, GA, (404) 894-5726, http://ipst.gatech.edu/ amp/ 

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, January 30, or March 13, with Pietro Accardi. Learn basic history, techniques, tools, and styles of European marbling. 

Paste Papers Gone Wild, March 9, with Mark Wangberg. Learn one of the oldest decorated paper techniques. 

Sarvisberry Studio and Gallery, Floyd, VA, (540) 745-6330, www.sarvisberry.com. Experience handmade paper in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

Open Studio Days, call for schedule. Make your own paper and work on personal projects.

Seastone Papers, West Tisbury, Martha's Vineyard, MA, (508) 693-5786, www .seastonepapers.com. Scheduled classes, open studio, and private workshops in hand papermaking, surface design, and book arts. For further information, email Sandy Bernat at sandy@seastonepapers.com. 

The Soapbox: Community Print Shop & 

Zine Library, Philadelphia, PA, info@philly 

soapbox.org, www.phillysoapbox.org. Work-shops in papermaking, bookmaking, and printmaking in West Philadelphia studio. 

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 Weeds, January 9, with Albert Pantone. Make paper from weeds invasive to the Northeast. 

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 bhwhitehead@swschool.org for more info. Studio time, consultation, and instruction available most Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays with Beck Whitehead. 

Studio at Taraden, 183 Park Street, North Bennington, VT 05257, (973) 886-2558. Papermaking studio outfitted with the equipment of Kenneth Noland, located in the Gallery Barn at Taraden B&B. 

Artisan Hand Paper-Making, January 9, with Jeanne McWaters. Beginner or experienced, pull sheets with instruction on using pulp and various inclusions. Limited to ten students. All supplies included in $35 fee. 

West Dean College, Chichester, West Sussex, UK, (0)1243 811301, short.course@ westdean.org.uk, www.westdean.org.uk. 

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. 

Women's Studio Workshop, Rosendale, NY 12472, (845) 658-9133, info@wsworkshop .org, www.wsworkshop.org. Summer Arts Institute includes workshops in papermaking, printmaking, book arts, photography, and other media. 

> EVENTS 

Join an Islamic Binding and Amate Papermaking workshop and travel package in Mexico City and Puebla March 3-13. Visit rare book collections and museums, spend time in an Amate papermaking town, and spend 6 days creating Islamic Bindings. For more information, contact Lucia Farias at lucia@ovejaverde.com.mx. 

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 Eleventh International Biennial of Contemporary Textile Art will take place June 15 to 26 in Kherson, Ukraine, featuring an exhibition, conference, and master class. For more information, visit http://scythiatextile .com or email scythiatextile@gmail.com. 

The Red Cliff Paper Retreat takes place September 11-13. Helen Hiebert invites you to her studio in the heart of the Rocky Mountains to cut, fold, layer, collage, weave, glue, and make paper as you explore its potential in two and three dimensions. Experiment with several techniques as you create a variety of objects ranging from sculpture and book arts to lanterns and lamps. All levels of art experience are invited. More details can be found at http://helenhiebertstudio.com/ red-cliff-paper-retreat/. 

The next IAPMA (International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists) Congress will be held September 12-16, 2016 in Brasilia, the capital city of Brazil. Hosted by Dr. Therese Hofmann of the Universidade de Brasília, IAPMA will gather at the Cultural Centre Bank of Brazil to have an inspiring set of presentations, exhibitions of paper art in their galleries, as well as the uniquely inspiring natural setting of Brazil, including a Post-Congress Tour. Brasilia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its architecture. More information can be found at www.iapma.info. 

The next Friends of Dard Hunter annual conference will take place in October in Santa Fe, New Mexico, hosted by the New Mexico History Museum. Visit www .friendsofdardhunter.org for more details on speakers, demonstrations, workshops, exhibitions, and accommodations as they develop. 

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. 

> EXHIBITS 

Vaivén de papel features collaboration including handmade paper by artists Ximena Pérez Grobet and Jorge Yázpik. The exhibit is on display at the Capellades Paper Mill Museum in Barcelona, Spain through January 10. For gallery hours, call +34 938 01 28 50 or visit http://mmp-capellades.net/. 

Peter Gentenaar at Galerie Wijnstraat continues until January 31 at Wijnstraat 178, 3311 BZ Dordrecht, the Netherlands. Open Friday through Sunday or by appointment. Visit www.galeriewijnstraat.nl or call 078-6138043 

The 6th National Collegiate Handmade Paper Art Triennial features student works in handmade paper and was juried by Joan Hall. The exhibit will travel to the Corcoran School of Arts and Design in the spring. For more information, or to host the exhibition, contact papertriennial@gmail.com. 

Nancy Cohen: Hackensack Dreaming is a traveling exhibition featuring an installation consisting of numerous glass and mixed media sculptures and handmade paper sheets. It will be on view at The Power Plant Gallery, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, from January 22 through March 5. For venue information, visit www.powerplantgallery.com or call (919) 660-3622. 

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/ as the date approaches. 

The 11th Paper Biennial Rijswijk will be held from June to October 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. 

> CALLS FOR ENTRIES 

The International Biennial Exhibition and Conference on Textile Art, "Scythia 11," invites entries for a June 15-26 exhibition in Kherson, Ukraine. The deadline for applications is February 1. For details contact scythiatextile@gmail.com or visit www .scythiatextile.com. 

Treewhispers is an ongoing installation of flat handmade paper rounds with tree stories, poetry, and art. The project continues to seek contributions. The project was started by Pamela Paulsrud and Marilyn Sward. For more information, visit http:// treewhispers.com/here/. 

The International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists celebrates its Pearl Anniversary in 2016, and is planning exhibitions entitled The Luminous Within. Beginning from the idea of a “pearl” being something small, precious, luminous, and rare, IAPMA is seeking small scale, self-contained paper artworks set within a sculptural or book-like shell. The deadline is January 31. Request more details and an entry form by emailing IAPMA30yearsSubmissions@ gmail.com. Only IAPMA members may participate. Become a member at https:// www.iapma.info/Application 

> OPPORTUNITIES 

Minnesota Center for Book Arts is now accepting applications for artist residencies in the papermaking, printing, and bookbinding studios. Details and application can be found at www.mnbookarts.org/air. Questions can be directed to Sara R. Parr, MCBA's Artist and Adult Programs Director, at sparr@mnbookarts.org or (612) 215-2526. 

Cave Paper in Minneapolis has worked with over 80 interns since 1994. They are currently looking for enthusiastic people to work at least 6-8 hours per week with flexible scheduling. Although interns are welcome all year, the best times are from May to September. Cave Paper interns become part of the production routine and, as a result, learn a variety of papermaking skills. Request more details from cavepaper@ gmail.com or call (612) 359-0645. 

The Creative Residency program in Visual Arts at The Banff Centre, Alberta, Canada, provides studio facilities and support for artists working in a broad range of media, including painting, drawing, performance, ceramics, book arts, textile art, papermaking, sculpture, installation, photography, and more. Visit www.banffcentre.ca for information about residencies and facilities, or contact Wendy Tokaryk at wendy_tokaryk@banffcentre.ca or (403) 762-6402. 

Artists experienced in papermaking are invited to apply for the opportunity to spend up to three months working in the Paper Studio at the Southwest School of Art & Craft. Artists are expected to provide their own transportation and materials. Housing may be available, but is not guaranteed. Collaborations will be considered. For further information contact SSAC, 300 Augusta, San Antonio, TX 78205, (210) 224-1848, www.swschool.org.

Women’s Studio Workshop offers several opportunities for artists working in papermaking and book arts. The internship program gives young artists creative support, culminating in an exhibition, in return for their assistance with the on-going operations of the facility, including assisting WSW's Artists-in-Residence with their projects and participating in WSW's Summer Arts Institute classes as studio assistants. Studio fellowships are designed to provide concentrated work time for artists to explore new ideas in a dynamic and supportive community of women artists. Studio residencies support the creation of a new body of work. For details on these and other programs, visit www.wsworkshop.org. 

Cultural Collaborative, a small non-profit working with children in Ghana, West Africa, is looking for papermakers and bookbinders to volunteer to teach the kids next summer. If interested contact aba@ culturalcollaborative.org. For information on Cultural Collaborative, visit www .culturalcollaborative.org. 

> PUBLICATIONS AND VIDEOS 

Dieu Donné announces the release of Smoke Painting Eclipse, three new limited editions in handmade paper by Rosemarie Fiore. Fiore and Paul Wong created custom sheets of cotton paper, each with a base circle of florescent abaca pulp in either blue, yellow, or pink. Fiore then used smoke emitting fireworks and a tool to manipulate the color smoke and mark the paper with concentric circles and transparent circular forms. View images and learn more at www .dieudonne.org/2015-benefit-edition or call (212) 226-0573 with questions. 

From Plants to Paper to Pulp Painting is a video following Deborah Sharpe-Lunstead into the field to gather plants from which she will make paper. Join her in the studio to learn about the process of turning those plants and recycled clothing into paper pulp, and watch her creating a pulp painting at http://www.dsharpelunstead.com/video/ 

Paper Mill History from Devon and Cornwall, UK, can be found online in a local publication from the 1930’s. Take a look at http://bit.ly/1lrLb8y 

Linda Coussement recently posted a video and article about Michal, a banker from the Czech Republic who quit his job to become a hand papermaker. You can view the story at http://howitistobeyou.com/how-it-is-to-be-michal-banker-become-a-papermaker/. 

> MISCELLANEOUS 

Mahajanam Trust, an NGO that focused on reviving ancient Indian traditions including hand papermaking, calligraphy, organic farming, and promotion of traditional Indian arts and crafts is looking to connect with other papermakers to support their work. They focus on natural, handmade, organic, and eco-friendly products produced by traditional methods wherever possible. This philosophy extends to food, cloth, vessels, stationery, and various other products used in daily life. To find out more, contact Setuk Shah at +91 97144 79888 or pustaksangrah@gmail.com. The trust is located in Gujarat, India. 

The Soapbox, a community print, book, and papermaking studio in Philadelphia, announces its expansion into a 4500 square foot space in early 2016, where more space will be available for papermaking and pulp preparation. For more information, visit www.phillysoapbox.org. 

Mimi Aumann has created Marketplace: All Things Paper, a public Facebook group for the hand papermaking community—whether emerging paper artists trying to set up a studio, or established paper artists trying to make more room in their studios—to buy and sell and trade used or new equipment, tools, supplies and books. Visit facebook. com/groups/Marketplaceallthingspaper/ 

> CLASSIFIEDS 

Classifieds in Hand Papermaking Newsletter cost $2 per word, with a 10-word minimum. Payment is due in advance of publication. Classifieds are published in our printed and digital newsletters, on our website, and on our facebook page. 

Looking for a used 2 lb. Reina Beater to acquire for the International Printing Museum. Any leads please contact mail@ printmuseum.org 

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. 

5# Noble & Woods Hollander $7500. (260) 306-1179 kozokitty@gmail.com 

Custom Beater For Sale. Capacity is 2-3 pounds of dry pulp. GE motor, 1/2 horsepower. Removable lexan plates create the curve inside the front and back ends. The cover for the roll is heavy plexiglass. Located near Ottawa. Asking $5000 Canadian, or best offer. Contact beth_levin@sympatico.ca or call (613) 821-1260 for more information or to see photos. 

Business Opportunity. Well established online paper making and stationery studio is selling its turn-key opperation. Interested in learning more? E-mail sherylwkeese@ gmail.com for more information. 

Paper equipment gathering dust? Need a tax deduction? auction@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, Sid Berger & Michèle Cloonan, Jeffrey Cooper, Susan Gosin, Nancy & Mark Tomasko, Gibby Waitzkin. Underwriters: Susan Mackin Dolan, Kyoko Ibe, Ann Marshall, Pierrette Samour, Beck Whitehead, Pamela Wood. Sponsors: Cathleen A. Baker, Simon Blattner, Tom & Lore Burger, Michael Durgin, Jane Farmer, Helen Frederick, Helen Hiebert, Lois & Gordon James, Winsome Jobling, Suzanne Johnson, Barbara Landes, Peter Newland & Robyn Johnson, Laura Merrick Roe, Ingrid Rose, 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, 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, Mary Ann Weisberg, Beck Whitehead, 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., Tom Balbo, Janet DeBoer, Peter Ford, John Gerard, Robert Hauser, Dard Hunter III, Rick McSorley, Microsoft Corporate Citizenship, Steve Miller, Britt Quinlan, Amy Richard. Founding Contributors to the Hand Paper-making 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, Tom & Lore Burger, Jeffrey Cooper, Susan Mackin Dolan, Drachen Foundation, Michael M. Hagan, Joan Hall, Joyce Kierejczyk, Betty L. Kjelson, Ann Marshall honoring David Marshall, Julie Reichert, Laura Merrick Roe, Richard H. Schimmelpfeng, Mary C. Schlosser, Mina Takahashi, Aviva Weiner, Beck Whitehead. 

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