I’ve been pretty lucky as of late, I have to say. After completing my MFA in Book Arts at the University of Iowa Center for the Book last fall, I had the privilege of spending three months in Italy teaching book arts and papermaking for the UGA study abroad program in Cortona. It was an incredible opportunity to slow down and focus in a new way, to pass along my enthusiasm for all things book and paper to a new group of students, and to be freshly inspired by the culture, individuals, and art that surrounded me.
Read moreAn Exercise in Patience (and Madness)
Steph Rue, Radha Pandey, and I have been working for the past few months on a project for the upcoming Hand Papermaking Portfolio Series. These portfolios, which are published every two years and feature works by paper artists around the world, often have a theme that unites the selected pieces. In the past, these have included themes such as “Handmade Paper in Motion,” “The Art of Pulp Painting,” “Watermarks in Handmade Paper: Modern and Historic,” and others. The theme for this portfolio, which is set to publish in late 2014, is “Negative Space.”
Winter Adventure at Penland
The varying landscape of Penland in winter.
It has only been two days since I returned from Penland, and already I am back to school for the spring semester. These past few weeks have been a whirlwind, and from the look of things, they won’t be settling down anytime soon. Thankfully for me, though, I’m still basking in the afterglow of a productive and enriching residency, and little at this point can make me tire.
Read moreHistoric Recycled Papermaking -The Ink Removal Method
In late July, I had the pleasure of hosting Kazuko Hioki, a conservator at the University of Kentucky Libraries, for four days as we worked on a collaborative project to recreate Japanese block printed book cover papers from the Edo Period (1603-1868). These historic specimens have been the subject of Kazuko’s research for some time. Not a papermaker herself, she contacted Tim Barrett at the Center for the Book to ask if he could put her in touch with a papermaker who might be interested in recreating these historic specimens, and he in turn suggested she contact me.
Read moreFound Object Diary / Entry #1
Found Object #1 – Green Lipped Mussel
This entry marks two milestones. It is my first post on this newly formed blog, as well as the first in a series I am titling “Found Object Diaries.” Though I have been collecting found objects for some time – mostly naturally occurring specimens that have piqued my interest in some fashion – I have never catalogued or otherwise recorded my findings in any way. I am hopeful that these entries will serve not only to preserve the objects themselves, but the memories attached to their discovery.
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