Download Report

HAN D PAPERMAK I NG
NEWSLETTER
Number 88, October 2009 Newsletter Editor: Shireen Holman Advertising & Listings: Mary Tasillo Desktop Production: Amy Richard
Columnists: Sidney Berger, Susan Gosin, Maureen and Simon Green, Helen Hiebert, Elaine Koretsky, Winifred Radolan, Mary Tasillo.
Hand Papermaking Newsletter is published
four times per year. In summer and winter it
is sent with the journal Hand Papermaking,
and in spring and autumn it is distributed
separately. Annual subscriptions include both
publications: $55 in North America or $80
overseas. Two year rates are discounted: $105 in
North America or $155 overseas. To subscribe,
send a check to the address below, call or fax us
to use Visa or MasterCard, or visit our website.
Foreign subscribers may use a credit card, or
pay in U.S. dollars via money order or check
marked payable through a U.S. bank. 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: [email protected]
Web: www.handpapermaking.org
The deadline for the next newsletter (January
2010) is November 7. 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; Mary
Tasillo, Advertising and Listings.
Board of Directors: Sidney Berger, Frank
Brannon, Shannon Brock, Inge Bruggeman,
Georgia Deal, Gail Deery, Jim Escalante,
Susan Gosin, Helen Hiebert, Ann Marie
Kennedy, Barbara Lippman, Andrea Peterson, Margaret Prentice, Gibby Waitzkin,
Beck Whitehead. Board of Advisors: Timothy
Barrett, Simon Blattner, Gregor R. Campbell,
Mindell Dubansky, Jane M. Farmer, Helen C.
Frederick, Elaine Koretsky, James Sitter, Claire
Van Vliet. Co-founders: Amanda Degener and
Michael Durgin.
October 2009
Dear Fellow Lovers of Handmade Paper,
Five years from now a new kind of environmental paper project will be established in my
home province in the northern Philippines. It is a combination of earth-friendly and self-sustaining farm, and creative studio papermill. It has its own source of paper fibers, mainly four
varieties of paper mulberry in combination with indigenous fibers growing in and around the
farm. It is located on 2½ acres of agricultural land with a year-round supply of spring water. It
will produce green paper art and handmade paper. The farm will not only grow natural fibers
but also organic food for the facility. It will evolve slowly, from the drawing board, to developing the farm, to fabricating equipment and building the studio papermill. We will send
occasional updates, and in five years time you are all most WELCOME.
Loreto D. Apilado
Mulberry Art Papermill and Ecofarm, [email protected]
Dear Hand Papermaking Readers,
In 2003, our 100% recycled hand papermaking studio
set a world’s record by making the world’s largest sheet
of handmade paper. With fifty volunteers ranging from
four to seventy years old, we constructed a piece of
paper that was 22½ x 30 feet in size. After showing the
paper off at the local farmer’s market, the paper was
cut and the pieces sold to raise funds for the local land
trust. You can read more about how we did it at: www.twistedlimbpaper.com/worlds_largest/, but
I challenge and encourage others to break our record and to use the novelty of this creative
project to raise money for a good cause in your community. Please contact me through our
website if you have questions!
Sheryl Woodhouse-Keese
Founding Artist, Twisted Limb Paperworks,
Bloomington, Indiana
Dear Papermakers,
Last summer when I gallery sat for Margaret Lockwood
and Allin Walker at Woodwalk Gallery in Door County, Wisconsin, visitors would walk into the big historical barn that
is situated on the edge of old farm fields skirted with woods
beyond. Some would say, “this is the way Door County used
to be,” as they looked up into the rough hewn rafters and
listened to the low murmur of breezes passing through the
open slats. The barn was built in 1890.
This is the atmosphere in which I teach. Classes at the
new Woodwalk Handmade Paper Center are about “love of
place” of Door County and its natural beauty. Students learn
the craft of handmade paper. In some of the classes we work with natural materials partly
gathered from the area. I show how to work them into an art project and combine them with
handmade paper. Other classes focus on studying the local plants, flowers, and trees, and
transforming their beauty into designs made with handmade paper. Branches, bark, grasses,
leaves, and other wild fiber are worked into sculptural projects. Care in gathering is also part
of the teaching. The classes are structured differently but they all use handmade paper, which
is so versatile, malleable, and accessible to everyone as a craft and art form. These projects
are designed to accommodate different ages—adults, children, grandchildren, and families,
too. What fun to see a family enjoy themselves over handmade paper! The Handmade Paper
Center is listed on the Woodwalk website: www.WoodwalkGallery.com/news/page/2
Kirsten Christianson
Algoma, Wisconsin
> ALONG THE PAPER ROAD...
This regular feature offers paper musings from
Elaine Koretsky—renowned paper historian,
researcher, and traveler. Here Elaine explains
the process used to make the bark clothing she
described in her last column.
A
t the 2008 Friends of Dard Hunter
meeting I mentioned an extraordinary
form of beaten bark made by farmers in the
Xishuangbanna area of Southwest China.
The bark comes from the Upas tree, Antiaris toxicaria, which contains a deadly poison, used by hunters to coat arrow tips. The
farmers believed that clothing made from
the bark of this tree would ward off insects,
forming a protection as they worked in
their fields. I had seen this tree bark outfit
displayed at a museum in Kunming, China.
The subject intrigued me. After the Dard
Hunter conference, my husband and I set
off for China again, on a new expedition.
In advance, I wrote to my Chinese contacts in Kunming, Yunnan Province, stating
that I wanted to spend about ten days in
that part of China, particularly in Xishuangbanna, to locate people who were familiar
with this type of beaten bark. This proved
to be a difficult matter, but I persisted and
finally, we located a farmer, Boyihan, who
still remembered the now defunct process
of beating bark. He agreed to make for me
a jacket, trousers, and hat from this poisonous tree. I had hoped to watch the process
he used, but he explained it would take him
at least twelve days, and we had already
used up our allotted time.
A few months later my Chinese guide
wrote that the outfit was ready, and I made
plans to return to China in March 2009.
We drove down to Xishuangbanna, and
met with Boyihan again. I was thrilled with
the bark clothing he had made for me,
but I still hoped to find out how he did it.
Boyihan brought out the beating tool he
used, and showed me the whole process in
pantomime.
To start, Boyihan related that he went
into the forest and cut down the Antiaris
toxicaria tree. Out of this enormous tree,
which is about 300 feet high, with a 30-inch
diameter, he cut a six-foot section of the
trunk. Then he began beating that entire
trunk section head-on, using a two-pound
iron hammer. After hours of beating, when
he determined that the bark was loosened,
he began beating down at the top of the
bark layer, all the way around the circumference of the trunk section. Finally, he had
loosened the bark sufficiently, and he was
able to pull down the entire bark layer, an
operation similar to skinning a snake. Now
Boyihan had a huge tube of bark, which
he brought to a river. He suspended the
tube of bark on a heavy rod in the river and
began beating the bark again. This was the
final beating, and accomplished two things.
The poisonous sap of the tree was washed
away, and the black outer bark was removed.
The entire beating procedure took many days.
Now Boyihan brought the bark tube back
to his house and hung it again on a rod in a
horizontal position to dry.
the naked stem of the tree. The procedure
is to wrap the trunk in green banana leaves
immediately after stripping. This covering
is replaced in a few days by a plaster of wet
cow dung that is left on the tree until it
flakes off naturally.
At the upcoming FDH meeting in Atlanta,
Georgia, Donna Koretsky and I will bring
with us this unusual bark outfit and demonstrate how it was beaten.
> 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 talks about
one of her workshops this past summer at the
Tidewater Cottage and Studio.
He placed several rocks inside the bottom
of the tube to keep the piece from shriveling
or shrinking while drying.
The final steps were cutting the tube to
make the clothing. He used half the tube for
the trousers and half for the jacket. To form
the trousers, Boyihan simply made a slit up
the length of one tube corresponding to the
length of a man’s leg. Then he stitched together the two inside lengths. For the jacket,
he made one cut the entire length of the
second tube and cut two openings for the
sleeves, which had been formed by beating
two branches of the tree the same way as he
had worked on the tree trunk. He stitched
the tubular sleeves onto the jacket and also
stitched on a leftover piece to make a collar.
The extraordinary part is that his method
of making bark cloth was entirely different
from the methods used by the natives of the
Polynesian islands who make tapa; also different from the amatl making of Mexico; and
the making of bark cloth in Uganda, Africa.
In all these places, the fiber used comes from
trees of the Moraceae family (Ficus species).
Antiaris toxicaria is also a Moraceae.
When I spent a week working with
a family at Fasi village in Nuku’Alofa in
1990, it was wonderful to be part of their
work that is so important in Tongan life. I
selected a branch of mulberry, bit the end
of it, and pulled off the bark. It was easy to
do, because the mulberry is fresh, green,
and full of moisture. I scraped off the outer
bark, and then continuously beat the inner
bark to make a piece of bark cloth. The
fiber is not cooked. In Mexico the process
is different, as the inner bark of mulberry
is cooked before it is beaten. In Uganda,
the Mutuba tree, Ficus natalensis, is used to
make bark cloth. The worker makes a lateral
slit at the top and bottom of the tree trunk,
and one vertical cut. Then the entire piece
of bark can be stripped from the tree. The
tree has the unusual capacity to renew its
bark if proper care is taken, by protecting
F
or quite a few years it has been my “lament
with levity” that when the hottest and
most humid summer day manifests itself
in the Delaware Valley, it must indicate
that I am trying to run a washi workshop
during this inappropriate season. But while
traditional winter’s
cold weather and water
make the process less
challenging, who can
resist a good outdoor
hose-down after a day
immersed in kozo
thickened with sticky
neri! This year I
scheduled my classes at
Bucks County Community College in Pennsylvania, my annual washi
days at Philadelphia’s
Fairmount Park Japanese House, and a daylong Japanese paper workshop at Tidewater
Studio in New Jersey, all within a fortnight,
so as not to risk spreading my heat wave
throughout the whole summer.
With a very busy week of teaching ahead
of me in Philadelphia, I needed to soak and
cook my two pounds of Thai kozo and one
pound of Philippine gampi in New Jersey
the weekend before the Tidewater workshop. I planned to do chiri (bark) picking
and hand beating of a pound of each of the
fibers with the six people who had signed
up for the class. But I “cheated” on the
beating of the remaining pound of kozo
that I wanted to pigment by throwing it in
the Hollander beater for a light half hour
of separating and brushing the fibers. This
would allow me to introduce retention aid
and pigment to the kozo a few days ahead of
time in order to optimize color attachment.
Fortunately my week of Japanese
papermaking in Philadelphia went pretty
smoothly. My studio assistant at Bucks
had spent the same weekend cooking two
pounds each of kozo and gampi. With thir-
hand papermaking newsletter
teen students, we had no trouble beating the
inner bark by hand swiftly, but not soundlessly! Fibers and neri remained fresh over
the course of the week due to the classroom’s goose-bump efficient air conditioning. However, during the very steamy hot
morning spent making washi with young
campers in Fairmount Park, the kids gave
out only moments before the formation aid
did, but happily not before everyone had
formed at least one good sheet.
So, by Friday I was headed south to Tidewater to complete the last minute preparations for Saturday’s adventures in washi.
Tidewater Cottage and Studio, located a few
minutes north of Historic Cape May, New
Jersey, is a full service papermaking studio
which allows me to offer workshops and
provide studio access, as well as a comfortably furnished home which invites weekend or week-long artist retreats. I had just
finished pigmenting kozo with three colors
and pre-mixing the necessary batches of
formation aid and coagulant, when my first
visitor arrived. Friend and paper artist Jill
Powers, from Colorado, had been vacationing with family at a neighboring seashore
resort and stopped by to say a quick “hello.”
While we were talking, Margaret Rhein and
her husband arrived. Peg (Margaret) had
generously bid on this workshop, helping to
support Hand Papermaking’s Annual Auction. Taking time to sit down and visit with
October 2009
Jill, Peg, and Stu proved a great way to “kick
off” the workshop. Later Friday evening
we were joined by paper artist and friend,
Marlene Adler.
After Saturday morning’s walk on the
beach with my dogs, Marlene, Peg, and I decided to start picking the chiri from the kozo
and gampi while we awaited the arrival of the
remaining four papermakers. Bobbie Adams,
Barbara Bradley, and Erin Robin, all Guild of
Papermakers members, had previous Japanese papermaking experience. It was to be
Lisa Hamilton’s first attempt at washi. They
all missed the opportunity to pick chiri due
to the extremely high
volume of shore traffic
that morning. But no
one was exempt from
the ceremonial handpounding with mallets
to beat the fibers to a
pulp.
After showing
everyone Tidewater’s
baby kozo tree and
torroro aoi seedlings,
we were all treated to
viewing some special
treasures that Peg brought along to share,
which she had inherited from Mildred
Fischer, an early papermaker and educator
with a special interest in Japanese paper.
There were some beautiful examples of
spun paper thread and shifu, the cloth
that was woven from the thread. There
were examples of orizomigami, folded
and dyed kozo paper. Peg also brought an
authentic and beautiful su-keta, pounding mallet, and brush, all from Mildred.
It was great to be able to show the “real
thing,” because the su-ketas that I use are
my makeshift art stretch frames sandwiching a bamboo brush mat with no-seeum mosquito netting affixed to one side.
Due to our late start, it was early afternoon before we were all dancing the kozo
across our sus. There were six vats of fiber to
alternate between—clean kozo and gampi, a
mixed chiri vat with a little rose-of-sharon fiber added, and straight kozo pigmented gold,
turquoise, and purple. We made both traditional plain sheets as well as watermarked,
stenciled, and layered sheets with inclusions.
Before we realized how quickly the afternoon
had passed, it was suppertime—fatigue and
hunger had descended upon us. There had
been a mid-afternoon pressing, so we had
the opportunity to brush our first round of
washi onto boards, which rapidly dried in the
sun. The later afternoon papers were lightly
pressed to be sent home with folks on their
couching pellons. And thanks to everyone
pitching in with clean-up, we were able to
wrap up a great day of washi and camaraderie just in time to view a dramatic Delaware
Bay sunset.
> PAPER HISTORY
Maureen and Simon 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, in the U.K. He provides consulting
services to papermakers worldwide. This is the
first part of an article, entitled Oxfeet and
Trotters, about gelatin sizing at Hayle Mill.
W
hen the first European paper mills
were established in Spain in the
eleventh century, the paper made was sized
using rice or wheat starch. Richard Hills
described sizing techniques in Kashmir as
similar to ‘applying butter to bread.’1 After
the size had dried on sheets, they would be
hand burnished using a polished stone.
By 1280, Italian papermakers introduced
the practice of sizing paper with gelatine
made from the hooves, horns, and hides of
animals. Gelatine remained the dominant
sizing agent through nearly six centuries.
Until the introduction of gelatine in prepared, powder form, a familiar sight at mills
was the delivery of large quantities of what
the trade referred to as fleshings. These were
purchased either direct from abattoirs and
tanneries or via rag or other similar merchants. Upon delivery, the fleshings were
placed in sacks and left in the mill pond to
soak before rinsing them thoroughly in cold
water to remove any residual lime—a form
of crude preservative.
Making and applying gelatine size was a
complex business and a knowledgeable and
competent sizer was a valued employee for
any mill. The Hayle Mill archives contain many ledgers filled with information
concerning the day-to-day running of the
business. A number of these ledgers are devoted to the exacting task of gelatine sizing
paper. One ledger dating from 1852 to 1857
contains a typical recipe employed by the
Mill throughout the nineteenth century.
The Way Longley Made Size.
10 cwt. Oxfeet and Trotters in equal
proportions from 11 to 12lbs Alum per
cwt. After the Feet are well washed and
in the copper light the fire and soon after
the grease begins to rise, begin to skim it
off and continue to do so until there is no
more grease. When it has boiled about 3½
hours, put in 1/3 of the soap you intend to
add, boil 3 or 4 minutes and then add 6
or 7 lbs Alum, well pounded, and stir it
at the top for 3 or 4 minutes. Then begin
to draw off first time—put the Alum in
lumps in a shoot so that the size shall
dissolve it as it runs off. Draw off as long
as it runs clear. Then fill the copper again
and let it boil gently till the Feet are quite
MAGNOLIA
brought to a pulp. Keep running as long
as there is any grease or refuse on the top
and then add remainder of the soap and
the same quantity of Alum as in first
boiling—the second boiling takes about 12
hours—slow boiling.2
A valuable by-product was the left over
fleshings which were sold to farmers as a
fertiliser. This was traditionally the Sizer’s
perk until Jack Barcham Green found out
that the Sizer made more than his wages
in selling spent fleshings. After that the
company sold the used fleshings!
The alum referred to in Longley’s recipe
would have been aluminium potassium
sulphate [AIK (SO4)2 12 (H2O)] later often replaced by a cheaper alternative, aluminium
sulphate [Al2 (SO4)3 or Al2 O12 S3]3. The role of
the alum was threefold: to stabilise the solution; act as a preservative, and to render the
gelatine resistant to ink penetration. While
developing a watercolour paper for the Royal
Society of Painters in Water Colour [RWS]
in 1895, Herbert Green maintained that
alum ‘rendered the size more viscous.’ He
considered the addition of alum ‘necessary
in these days when such hard sized papers
were asked for.’ Artists in particular were
interested in obtaining papers resilient to a
considerable amount of erasure and abuse.
Damp paper saturated with gelatine
proved an excellent breeding ground for
1BQFS$POOFDUJPO
*OUFSOBUJPOBM--$
Papermaking Supplies
Handmade Paper
Workshops
Books
1BQFS$POOFDUJPOJTZPVSQSFNJFSSFTPVSDF
GPSmOFBSUBOEEFDPSBUJWFQBQFST
8JUIPö
DFTJOUIF6OJUFE4UBUFTBOE5PLZP
1BQFS$POOFDUJPOMJOLTQBQFSDPOOPJTTFVST
JOUIF8FTUUPCFBVUJGVMQBQFSTGSPNUIF&BTU
Mon - Fri 10 - 5 Sat 10 - 3
Call or write for a catalogue
and workshop schedule:
Magnolia Editions
2527 Magnolia Street, Oakland, CA 94607
telephone: 510/839-5268
fax: 510/893-8334
www.magnoliapaper.com
1BQFS$POOFDUJPOOPXTUPDLTGBWPSJUFBSUQBQFST
GSPNUIFXFMMMPWFETUPSF"*,04
.PSJLJ)POFO4BLBNPUPBOENBOZNPSF
.FOUJPOUIJTBEBOESFDFJWFPõZPVSJOJUJBMPSEFSPGPSNPSF
%PZMF"WFOVF1SPWJEFODF3*
5PMM'SFFXXXQBQFSDPOOFDUJPODPN
hand papermaking newsletter
mould—a term covering a variety of fungal
and bacterial infections. Many mills added
some form of antiseptic or fungicide to the
size in order to combat this—often to no
avail. In 1895, Herbert Green informed the
artist John William North, founder of the
O.W. Paper & Arts Company, that paper
sized in the month of August was particularly vulnerable to mould. In the case of
Antiquarian, the size and weight of the
paper meant it could only be made during
certain months of the year. In the twentieth
century formaldehyde (CH2O) was considered the most reliable preservative until it
was discontinued for health reasons.
Once the size had been prepared, it could
be diluted to any desired strength depending
on the type of paper to be treated. One thing
missing from Longley’s recipe are the temperatures necessary to treat each stage. These
were adjusted accordingly throughout the
make and critical to the success of each mix.
Once the paper had been dried, the
sheets were delivered to the Size House.
Until the process was mechanised in the
mid-nineteenth century, the paper was
divided into ‘spurs’—the number of sheets
in each determined by the thickness of the
paper being treated. However, even with
the invention and installation of sizing
machines in mills, many clients preferred
their papers hand-sized whereby each spur
was clamped between wooden planks and
manually dipped into the size bath, as can
be seen in the accompanying photograph
from the Simon Barcham Green Collection. After dipping, the newly sized sheets
were taken back to the loft to be dried. Not
only were the temperatures arrived at for
each cooking stage critical, the drying of the
paper was temperature sensitive as well.
According to Jack Green:
The temperatures in the loft in which
the paper is being laid out to dry should
not be over 600F. (150C.). It should rise
gradually, starting from about 600F.
(150C.) to 700F. (210F.) after 24 hours,
then to 800F. (270C.) after 48 hours and
to 900F. (320C.) after 72 hours.
He also warned that:
Sized paper must neither be spread out
nor hung up in too thick spurs or handfuls
of it will stain, nor too thin or it will be
cockly and dry too rapidly.4
In order to achieve a hard-sized finish,
dried sheets were put through the process
twice or, in the case of security makes and
for some artists such as Sir William Russell
Flint, three times.
During the twentieth century, most papermills (including Hayle Mill) stopped making
their own size and bought processed size
from specialist manufacturers. In the 1960s,
problems arose in procuring good quality
size, which led to Simon Green researching
what was available and how it was processed.
He visited Croda Gelatine Ltd in Beverley,
East York—one of the largest manufacturers of a wide range of gelatine products.
Skin and bones remained the main sources
of gelatine and there was a high degree of
selection of particular materials according
to the end use. The extraction method was
also similar in principle to the old methods
but far more sophisticated, with close control
over a number of parameters. Products could
come from differing stages of extraction and
were then refined to varying extents.
The coarse varieties became a range of
glues whereas the purest products were used
in the food and photographic industries.
Tests included chemical and biological purity
and gel strength, which could be measured
in a number of ways. He selected a type of

Hook Pottery Paper
&YQBOEZPVSBSUNJOEBOETPVM
Sign up now for fall classes
Reservations are being taken
for 2010 residencies
IPPLQPUUFS ZQBQFSDPN
юћёњюёђȱюѝђџȱӕȱќќјȱџѡѠ
ȱ
ȱȱȮȱ¢ȱȱȮȱ
ȱȮȱȱȮȱ
ȱȱȱ
ȱȮȱȱȮȱȱȮȱ
ȱȮȱ ȱȱȮȱȱ
ǰȱ ǰȱȱȬȱȱ¢ȱȱ
ŗřśȱ¡ȱǰȱȱŚ
ǰȱǰȱȱŘȱŚ
ŗȬŞŖŖȬŚŘŗȬŜŞŘŜ
ȓǯ
October 2009

¡ȱŗȬśŗşȬŞŞŚȬşŜśś
ĴǱȦȦ ǯǯ
hand papermaking newsletter
food grade gelatine. After the solution (or
sol) of gelatine in water was purified and
concentrated to a suitable strength it was
then gelled by running it on to a continuously moving, polished, chilled metal
cylinder. The gel was then scraped off the
cylinder and pulverised before being dried
by spraying into a heated air chamber.
At the Mill, the gelatine powder was
dissolved in warm water at a controlled
temperature and potash alum was added in
set proportions before being passed to the
size bath. The strength of the solution was
measured with a hydrometer5 in, believe it
or not, degrees Twaddle. The temperature
of the gelatine and the speed of the size
machine were closely controlled.
For many purposes, gelatine was the
ideal size since, if properly undertaken, it
made the paper fully resistant to water (and
to some extent oil) without being repellent,
greatly increased the strength and durability
of the paper, and allowed erasure without
damage. However it was very time consuming
and expensive, and a high proportion of
paper had to be resized if it failed to meet
rigorous testing after drying and months
of maturing. It is not, therefore, surprising
that papermakers sought a cheaper and
more reliable sizing method. Sadly throughout the nineteenth and most of the twentieth
century, the favoured size was rosin and
alum—often with disastrous effects on
permanence.
1. R. L. Hills, Papermaking in Britain 1488-1988, p. 27.
2. 1 cwt (hundredweight) = 112 lb = 50.8 kg.
3. However potash alum was still added to gelatine size at Hayle
Mill until 1974 when tub sizing was ended. Papermakers’ Alum
(Aluminium sSulphate) was however used as a beater additive to help
retain pigments.
4. J. B. Green, Paper Making by Hand in 1967, pp.20-21.
5. Simon Green replaced this with sugar refractometer in about 1970.
This was easier to use and less prone to breakage.
> PROFILES IN PAPER
Susan Gosin co-founded Dieu Donné Press
& Paper in 1976. She regularly lectures and
teaches papermaking, and has compiled a
significant collection of interviews with noted
personalities in the hand papermaking community. This column is part one of her profile
of Douglass Howell.
I
n all of the columns I have written thus
far profiling pioneers in the revival of
hand papermaking, the influence of one
papermaker, whether noted or not, has
always been in the background. Most of us
practicing some form of papermaking today
are direct descendants in the family tree
of hand papermakers started by Douglass
Howell. Though Dard Hunter, before him,
and Laurence Barker, after him, were critical links in the revival of the craft through
research, writing, and teaching, it was
Douglass Howell who brought a new vision
October 2009
to the process, reinventing it as an artistic
medium. Howell invented new applications of hand papermaking and in doing
so created a unique language of expression
for artists. Simply put, Howell pioneered
the majority of techniques we use today to
create two- and three-dimensional art in
paper pulp.
Born in New York City in 1906, Howell’s
distinctive approach to making paper and
art began with his upbringing and education in Florence, Italy, under the encouragement of his American mother and the
mentorship of Guido Biaggi, Director of the
Medici Library, the Laurentiana. It was Biaggi who introduced Howell to the world of
original drawings and printed books by the
Renaissance masters, teaching him that the
quality of the art is dependent on the artist’s
choice of materials. While Biaggi exposed
the young Howell to great art and introduced him to the Italian tradition of fine
craftsmanship, his mother included him
in her circle of contemporary artists and
writers such as Ezra Pound, and producer,
Gordon Craig. Though Howell received
a business degree from the University of
Turin and worked in the banking industry
for several years in Italy and New York during the 1920s, by the Depression he had left
the world of banking to pursue a career in
the arts.
It was during this period that Howell
put together a living as an artist, a writer,
and even the literary agent for friends Ezra
Pound and Gordon Craig. His interest in
woodcut printing led him to track down
fine paper from Harrison Elliot of the Japan
Paper Company. Elliot’s avid appreciation of
handmade paper and his Hollander beater
inspired Howell to do research about Dard
Hunter at the New York Public Library.
However, in 1941, Howell was drafted
into the army and until the end of World
War II served in intelligence and combat
in Europe. But before leaving France to
return to the United States, he followed up
his growing interest in fine paper, visiting
Maurice Peraudeau at Richard de Bas Mill
in Ambert, France.
Upon returning to New York City in
1946, he found a studio at 29 Grand Street
in what is popularly known today as Soho
(only a block away from Dieu Donné’s first
home, thirty years later). Not long after moving in, he ran into a new neighbor, Alice
Orcutt, a descendant of a long line of American publishers and printers who, coincidentally, was also friends with Guido Biaggi.
Three weeks later they married and within a
year began a family and a business in hand
papermaking and fine printing. Douglass
bought a Washington press, and, after doing
some research, had a beater fabricated according to his designs. Using the bathtub as
a vat, Alice remembers hanging both diapers
and papermaking felts on the line as the
young family and fledgling business grew in
tandem in downtown New York.
Howell was able to make limited quantities of handmade paper that he used to
print poetry, selling his work at bookstores
such as Scribner’s and Brentano’s. He also
brought his paper to printmaker William
Stanley Hayter and other artists at Atelier
17, such as Joan Miró, encouraging them to
try his handmade paper. Artist Anne Ryan,
known for her abstract paper compositions,
found Howell’s paper ideal for her collages.
However, the Howells struggled to make
ends meet in New York City and decided
to take up an offer to set up their papermill
in an art community in Pepperell, Massachusetts. Packing up their worldly possessions and traveling north in a blizzard, the
Howells discovered that the “Art Colony”
was in fact a home for displaced souls from
the war and that there was little feasibility of
success for any kind of endeavor. Douglass
Howell, his pregnant wife, Alice, and their
one-year-old son stayed just long enough,
eating their meals in the unheated barn, to
realize they needed to think of a new plan.
Alice temporarily moved in with her parents
in Rhode Island while Douglass returned to
New York to find new work.
Though Douglass was committed to hand
papermaking, the reality of supporting his
young family came first. He secured a day
job as an engraver at Cartier. With the help
of family friends, the Howells moved to
a small house in Westbury, Long Island.
Here, Douglass was able to set up a studio
and papermill in the basement, working
into the wee hours conducting experiments,
making paper, and designing his stainless
steel beater, #2. Howell’s handmade paper
began to receive recognition.
In 1947, the Brooklyn Public Library
exhibited his paper and the Museum of
Fine Arts in Boston purchased a collection
of Howell’s paper. Howell put together a
“Green Box” of sample papers and hand
papermaking illustrations that he exhibited at schools and libraries. Howell’s son,
Timothy, remembers accompanying his
father often to lectures and workshops; one
was for a live television broadcast from the
Empire State Building.
The 1950s were fertile; they brought two
more children to the household and proved
to be a steady period of artistic exploration
in the studio. With some flax seeds that
Alice gave to Douglass, he was able to grow
and harvest plant fiber. Previously, most
of his research and production had been
focused on using recycled linen rag for
his handmade paper. During this period,
Douglass began experimenting extensively
with flax pulp, its preparation in the beater,
and its expressive qualities in art. He dipped
wooden armatures that were draped with
string into vats of long fiber flax pulp that
clung to the string, creating unique pieces
of sculpture. He developed an extensive
series of what he called self-illuminated
sculptures using this technique.
Those familiar with Alan Shield’s body
of art beginning two decades later will
recognize the similar method utilized by
both artists. In 1953, this work of Howell’s
was exhibited as paper lamps at the America
House. He also began to experiment drawing with thread, dropping designs onto the
surface of wet sheets, a form of what he
called “synchronic drawing.” These “controlled/planned accidents” have a quality of
freshness that invokes another master of
chance, John Cage. It is interesting to note
that while Howell employed synchronicity in
his art, his wife, Alice, was studying the work
of Carl Jung and eventually became a worldrenowned scholar and author in the field.
> 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 thirty
years. Here Sid discusses the variety and beauty
of paste papers.
I
n looking over the columns I have written
for Hand Papermaking over the last few
years, I notice that I have neglected a paper
decoration technique that is widely practiced
and has centuries of history: paste paper
decoration.
When Rosamond Loring was experimenting with marbling and paste decoration, she
decided that she would abandon marbling
in favor of paste because she found the latter easier to produce and it allowed for the
greater expression of one’s imagination. And
it’s true: making paste papers is so easy that
one can become fairly expert at it in a short
time, and there is no limit to the decorations
one can come up with in this medium. I
give workshops in this technique, and my
students—new to the art—often make paste
papers that outstrip in beauty anything I have
ever produced, and they create designs that
I have never seen before. This is part of the
magic of paste papers.
According to Richard Wolfe, in his exten-
Handmade Paper Suite
by Jane Eccles
A selection of 42 full-color abstract
pulp paintings. Western style
handmade paper compositions
using linen and cotton rag pulp
with collaged natural materials and
polaroid imagery. $20.00
Purchase a copy of this 8.5”x 8.5” perfect-bound book at:
www.lulu.com/content/2095120
sively researched Marbled Paper: Its History,
Techniques, and Patterns (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1990), the earliest
paste papers probably come from Augsburg
and other south Germany workshops, and
were in use by around 1600 (p. 24). In
my article for the January 2008 issue of
the Hand Papermaking Newsletter (81:6) on
Dutch gilt papers, I mention that the Dutch
gilts were used as substitutes for leather. The
same goes for paste papers, since they replaced leather as an attractive, manipulable,
easy-to-make material, perfectly suitable for
bindings, a use to which they were put from
the 1730s onward (see Wolfe, p. 24).
Perhaps the most famous of the historical paste papers were those made “in the
Saxon town of Herrnhut in about 1765, and
it was there, during the next fifty years or
more, that this form of paper decoration attained its highest level of perfection” (Wolfe,
pp. 24 f.). He adds, “‘Herrnhut papers,’ as
they came to be popularly known, achieved
their superior quality through the bright yet
tasteful colors employed in their making,
and the symmetrical yet charming repeat
patterns they contained” (p. 25).
As is typical in the production of early
decorated paper (“early” meaning from
before the nineteenth century), the makers
were anonymous. One can imagine a bookbinder trying to save money, looking at ex-
EMBOSSED PAPERS
Hand Printed Embossed Paper
for the Graphic and Book Arts
$&'
$) #%((
Margaret Ahrens Sahlstrand
~ [email protected]
12060 Highway 10, Ellensburg, WA 98926, tel/fax 509.964.2341
) %
)
The Paperwright
Britt Quinlan, Owner
A paper making supply business providing Canada and
the United States with papermaking kits, pulps, ﬁbres, moulds
and equipment, pigments, workshops, handmade papers and
bookbinding supplies. We specialize in custom built wove
and laid molds and personalized service for our clients.
International orders are welcome.
Call 613-440-0580 or e-mail [email protected]
or visit www.paperwright.ca
&
hand papermaking newsletter
pensive pelts and thinking,
“There must be a cheaper
way to cover books, and in
such a way that the books
don’t give up much in
attractiveness.” Paper was
the perfect material, and
paste decoration was one
solution.
(Parenthetically, one
of our goals as collectors
of decorated papers is to give
credit where it is due. That is,
we wish to bring recognition to
those whose artistic efforts are
used by others. Too often we
will find on a book the name of
the author and publisher, the
printer and binder, and even the
papermaker and the designer of
the typeface. But the marbler or
paste paper artist whose work
adorns the covers or endsheets
of a book is seldom mentioned. By having
representative papers from many artists in
our collection, and by showing who these
artists are for the sheets, we hope future
scholars will be able to identify these otherwise unnamed people. Since binders were
probably the first users of these papers,
they were probably also the original makers
of them. The fact that most book bindings
themselves are unsigned
explains why they did not
identify themselves as the
makers of the decorated
papers on the books.)
Loring discusses
the many early types
of paste papers in her
classic volume Decorated
Book Papers (the most
recent edition of which
is Cambridge, MA: Houghton Library, Harvard College
Library, 2007). She says that
two kinds of paste papers
were made: those in which
the paste is manipulated after
it has been spread over the
sheet, and those which she
calls “printed paste papers” on
which the patterns are printed
in paste from woodblocks (on
which the paste was substituted for ink) (see Loring, p. 65).
As I have said, the variations in paste
decoration are endless. Michèle V. Cloonan
explains that there are three basic methods
of making paste papers: “printed, direct
design, and combination” (Early Bindings
in Paper (London: Mansell, 1991), p. 70).
She adds, “These can be broken down into
several techniques or designs: spattered,
$BSSJBHF)PVTF1BQFS
1BQFSNBLJOH4VQQMJFT t 8PSLTIPQT
4UVEJP3FOUBM t )BOENBEF1BQFS
$BMMPSXSJUFGPSBDBUBMPHVFBOEXPSLTIPQTDIFEVMF
combed, brushed, printed, pulled, daubed,
vinegar and combination” (pp. 70-71). In part
2 of this column I shall talk more about the
actual techniques and the materials one
must use.
Let me conclude part 1 of this piece by
saying that in the world of decorated papers,
paste papers take a leading role, chronologically and artistically. True, papers were
decorated in the fifteenth century with
wood-block design, but in sheer numbers,
paste papers outstrip block-printed ones in
abundance. And for variety and beauty, one
can hardly find a medium with more variations. (One might say the same for marbled
papers, and I admit that these two decorative
techniques are at the top of all censuses
of paper adornment.) The two examples
pictured here are by Veronica Ruzicka (top)
and Elisabeth Hyder.
HAND PAPERMAKING loves
to hear from readers. What’s your
opinion? What’s happening?
What’s on your mind? Send your
letters to the editor by email:
[email protected]
3FTFBSDI*OTUJUVUFPG
1BQFS)JTUPSZ5FDIOPMPHZ
5IF3FTFBSDI*OTUJUVUFPG1BQFSJTBOPOQSPmUPSHBOJ[BUJPO
TVQQPSUJOHBNVTFVNPGJOUFSOBUJPOBMQBQFSNBLJOHBOEB
DPNQMFUFQBQFSNBLJOHGBDJMJUZ)PVSTBSFCZBQQPJOUNFOU
1MFBTFDBMMPSXSJUFGPSBCSPDIVSFBCPVUPVSBDUJWJUJFT
1BQFSNBLJOH4VQQMJFT
1VMQT'JCFST
1JHNFOUT
"EEJUJWFT
#PPLT
&RVJQNFOU
7&%
8&.0
,FOU"WFOVF#SPPLMZO/FX:PSL
UFMGBY16-1 PSEFST
FNBJMJOGP!DBSSJBHFIPVTFQBQFSDPN
XFCTJUFDBSSJBHFIPVTFQBQFSDPN
October 2009
1BQFS.VTFVN
1BQFSNBLJOH4UVEJP
5FDIOJDBM3FTFBSDI
8PSLTIPQTBOE-FDUVSFT
#PPLTBOE7JEFPT
1BQFSNBLJOH5PVST
&WBOT3PBE#SPPLMJOF.BTTBDIVTFUUT
UFMGBY
%JSFDUPS&MBJOF,PSFUTLZQBQFSSPBE!HNBJMDPN
XFCTJUFXXXQBQFSNBLJOHIJTUPSZPSH
> FOR BEGINNERS
Mary Tasillo is a papermaker, book artist, and
mixed media maven based in Philadelphia. She
teaches workshops nationally. In this column
Mary explains different ways of assessing pulp
and paper during the papermaking process.
W
hen you are starting out as a papermaker, it can be a challenge to judge
when you’ve completed certain steps of the
papermaking process, such as when your pulp
is done, or when your paper is completely dry.
Other aspects require some testing no matter
how familiar you are with the process. For example, in order to make sure that your paper
is archival, you need to be able to measure the
pH of your pulp. Here, we will address several
tests for assessing your pulp and paper.
1) Pulp “Doneness”
How can you tell if your pulp is ready for
sheet forming? After some practice, I am
able to tell through a combination of timing
the beating, eyeballing the pulp, and sticking my hand in it to assess its fluffiness. But
when I’m unsure, I might use the jar test.
Take a small clear jar—a baby food jar is of
sufficient size. Fill two-thirds to three-quarters of the jar with water; then add a pinch
of processed pulp (without actually pinching
it and compressing the fibers!). Shake the
jar to disperse the fibers through the water.
Do they disperse evenly? You are looking
for a fine cloud of suspended fibers, without
clumping or knots. If you notice clumping,
beat your fiber longer until it disperses.
2) pH
If you are aiming to make an archivally
sound paper, assessing the pH of your pulp
with a basic paper strip test, known as a
litmus test, can be useful. Even if you are
working with fibers that have been cooked
with a caustic (such as soda ash) to achieve
a neutral pH, if the water you add to hydrate
and beat the fibers is not pH neutral, the
overall acidity or alkalinity of your paper
may be affected. It should also be noted
that fibers cooked in caustic that have not
been adequately rinsed may still be strongly
alkaline. The pH test strips assess your pulp
on the standard scale of 0 to 14, where 7 is pH
neutral. Simply dip the paper strip into the
pulp and allow it to sit for a minute; the paper
changes color to indicate the pH. Compare the
color of your strip to the color chart provided
with the strips. A slightly alkaline pH reading
of 8-9 is ideal to buffer the paper’s pH against
acidity in the environment.
What can you do if your paper is too
acidic? Calcium carbonate is an alkaline
buffer that can be added to help neutralize
your pulp. Note that this substance is also a
filler that makes for a more opaque paper.
If you determine that your water source is
$0/3"%
."$)*/&
$0.1"/:
.&$)"/*$"-&26*1.&/5
'035)&(3"1)*$"3544*/$&
'JOFBSUQSJOUNBLJOHQSFTTFTGPSXPPEDVUT
MJOPDVUTXPPEFOHSBWJOHNFUBMSFMJFGFUDIJOH
DPMMPHSBQITNPOPUZQFTFNCPTTNFOUTFUD
/FX6TFE$VTUPN%FTJHOT
4PVUI8BSOFS4USFFU8IJUFIBMM.*
1I'BY
XXXDPOSBENBDIJOFDPN
10
adversely affecting the neutrality of your
pulp, it may be time to research some sort
of water filtration.
3) Paper Dryness
However you are drying your paper, it can
be easy to confuse dry-to-the-touch with dry
paper, particularly when you are impatient
and enthusiastic about your new paper. One
touch test to use when testing paper for
dryness is a temperature test. If the paper
feels cool to the touch, it is not yet fully dry.
Give it some fresh blotting material and put
it back under weight (if it is drying under restraint) for another day. You might also take
one sheet out and expose it to the air to see
whether it curls. If it warps quickly, leave the
rest of the paper to dry longer.
Keeping these three tests in mind, you will
be able to prevent some of the common problems faced by the beginning papermaker.
> more for beginners at:
handpapermaking.org/beginner
Keep up with the latest news from
HAND PAPERMAKING by visiting
http://blog.handpapermaking.org
Now we’re on Facebook too.
See you there!
Grants
Internships
Residencies
Workshops
Papermaking
Book Arts
Printmaking
Ceramics
Photography
WOMEN’S
STUDIO
WORKSHOP
www.wsworkshop.org
P.O. Box 489
Rosendale, New York, 12472
845.658.9133
hand papermaking newsletter
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 Newsletter is November 7. 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:
[email protected]
> 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.
Marbling Papers: From Basics to Beyond,
October 16-18, with Pat Thomas.
Asheville BookWorks, Asheville, NC,
(828) 255-8444, www.bookworksasheville.
com. Hands-on workshops including
bookbinding, printmaking, decorative paper,
and basic papermaking.
Introduction to Papermaking, October 9-11,
with Amy Jacobs. Learn the basics of
papermaking with a focus on sheet forming.
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.
Marbling and Paste Paper, October 18-24, with
Annie Cicale. Produce stacks of beautiful
paper using these two paper decorating
techniques that are popular with book artists.
Make the Paper and Print It, November 8-14,
with Frank Brannon. Form beautiful sheets
of paper from cotton, flax, and abaca fibers,
exploring linoleum and wood block printing
on the newly-made sheets.
Carriage House Paper, Brooklyn, NY, (800)
669-8781, www.carriagehousepaper.com.
Visit website for workshop schedule.
Center for Contemporary Printmaking,
Norwalk, CT, (203) 899-7999,
www.contemprints.org.
Paper in Dimension: Introduction to
Sculptural Handmade Paper, October 3-4,
with Jeanine Esposito. Experiment with
dimensional paper sculpture, including
draping, layering, casting, armature,
embedding, and sewing techniques.
Columbia College Chicago Center for Book
and Paper Arts, Chicago, IL, (312) 344-6630,
www.bookandpaper.org. Papermaking
classes in spacious downtown studios.
PAPERMAKING SUPPLIES
P.O. Box 413, Brookston, Indiana 47923 USA
Orders: (800) 757-TWIN (8946) Info: (765) 563-3119
Fax: (765) 563-TWIN (8946) Web: www.twinrocker.com
FREE CATALOG
Cheap Papermaking Days, October 24 or
25, with Zina Castenuela or Sara Andrews.
Learn the basics of sheet forming, couching,
pressing, and drying.
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,
November 3, or December 1, with staff
instructor. Learn the basic papermaking
process, as well as various artistic
techniques.
Open Studio, October 14, November 11,
or December 16, with staff instructor.
Experiment on your own with studio pulps,
making sheets up to 11 x 14 inches.
Creative Techniques for Artists, October 21,
November 18, or December 9, with staff
instructor. Explore advanced techniques
and their application for two- and threedimensional projects, with a different focus
at each session.
Gail Harker Creative Studies Center,
Oak Harbor, WA, (360) 279-2105, www
.gailcreativestudies.com. Offering courses in
textile arts.
Adventures in Papermaking, November
13-15, with Lisa Harkins. Develop skills in
Supplying calligraphers, lettering artists, illuminators, bookbinders
and papercraft enthusiasts worldwide with books, tools, and materials since 1981. Browse & order online, or request our free catalog:
www.johnnealbooks.com [email protected]
Internationally recognized as the preeminent magazine for calligraphers & lettering artists. Featuring informative articles, considered
commentary & outstanding color reproductions, the magazine
consistently reflects the highest caliber of work from every
corner of the world. Subscribe online at www.johnnealbooks.com.
USA: $45 4 issues (1 year) $81 8 issues (2 yrs) $113 12 issues (3 yrs)
READY-TO-USE-PULP
Custom-made in our Hollander beaters
to suit your needs
&
the largest selection of handmade papers and:
• FIBERS
• PIGMENTS
• BOOKS
• ADDITIVES
• BOOKBINDING SUPPLIES
October 2009
Provides practical information on bookbinding, calligraphy, artists’
books, and papercraft. Includes how-to articles with step-by-step
instructions and illustrations, artist galleries, useful articles on tools
& materials, and book & exhibit reviews. Subscribe today! Go online
or call toll-free 800-369-9598. Published by John Neal, Bookseller.
USA: $25 4 issues (1 year) $45 8 issues (2 yrs) $60 12 issues (3 yrs)
POB 9986, Greensboro, NC 27429 USA 800-369-9598
336-272-6139 fax: 336-272-9015 [email protected]
SHOP/SUBSCRIBE:
www.johnnealbooks.com
11
sheet forming, casting, adding color and
inclusions, and processing plant fibers from
your garden.
Marbling Open Studio, November 21,
with Lin Lacy. Hone your skills working
independently under the watchful eye of an
experienced marbler.
Hook Pottery Paper, LaPorte, IN, (219) 3629478, [email protected],
www.hookpotterypaper.com. Classes in
papermaking and pottery and a residency
program in northern Indiana.
Papermaking Open Studio, November 21,
with Lin Lacy. Hone your sheet-pulling
technique working with a featured fiber.
Paper Marbling, October 3, with Andrea
Peterson. Use handmade papers as the basis
for Western-style marbling.
Papermaking and Printmaking, October 31
and November 7, 14, & 21, with Andrea
Peterson. Explore paper making techniques
that can enhance the printed image and
add relief printing to create a limited
edition.
Open Paper Studio, November 28-29, with
Andrea Peterson. Work independently with
prepared pulps.
Minnesota Center for Book Arts,
Minneapolis, MN, (612) 215-2520, www.mnbookarts.org. Classes at the Open
Book center for book and literary arts.
Introduction to Marbling, October 10, with
Lin Lacy. Learn to prepare materials and
produce several patterns, incorporating
traditional designs and contemporary
materials to create decorative papers.
Japanese Papermaking and Decorating,
December 5-6, with Jana Pullman. Learn
the tools and techniques used in basics of
Japanese style papermaking; then learn the
decorating techniques of “dragon paper”
(Unryu Shi), marbling (Sumi Nagashi) and
fold dye (Shibori-Zome).
Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory
and Educational Foundation, Cleveland, OH,
(216) 361-9255, http://morganconservatory
.org. Workshops in hand papermaking and
the arts of the book in an innovative green
environment.
Paper Circle, Nelsonville, OH, (740) 7533374, www.papercircle.org, papercircle@
frognet.net. 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.
The Papertrail, Waterloo, 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), Aegidigasse 3/
Hof, 1060 Wien, Austria, (0676) 77-33-153,
[email protected], www.papierwespe.at.
Workshops in English and German taught
by paper specialists in downtown Vienna.
Pyramid Atlantic, Silver Spring, MD, (301)
608-9101, www.pyramidatlanticartcenter.org.
Workshops in papermaking, printmaking,
and book arts.
Papermaking Society, First and Third Thursdays,
with Gretchen Schermerhorn. Bring snacks,
discuss papermaking techniques, and make
as many sheets of paper as you can.
Pulp Printing, October 24 or November 14,
with Gretchen Schermerhorn. Learn how
to do pulp printing and stenciling to print
detailed imagery into the handmade paper,
exposing an image onto a screen mesh, and
then spraying colored, finely-beaten pulp
through the screen onto the cotton sheets.
Ridgetop Studios, Soquel, CA, (831) 476-6302,
[email protected], www.babcockart.com.
An Introduction to Papermaking: Working
with Natural Fibers, November 7-8, with John
Babcock. Use historical methods as well as
experimental techniques to make handmade
paper from garden fibers and kozo.
^^^^
HAND PAPERMAKING
regional happenings
Y
ou are cordially invited to join us in the Boston area on
Sunday, October 4. Enjoy lunch with Lee McDonald
hosted by the Boston Paper Collective, a mini-seminar
in the afternoon with Sid Berger, and a festive exhibition
opening with Elaine Koretsky, while supporting the nonprofit programs of Hand Papermaking.
12
collecting and researching paper for nearly 40 years and
was recently part of an international team of scholars developing a thesaurus of paper terms. He directs the Phillips
Library at Peabody Essex Museum.
From 11:30 until 1:30 we’ll gather for a casual lunch at the
home of Lee McDonald, where he will regale us with stories from the early days of the hand papermaking renaissance, talk about his latest beater, and introduce
the Boston Paper Collective. Lee began as a Twinrocker
apprentice in the mid-1970s and he’s been designing/building papermaking equipment ever since.
At 5:00 our group is invited to join a gala event, with
wine and cheese, to celebrate the opening of the exhibition
“Before Paper” at Elaine Koretsky’s International Paper
Museum at The Research Institute of Paper History and
Technology. Located in a 100-year old building originally
used as a carriage house, the Museum holds a tremendous
collection of books, handmade paper, and artifacts
collected by the Koretskys during several decades of
field research worldwide.
Next, a few minutes away at the home of Sid Berger and
Michele Cloonan, from 2:00 until 4:30, professor Berger
will teach us how to recognize and describe paper characteristics and aspects of paper decoration, using rare papers
from his amazing collection to illustrate. Sid has been
This unique opportunity is limited to 20 guests, and priority will be given to current subscribers. Sign up now by
calling Hand Papermaking at (800) 821-6604. Participants are asked to make a $75 tax-deductible donation.
www.handpapermaking.org/events
hand papermaking newsletter
Robert C. Williams Paper Museum, Atlanta,
GA, (404) 894-5726, http://ipst.gatech.edu/amp/
Teachers’ Japanese Papermaking Workshop,
June 21-25, 2010, with Berwyn Hung. Study
Japanese papermaking in-depth, from
its history through its practice, including
construction of a sugeta.
San Francisco Center for the Book, San
Francisco, CA, (415) 565-0545, www.sfcb.org.
Book arts classes and events year-round.
Pastepapers, December 4, with Leigh McLellan.
Create colorful, vibrant patterns by covering
beautiful charcoal drawing paper with paste
and then drawing, stamping, combing, or
pressing and pulling apart the surfaces.
retreats in a fully equipped paper studio, 10
minutes north of Cape May, New Jersey. For a
schedule or information about studio rental
with instruction, e-mail Winnie Radolan at
[email protected].
West Dean College, Chichester, West
Sussex, U.K., (0)1243 811301, short.course@
westdean.org.uk, www.westdean.org.uk.
Informing Paper: Recycled Paper Pulp Vessels
and Vintage Paper Casting, March 21-24, with
Magie Hollingworth. Explore ways of forming
organic vessels with recycled paper pulp and
casting with handmade and vintage papers.
> more classes and workshops at
handpapermaking.org/listings.htm
Sarvisberry Studio and Gallery, Floyd, VA,
(540) 745-6330.
Handmade Paper Workshop with Local Plants
and Fibers, October 3-4, with Gibby Waitzkin
and Georgia Deal. Learn to make paper
using local plants and embedded botanicals,
from garden fibers to finished piece.
Seastone Papers, West Tisbury, MA, (508)
693-5786. Scheduled papermaking and book
workshops listed at www.seastonepapers.com;
contact Sandy Bernat for more information
on open studio and private workshops for
adults and children.
Southwest School of Art & Craft, San
Antonio, TX, (210) 224-1848, www.swschool
.org. Classes at the Picante Paper Studio.
Advanced Studio Rental, most Wednesdays,
with Beck Whitehead. Use of paper studio
and equipment for private instruction upon
request for use by paper artists.
Papermaking Saturday, select Saturdays, with Beck
Whitehead. Work on independent projects with
instruction available in the morning.
Special Fibers: Pulp Painting, October 31,
with Beck Whitehead. Learn pulp painting
techniques using abaca, flax, and cotton rag.
Kozo and High Shrinkage Fiber: Unusual
3D Techniques, November 7-8, with Melissa
J. Craig. Explore the creation of moulds,
armatures, and mounting strategies to make
free-standing paper sculptures through a
combination of lectures, demonstrations,
and hands-on lessons.
Stone and Paper Art Center, L.L.C.,
Mandeville, LA, (504) 674-9232,
www.stoneandpaper.com.
Hand Papermaking, selected Saturdays,
with Mary Elain Bernard. Learn Eastern
and Western methods of making paper and
incorporate local plant fibers.
Tidewater Cottage and Studio, Del Haven, NJ.
Day workshops and weekend or week-long
October 2009
> EVENTS
The Friends of Dard Hunter meet annually
to enjoy speakers, presentations, tours of
local paper and book arts facilities, a trade
show, auction, and banquet. Scholarships
are available to those with financial need.
For information on this conference visit
www.friendsofdardhunter.org. The 2009
meeting will be held October 15-18 in
Atlanta, Georgia, taking full advantage of all
the Robert C. Williams American Museum
of Papermaking has to offer.
The International Association of Hand
Papermakers and Paper Artists will convene
again in 2010, September 9-13, at the Hanji
Theme Park in Wonju, Korea, about 1 ½ hours
from Seoul. There will be a paper festival, four
exhibitions, presentations, and workshops.
Korean, Japanese, and Chinese papermakers will
be invited, in addition to IAPMA members,
to share their paper processes. See more
details as the congress evolves at www.
iapma.info.
> more events at
handpapermaking.org/events
> EXHIBITS
Robbin Ami Silverberg will have a solo
exhibition at the Petofi Irodalmi (Literature)
Museum in Budapest, opening on
September 3. The museum address is:
Károlyi Mihály utca 16, H-1053 Budapest,
Hungary. More information about the
museum can be found at www.pim.hu.
You Were Here: Fiber Art Postcards, an
exhibit at Tohono Chul Park, Tuscon,
Arizona, is on display September 10
through November 16. Postcards in Wish
You Were Here will document real or
imagined places, trips, experiences, or events
in Arizona, and feature a variety of fiber art
techniques including handmade paper. For
details, visit www.tohonochulpark.org or call
(520) 742-6455.
On September 17, Jill Littlewood’s exhibit
“Death and Other Lives” opens with a
gallery talk at Bluseed Studios in Saranac
Lake, New York. This installation is made
of 200 panels of handmade paper with
drawings, pulp paintings, collage, printing,
and calligraphy on the theme of death.
Coinciding with the exhibition, Jill will
lead workshops in pulp painting and on
art that deals with social issues. For more
information, visit www.bluseedstudios.org,
or call (518) 891-3799.
The Origin of Paper in China has a
gala opening on
International Paper Museum, 31 Grand
Street, Brooklyn, New York. Regular hours
are Thursdays, 2:00-5:00 PM. For further
details, call (718) 599-7858. The exhibition
Before Paper, which was shown in New York,
will now be on display at the Massachusetts
location of the International Paper Museum.
The opening celebration is scheduled for
cember 6. For
1636 or visit www.papermakinghistory.org.
The Robert C. Williams Paper Museum of
Atlanta hosts two exhibitions in conjunction
with the Friends of Dard Hunter Annual
Meeting. “Sukey Hughes and the World of
Japanese Paper: A Return to the Source”
opens October 15 and runs through January
28. “Make An Impression! The Art of
Combining Handmade Paper and Print”
is open October 16 through January 4. For
more information, call (404) 894-7840 or
visit www.ipst.gatech.edu/amp.
War Work: Artists Engage Iraq and Other
Wars will be on view at Carleton College,
Northfield, Minnesota, from October 22
to November 18. The exhibition includes
book, paper, and print artists Sandow Birk,
Daniel Heyman, John Risseeuw, Ehren Till,
Megan Vossler, the Combat Paper Project,
and more. For more information, call
(507) 222-4469 or (507) 222-4342, or visit
http://apps.carleton.edu/campus/gallery.
The exhibit will then be at The Art Museum
at the College of Wooster from January 12 to
February 28.
Book Bombs, a collaborative project by
Mary Tasillo and Michelle Wilson, will be on
display January 8 through March 31 at various
locations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as
part of the inaugural Philagrafika2010 Print
Quadrennial. Book Bombs is a series of prints
and zines, some featuring paper handmade
from urban invasive fibers, examining the
many uses of public park spaces, installed
13
in just these public spaces. The project
is already underway, as documented at
http://bookbombing.blogspot.com, and
details will also be available through
Philagrafika2010, reachable at (215) 557-8433 or
www.philagrafika2010.org.
Project Runway, organized by the Robert
C. Williams Paper Museum of Atlanta,
is on view at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson
International Airport. The juried exhibit
showcases clothing and accessories made
entirely from paper, including ball gowns,
business suits, stilettos, hats, vests, and
much more, created by paper artists from
around the world. The exhibit runs through
January 12, 2010, after which it travels to La
Sala Galeria de Arte in Santiago, Chile. For
more information, call (404) 894-7840 or
visit www.ipst.gatech.edu/amp.
> PUBLICATIONS AND VIDEOS
The Legacy Press has recently published
Killing Green: An Account of Hand
Papermaking in China by Elaine Koretsky.
The book chronicles the author’s many
field expeditions over more than a quarter
century, including excursions to remote
villages that represent unbroken traditions
in papermaking by hand. From the Takli-
makan and Gobi Deserts to the Himalayas,
Elaine Koretsky interviewed papermakers,
recorded their histories, and documented
their processes. Visit www.thelegacypress.com
for more details and to place an order.
Shoichi Ida: USA Remembers, edited by
Jane M. Farmer, is a fond look at the artwork,
projects, and lasting friendships that Japanese
artist Shoichi Ida made in his many visits to
the United States. Shoichi Ida had a special
gift for combining media to create artworks,
including dimensional uses of traditional
papers in his early prints, collaboration with
Japanese papermakers, as well as making
his own papers for mixed media works.
This facility and their personal compatibility
inspired the presentation to Ida and Robert
Rauschenberg of the Award for Excellence in
International Cultural Exchange at the closing
exhibition of the New American Paperworks
exhibition at the University of Maryland in
1986. Available at www.blurb.com (go to
Bookstore, search for Shoichi Ida).
Paper Art I — 173 International Paper
Artists is a new book featuring the paper artwork of members of IAPMA (International
Association of Hand Papermakers and
Artists). More information, including
images, can be found at www.iapma.info ,
or by contacting [email protected].
David Reina Designs Inc.
Providers of quality equipment for the hand papermaker
for over twenty years . . . offering Hollander Beaters,
Hydraulic Presses, and Paper Drying Systems.
The Summer 2009 issue of Hand
Papermaking featured work by E.V. Day. A
short video filmed at Dieu Donné shows the
creation of her monotypes in handmade paper,
with the help of collaborators Catherine Cox
and Akemi Martin. Browse to www.youtube
.com/watch?v=NMVzsJX0EbI or search
YouTube for EV Day.
In the August 14 inaugural episode of The
Tomorrow Show, host Mo Rocca takes a 12½
minute look at the future of paper. Among
the highlights, an interview with paper museum curator Cindy Bowden, and a visit to
a house made of “papercrete” which is 80%
cellulose and 20% masonry. Visit www.cbs
news.com and search for Tomorrow Show.
More than a 100 handmade paper sculptures by Peter Gentenaar were recently
hung in the abbey church of Saint Riquier,
in Northern France. A video of the work
courtesy of classiquenews.com—including
an interview with the artist—can be seen at
www.gentenaar-torley.nl/Films_P_E.html
> OPPORTUNITIES
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.
INTRODUCING...
#405 QUICKNIP PRESS
For more information, please contact:
David Reina, (718) 486-0262, [email protected]
79 Guernsey Street, Brooklyn, New York 11222, USA
14
www.arnoldgrummer.com
(800) 453-1485
EXPANDABLE!
hand papermaking newsletter
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. A year-long 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.
For details on these and other programs, visit www.wsworkshop.org.
> CLASSIFIEDS
Classifieds in Hand Papermaking Newsletter
cost $2 per word, with a 10-word minimum.
Payment is due in advance of publication.
For Sale: Beautiful, hardly used, 2 lb Reina
Beater, Twinrocker Press, LS McDonaldtype drying box, moulds, deckles, fiber, all
excellent condition, will sell complete studio or
individual items, best offer. [email protected]
2010 Mino Washi Calendar arriving late
November 2009. Available exclusively
through Paper Connection International.
This limited-edition, hand-crafted calendar
is made from 100% kozo papers. Each of
the 12 months is hand printed using paper
stencils designed by Kiyoko Hasegawa of
Mino, Japan; all can be framed as high-quality
prints. Reserve now while quantities last at
(877) 434-1234.
Looking for a clean 10-pound beater.
[email protected]
Used Reina Beater for sale. Excellent
condition, Western Massachusetts, must pick
up. $6,000.00 OBO; inquire about other
equipment. eclipsedpaper@verizon .net
Little Critter Hollander Beaters, sized from
3/4# to 10# capacity. Contact Mark Lander,
51 Hodgsons Rd, RD2, Rangiora 7472,
New Zealand; ph 0064 3 3103132; email
lander- [email protected].
Cotton Linter Pulp. All quantities available.
Call Gold’s Artworks, Inc. 1-800-356-2306.
For Sale: A Critter Hand Papermaking
Beater made by Mark Lander. Like-new
condition. $2000.00 including shipping.
Contact Mary Hark at hark@wisc .edu or
(608) 230-5999.
a
IN MEMORIAM
Charles (Ted) Edward Morgan
(1910-2009) passed away on
August 5 at his home in Cleveland.
He had no immediate family.
He was 98 years old. Morgan was
an avid arts supporter
and a collector of
paintings and prints.
He generously donated to
Hand Papermaking over the
years. Morgan recently told his
friend Tom Balbo that he wanted
his assets to support paper and
printing arts. The Morgan Art of
Papermaking Conservatory and
Education Foundation opened
last year and will be supported
with a trust set up by Morgan.
Industrial Papermaking Felts
Super Thick, Super Absorbent, Super Durable
Perfect for wet pressing and restraint drying
Complete felts, or cut to your speciﬁcations
Peter Hopkins
(802) 823-5405
[email protected]
October 2009
15
A special event to benefit Hand Papermaking will take place outside Boston on October 4.
See ad on page 12 for details, or visit www.handpapermaking.org/events.
> SPECIAL THANKS
Hand Papermaking would like to thank the
following people and organizations who have
made direct contributions to further our mission.
As a non-profit organization, we rely on the
support of our subscribers and contributors to
continue operating. All donations are greatly
appreciated and are tax deductible. Call or
write for more information on giving levels and
premiums.
Patrons: Susan Gosin, Barbara Lippman,
David Marshall & Alan Wiesenthal, Gibby
Waitzkin. Underwriters: Cathleen A. Baker,
Sid Berger & Michele Cloonan, Charles E.
Morgan, Peter Newland & Robyn Johnson,
Nancy & Mark Tomasko, Beck Whitehead,
Pamela S. Wood. Sponsors: Michael Durgin,
Jim Escalante, Jane Farmer, Andrea Peterson,
Margaret Prentice, Kimberly Schenck.
Donors: Eric Avery, Inge Bruggeman, Tom
& Lore Burger, William Dane, Gail Deery,
Paul Denhoed, Cynthia J. Fay, Gail Fishberg,
Kathryn Flannery, Helen Frederick, Lori B.
Goodman, Robert Hauser, Helen Hiebert,
Barbara Hunter, Eve Ingalls Von Staden, Ingrid Rose Company, Lois & Gordon
James, Rick Johnson, Ann Marie Kennedy, Elaine Koretsky, Karen Kunc, Mary Lou Manor,
16
Gordon Marshall, Heather Leigh McGarvie,
Betsy Miraglia, Catherine Nash, Janet
Oberla, Nancy Pobanz, Dianne L. Reeves,
John L. Risseeuw, Mary C. Schlosser, Karen
Stahlecker, Helmuth A. Stahlecker Jr., R. H. Starr Jr., Stephen Sward, Betty Ustun,
Kathy Wosika. Supporters: Annie Alexander,
Marjorie & Harold Alexander, Lynne Allen,
Grimanesa Amoros, Martha Anderson, Lois
D. Augur, Shirah Miriam (Mimi) Aumann,
Eugenie Barron, Lora Brueck, T. Patterson
Clark, Nancy Cohen, Rona Conti, Charles
Cooper, Elizabeth Curren, Jennifer Davies,
Dianne Dolan, Jonathan Fairbanks, Theresa
Fairbanks Harris, Dorothy Fall, Lynn Feldman,
Kathy Fitzgerald, Sara Gilfert, Lou Kaufman,
Kristin Kavanagh, Betty L. Kjelson, Allye
Kranish, Gordon Marshall, Edwin Martin,
Joyce McDaniel, Ann Montanaro, S.A. Scharf,
Pam Scheinman, Peter Sowiski, Jessica
Spring, Marie Sturken, Sheila Sturrock,
Betty Sweren, Anne Williams, Therese Zemlin.
Friends: Pat Alexander, Tatiana Ginsberg,
David Lance Goines. In-Kind: Carol Barton,
Janet DeBoer, Paul Denhoed, Peter Ford,
Helen Hiebert, Peter Hopkins, Russell
Maret, Drew Matott, Rick McSorley, Pyramid
Atlantic, Britt Quinlan, Amy Richard,
Beverly Sky, Lynn Sures, USDA Beltsville
Agricultural Research Center. Founding
Contributors to the Hand Papermaking Endowment: 49er Books, Shirah Miriam (Mimi)
Aumann, Cathleen A. Baker, Tom Balbo,
Timothy Barrett, Sidney Berger & Michele
Cloonan, Tom & Lore Burger, Jeanne M.
Drewes, Jane M. Farmer, Fifth Floor Foundation, Helen Frederick, Sara Gilfert, Susan
Gosin, Lois and Gordon James, Sally Wood
Johnson, David Kimball, Elaine Koretsky,
Karen Kunc, Barbara Lippman, Winifred
Lutz, Susan M. Mackin-Dolan, David
Marshall & Alan Wiesenthal, Peter Newland
Fund of the Greater Everett Community
Foundation, Margaret Prentice, Preservation
Technologies, L.P., Michelle Samour, Peter
Sowiski, Marilyn & Steve Sward, Gibby
Waitzkin, Tom Weideman, Beck Whitehead,
Paul Wong & John Colella, Pamela & Gary
Wood.
^
^
^
^
Hand Papermaking especially appreciates
the generosity of Beverly Sky, who recently
donated her custom paper press, raising
$1700 to support our non-profit programs.
hand papermaking newsletter