Where Do You Find Inspiration?

Posted on May 21, 2013

You never really know what to expect when you go on a TV or Radio Show. I’ve been on both in the last month to promote my newest book Playing With Paper. In my TV interview with Tricia Swenson from my local station, I was caught slightly off guard right off the bat when she opened our conversation with a statement rather than a question. Thankfully, I was prepared and, after a slight fumble for words, launched into a description of the book. I think the rest of the interview went okay… you are welcome to see for yourself!

And this past Sunday, I was a guest on Rebecca Parson’s Artistically Speaking radio show. She asked a question that she probably asks everyone she interviews: Where Do You Find Inspiration?

Dandelion seed head, from an amazing website called Inspiration Green!

I can’t really express how I felt when I heard that question. I mean, there are so many answers! I replied with a curt answer referencing nature and my life, and then launched into an example, describing a the Mother Tree Project, which was inspired by my own journey through motherhood. In fact, the real inspiration for the project was almost random, sparked by a comment I overheard when a father told his children that me breastfeeding my newborn son was one of the most beautiful things in the world.

Milk, 2008, a piece inspired by my reflections on nursing my babies

I guess I want another opportunity to answer that question: where do you find inspiration? But I think it is one of those questions that will be with me for life. But one thing I know. Not only am I inspired to make art, but I also get inspiration from my art, from coming up with the ideas through figuring out how to make them a reality. It is like solving a puzzle. And it is a process; it isn’t just about the finished piece.

I am so grateful to those of you who have contributed wishes to my current project in development: The Wish. We’re at 100 and counting, and I have wishes from 10 countries. I’m currently figuring out how to drill 300+ holes evenly around an 8″ diameter wooden sphere (almost have that problem solved); I’m reading through the wishes that have been contributed to see how they inspire me; and I am looking for ways to produce an audio component that will project the contributed wishes into a gallery space. It is challenging, it is invigorating, and it is a little scary.

Three Wishes, currently on view at the Berea Arts Council in Berea, Kentucky

The Wishing Wall, 21 wish-disks hanging on crocheted lines, Berea, Kentucky

I could go on about this topic, but I’ll stop there. But first, I looked up inspiration in the dictionary and found these definitions:

1. stimulation to do creative work; 2. somebody or something that inspires; 3. creativeness; 4. good idea; 5. divine influence; 6. breathing in

I’d love to hear about where you find inspiration. Please leave a comment below!

Artistically Speaking Radio Interview Tomorrow!

Posted on May 18, 2013

Please join me in a live interview with host Rebecca Parsons on her radio show Artistically Speaking this Sunday (5/19) at 3:30(PT), 4:30(MT), 5:30(CT) 6:30(ET)!

I’ll be talking about my new book, Playing With Paper as well as my art, my other books and DVD’s.

I’ll post the link to the show on Tuesday for those of you who can’t tune in.

Three Days in Santa Fe

Posted on May 14, 2013

Today’s blog post is short and (hopefully) sweet. I drove to Santa Fe last Thursday, where I did one-day workshop for the Santa Fe Community College papermaking class and gave a lecture and a two-day workshop for the Santa Fe Book Arts Group. I’m home already – it was a whirlwind!

I enjoyed two morning runs by the traditional adobe architecture in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

The community college had a nice papermaking facility, and we packed it with students!

Twelve of them filled the space, each with their own vat and couching station. The workshop involved abaca (aka the incredible translucent shrinking material).

Amongst the supplies that students could bring to the workshop were materials for inclusion. Suzanne won the prize for the most unique collection.

There was some alternative shifu making…

which resulted in this three dimensional form.

Pressing took place in the courtyard.

next to these interesting winter gardens.

The abaca was translucent and shrinking took placeAt the end there was clean-up.

and show and tell (most people made paper the second day, but Maia turned hers into a lamp and some lanterns).

All in all, it was a great weekend in good company! Many thanks to my hostesses, Marci Easterbrook and Marilyn Chambers, and to Santa Fe… I look forward to seeing you again.

What is one of your favorite papermaking workshop memories?

Artist Profile: Jenny Pinto

Posted on May 7, 2013

I met Jenny Pinto twelve years ago when she came to work in my studio in Portland. She had posted a note on the BookArts listserv, and the subject line read: papermaking with plants & lampshades, or something to that effect. Well, that caught my attention since I’d just written Papermaking With Plants and I was also making lamps with my handmade paper.

Jenny’s banana paper sampler

Jenny came to Portland from her home in Bangalore, India and spent a month with me during the summer of 2000. She helped me make the projects for my book Paper Illuminated; we experimented with abaca and her native banana fiber (which is quite similar to abaca) and she came to the coast with me to take a workshop on making paper with plants.

I haven’t seen Jenny since that summer long ago. The time is marked by my son’s growth: he was a year old when she came and is now 13! But we’ve kept in touch through e-mail and images, and I’m delighted to see how far she’s come in paper.

She’s made table lamps,

Anthurlum, table lamps

Pyramid table lamps

Cube Sea Urchin table lamp

Wall fixtures:

Wall Flower

Ceiling Lamps:

Floor Lamps:

Arch

And site specific works:

Space Bangalore

Sea Urchins: Holiday Home in Ionavaia

Jenny has also done some amazing installations, like this one at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Bangalore.

Make sure you click on the links above to see more of her beautiful creations.

Jenny has done a number of innovative papermaking projects which have empowered women. Kirana, a group of 8-10 women which Jenny mentored, is a modest workshop making paper from household waste paper and agricultural waste fibers. They produce an interesting range of embossed paper bags, cards and gift bags that have a tiny but loyal customer base in the US, UK and Australia. You can read about the other projects Jenny is doing here.

Do you know of an amazing woman working in paper (perhaps it is you)? I’d love to hear about her! Leave a comment below.

Support Hand Papermaking!

Posted on April 29, 2013

There are only a few organizations dedicated solely to the field of hand papermaking. Hand Papermaking is one of them, and I encourage you to check out their on-line auction that is happening right now (ends at 5pm on May 4th). There are lots of goodies to be gotten: decorative papers, papermaking tools & equipment, artists’ books, portfolios and more!

Many of you might know of Hand Papermaking Magazine, which is the journal in our field. Two issues of the magazine have been published every year since 1986, resulting in a unique repository of information and inspiration on the art and craft of hand papermaking.

In fact, there is an on-line index which allows you to search for topics of interest that have been featured in the magazine. Each issue contains articles on a variety of topics within the field, including: contemporary artistic approaches, craft techniques, historical topics and reference, international development, and educational initiatives. Articles are written by experts in the field, many of them practitioners, and each magazine includes at least one unique sample of handmade paper.

When I started subscribing in about 1992, I made sure to purchase all of the back issues. You can do this too! There is a set of twenty years of the magazine available in the on-line auction

I have my own Hand Papermaking encyclopedia. It is truy a wealth of information and a resource every papermaker should have. The magazine can also be found in many libraries as well.

Hand Papermaking also publishes a quarterly newsletter, featuring several columns ranging from topics such as paper history and teaching tips for hand papermaking to profiles of prominent papermakers. The newsletter also includes timely listings for national and international exhibitions, lectures, workshops, etc. I wrote a beginner’s column for several years, which is available for free on-line (and continues to be authored by notables in the field).

The magazine, the newsletter… wait, there’s more! Hand Papermaking produces an incredible portfolio every two years. Housed in a clamshell box, each portfolio features the work of 20 or 30 artists on a particular topic (ranging from photographic processes on handmade paper to watermarks; pulp painting to pop-ups in handmade paper). Each edition is limited to a quantity of 150.

You can find a copy of the sold-out photographic portfolio in the on-line auction.

Last but not least, Hand Papermaking runs an on-line Artist Registry, where anyone can peruse the handmade paper art being made today. The registry can be searched alphabetically, by region, and by specialty, which makes it a handy research tool. Artists who are interested in joining the registry can click here to find out more.

There are many other things that this amazing organization does, but I think I’ve covered the major offerings.

Interested in subscribing? There’s a perk! Begin your new subscription to Hand Papermaking magazine and newsletter before April 30 (that’s tomorrow) and get a free DVD…The Papermaker’s Studio Guide (a $30 value).

For those of you who already subscribe, tell us what you love about Hand Papermaking in the comments below.