The Sunday Paper #145, February 5, 2017

Paper of the Week: Not Paper!

I posted this image on instagram, and someone commented that she thought it was a sheet of my paper (wow, thanks)! Another commented that it looked like cast glass. And someone else wondered whether these were the salt flats of Utah. What do you see?

When I was composing the picture (from a plane) I was thinking about what a painter would see and how s/he might compose a painting. There was also the photographic challenge because I was sitting near an engine (see the bit of it on the right). The frosty bits of clouds between the plane and the ground add depth and interest, don’t they? BTW, I’m traveling to attend the Codex Book Fair in the Bay Area (I’m a visitor rather than an exhibitor) and the fact that I noticed this image from the plane window tells me that my mind is open for inspiration.
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In the Studio:
I’ve been working on the how-to videos and written instructions for my online class, Paper Illuminated, which begins March 8th. I’m flattered by the number of you who’ve signed up! This is a mini shoji screen we’ll be making with lattice-work balsa wood screens backed with paper and a unique Japanese hinge.

• The Codex Book Fair begins today! I look forward to seeing some of you.
• Have you visited Colorado? The Red Cliff Paper Retreat takes place in my studio next September.

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Maurice Sendak, who died in 2012, left the bulk of his personal library of rare books to the Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Here’s an interesting story about the books and his will, along with some videos of some rare pop-up books at the Rosenbach.

If you’re in LA, head over to Mixographia to see these new paper works by Jacob Hashimoto.

In the first half of the 20th century, the advent of radio and television helped to drive the final nails into the coffin of the paper theater. But during the previous century, paper theaters — also known as miniature or toy theaters — were a popular form of family entertainment in England, France, Germany, and other European countries, as well as in the United States. You can see a collection of these now at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe.

This is some pretty cool furniture made from compressed newspaper blocks by designer WooJai Lee.

Check out these intricate shape-shifting blocks made from a simple blueprint.
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