The Sunday Paper #388

November 14, 2021

I’ve enjoyed putting together a Curated Paper Collection for each quarter of 2021. The Q4 Collection is now available, and I’ve been highlighting each paper over on Instagram. Here’s a favorite from this collection: this 100% cotton rag paper was made by Jackie Radford in North Carolina (look her up on Etsy). She told me this story: “An old friend from Penland contacted me during COVID to offer the costumes she had purged from the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. The theatre department was using the time during quarantine to clean out their costume storage area. I jumped at the offer and three huge boxes arrived filled with textiles from the 1900-1920’s! After I picked myself up off the floor, I got to work enjoying the beautiful bounty. These vintage fabrics have told me many stories and their mere presence enriches my studio. I hope you enjoy these fibers as they begin their second, new life as beautiful, cotton rag paper.”

This paper was a labor of love: the textiles were first torn into 2-3” squares, then soaked in water for 2 days and beaten in a Critter beater for 2.5 hours. The roll was then raised incrementally for 1 hour to remove lumps. This paper is one of 11 unique papers featured in my new quarterly collection. Click through to read more about all of the papers and purchase a set, while supplies last. There are still a few sets of CPC #2 and CPC #3 left, if you’d like to grab those as well.

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Speaking of handmade paper, there’s a Timothy Moore mould up for auction on Ebay. Fair warning: I’m bidding against you, but don’t let that stop you – let’s see how much money we can raise for the University of Iowa Center for the Book! They are closing in on an amazing challenge, and the funds from this sale benefit the Center for the Book Windgate challenge grant. I have one of Tim’s moulds already, and it is by far the most superior mould in my studio. Don’t delay! The auction ends today.

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This is a lovely profile of Maria Amalia Wood, whose art in handmade paper connects with the theme of home. While her art is largely abstract, Amalia tells stories based on her personal memories of growing up in Honduras, time with her grandmother and her connection to Costa Rica, her mother’s birthplace.

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Need an advent calendar? Here’s a DIY set of patterns for a sweet set of little houses from Emily Dawe Design.

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I’ve featured James Lake on the blog before, but his cardboard sculptures and process are worth a second look.

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Paper Tidbits:

• Have you had a chance to listen to my interview with Jerushia Graham on Paper Talk?

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In the Studio:

I attended several sessions of World Origami Days over the past couple of weeks. What a cool event – they highlighted instructors who do various types of origami over the course of the program, and it was exciting to see the expansive offerings. I really enjoyed the session with Jannie van Schulenberg from The Netherlands (who was up in the middle of the night to teach it). This is what I made in her Cathedral Origami Quilt workshop. Everything connects mechanically – no glue was used!

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Featured this week in my Studio shop: Alpha Beta, …, an artist’s book, The Papermaker’s Companion, Curated Paper Collection #4, and The Papermaker’s Studio Guide, a film download.

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