Catching the Light

Catching the Light

The Sunday Paper #58

Paper of the Week: Kite Paper

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I discovered kite paper when my daughter went to a Waldorf preschool and they made these gorgeous folded and layered paper light catchers. It is just like wax paper, and it comes in a dozen brilliant colors. You can purchase it in large sheets or in packs of assorted colors that are cut to 6-1/4″ square. The first project in my book Playing With Paper features a how-to project for making the window star pictured above. I also sell a Window Star Kit that includes 10 sheets of kite paper and instructions. I think you can imagine that the variations on this project are infinite, and I love the way that light filtering through the layers adds dimension to these stars. They are also fun and simple to make!——————————————————————————————————————————————

In the Studio: Speaking of brilliant colors, I have this pile colorful abaca leather remnants taking up space in my studio. Click here to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway: two lucky winners (US entries only please) will win a box stuffed full of these remnants! 

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I am always intrigued with the fact that a single sheet of paper can be transformed into something completely different through cutting, folding, crumpling and other forms of manipulation. Paper cutting is one way of altering a sheet, and Suzy Taylor’s Folk Art Papercuts are a lovely example of this.  

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My friend Mindy Dubansky is a librarian who collects Blooks! Check out this video to find out more, and if you’re interested you can also support her fundraising efforts for an exhibition of her amazing collection that will take place at the Grolier Club in NYC next January.

Here’s an intriguing rotating paper canvas. Be sure to click through to the instagram feed of Adrian Hogan‘s work and watch some of the videos to see how these paper cups interact with street scenes in situ.

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Kevin Box makes monumental origami-inspired sculptures fabricated in metal. If you are in or around Santa Fe (or in Florida in the coming months), you have an opportunity to tour Origami in the Garden

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Remember the red PaperBridge by Steve Messam that I wrote about a couple of months ago? Here’s a video showing the finished bridge as well as the power of the arch form. Do you think the camera was operated by a drone? 

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Sunday Paper ClickWould you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper every week? Click on that cute paper button (I made that paper) to see how you can provide support. And if you run a paper-related business, you might be interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

Thank you to those who have pledged yours support, and enjoy your Sunday!

 

 

 

9 Comments

  1. Pat Schwab says:

    Helen,the colors are so beautiful and now I wish I could actually touch a piece to see how it feels. Jewelry or in a collage project. Could you tell us more about abaca paper(leather?) and is it Japanese? Thanks Pat

  2. Edith Owens says:

    I would use the Abaca scraps to create collages and artwork combining it with some handmade Abaca paper I made.

  3. Helen says:

    Thanks, Pat. Here’s a link to a blog post where I describe the abaca leather. I made the paper – it is not Japanese!
    The only difference is that the scraps are only one layer and do not have embedded string. Thanks for your interest.
    https://helenhiebertstudio.com/mixing-business-philanthropy-in-exotic-places/

  4. Jane S says:

    Those are lovely papers! I’d stitch them together “crazy quilt” style and use them as end papers in a handmade book. 🙂

  5. Nancy Akerly says:

    I wonder how the abaca could be integrated into my books or boxes, used with my marbled papers. It would be fun to try! What fabulous colors!

  6. Valerie says:

    love the rich hues and shapes and would use in a transformed store window site specific work happening in the winter to give a feel of breeze

  7. daria says:

    Helen, Totally amazing PaperBridge! (As well as everything else!) Thank you for researching these great paper stories and delivering them in the Sunday Paper.

  8. Phoebe Diamond says:

    Either in a sewn paper quilt, with words and other images…. or a tunnel book with lights behind to make it glow.

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