The Sunday Paper #111, June 12, 2016
Sponsored Paper of the Week: Mottled Ogami from Paper Circle

To create these gorgeous, one-of-a-kind papers, Paper Circle’s mottled sheets are formed from the same pigmented abaca that is used in making Ogami. Once the abaca is beaten, pigmented, and drained, it is formed into weighed “balls” to ensure consistency of thickness.

Using a pour-over method in our large mould and deckle, Margaret Gustafan, Paper Circle’s main papermaker, has perfected her mottling technique. After she pours each color in, one right after the other, she has a short minute to work her magic with the swirling water before the pulp drains and sets.

The beauty of the paper is that it retains Ogami’s extraordinary archival, water-resistant super-strength, and color, designs upon which any artist can paint, print, sculpt, fold, draw, cut, sew, bind, etc! The colors and sheets are more gorgeous in person and are works of art in their own right. 

To buy a sheet of these newly formed, limited quantity, 22″ x 28″ inch sheets, Paper Circle has purposely kept them out of their online store to offer them as an exclusive to Sunday Paper readers! Please email Barb the Director @ papercirclearts@gmail.com, tell her you want a sheet (or three) and she will process your order. Each sheet is $15.99 (not including shipping and handling). You can ask for certain colors and the staff at Paper Circle will do their best to accommodate. 

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In the Studio:
We are also having a pigment fest in the studio, mixing 57 colors to make a spectrum in abaca. This is in preparation for a new artist’s book about color and light (you know, the rainbow).

• Grab a spot in my Red Cliff Paper Retreat (September 9-11) Two spots left!

• Purchase a Custom Paper Pack and warm up for the Twelve Months of Paper (a combination how-to book/calendar, details coming soon)

• Have you seen my educational and art videos? You can download all three for $12.99 through VHX.tv.

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I love this illustration by Thomas Allen, who creates pop-up book like cutouts using thrift store novels – and then photographs them.

Did you make gum wrapper chains as a kid? Check out this prom dress made entirely from gum wrappers. 17-year-old Lizzie Rasmuson made a vest for her date too!

Michele Miller-Hansen created Weave Peace for the Grand Rapids Art Prize competition in 2014. Next to the structure was a simple message: “Write a peaceful intention: a hope, a wish or dream for the world.” Two tables, complete with colorful strips of paper, alongside yarn, were available with writing utensils that let strangers scribe anything they desired. The fluttered pieces of colorful paper wrapped the PVC pipes, mimicking a spider web that was doing its best impression of a rainbow. Miller-Hansen’s rainbow pattern was a symbol of inclusion and harmony, welcoming all people without prejudice.

Have you seen the new book about paper by Mark Kurlansky? I’m working my way through it, and have enjoyed reading about some of the pre-paper surfaces he describes, like writing boards covered with soft plaster and wax tablets that were erasable. I’m so pleased that paper is getting the attention of readers and writers today. There have been several books published in the last few years: Cathy Baker’s From the Hand to the Machine (among others), Nicholas Basbanes’ On Paper, and Lothar Müller’s White Magic (have I missed any)?

I posted this video about Paper Circle before, but maybe you missed it (or it’s worth watching again).
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About our Sponsor: Paper Circle is a non-profit paper, print and book arts organization located in southeast Ohio, whose mission is to provide living-wages and free exhibition space for artists, holistic, arts-based enrichment programming for under-served teen and youth, educational opportunities for the community, and to enhance the creative economy of the region by creating products that support their mission. Like them on FB!
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