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Joanna Gair is a multifaceted visual artist and papermaker, living and working in Devonport, North-west Tasmania. After graduating with a first-class degree in Visual Art from the South Australian School of Art, in 1993, she established her studio in North-west Scotland in 1999. Since then, she has blended her skills as a visual artist with the ancient craft of papermaking, forging a career marked by creativity, innovation, and sustainability. In 2004, Gair made a pivotal transition to North-west Tasmania, assuming the roles of manager and creative director at Australia’s largest handmade paper mill in Burnie. Here, she embarked on a mission to encapsulate the Tasmanian essence through papermaking. Her efforts garnered significant recognition, including the “Premier’s Young Achiever Award” from Tourism Tasmania in 2006 and the “Best New Retail Product” at the National Memento Awards in 2007. Since then, Gair has been the driving force behind her eponymous paper mill, “Joanna Gair Paper.”
I’ve followed Gair online for many years and had the opportunity to meet her in person in Tasmania a couple of months ago. Every paper she creates is made from a blend of Australian plant fibers (mostly Tasmanian natives) combined with post-consumer, recycled textiles sourced with the help of Vinnies, a local disability enterprise. The results are beautiful, wild papers which are museum-quality and 100% biodegradable.
She offers a range of 29 original designs based on 19th Century flora and fauna illustrations which are beautifully printed on her handmade sheets.
Gair’s Bookmark Greeting Cards, Gift Cards and Mounted Prints are available throughout Australia in retail shops. She also offers a bespoke papermaking service for artists, weddings and corporates as well as a custom prop service for film and theatre and exhibits her artwork in handmade paper widely.
Fun fact: Gair helped put papermaking on the map in Tasmania when she developed Roo Poo Paper for Creative Paper Arts. I found this funny clip on NPR’s Weekend Edition about a similar poo paper that they also produced.
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Joanna Gair’s recommendations:
- Seek out textile recycling opportunities for papermaking fiber. Converting textiles that are not suitable to sell in second hand shops is a great way of reducing land fill.
- Connect with manufacturers that have fibrous byproducts is also a great way of sourcing fiber (i.e. from the hemp industry, clothing manufacturers, etc.)
- Connecting with the commercial paper sector when seeking equipment and other supplies – they have to replace their felts and screens, so you may be able to secure these for your studio. They can also help you to source additives like size.
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You can find out more about Joanna Gair on her website and on Facebook.
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Music featuring excerpts of Makin’ Paper folk song by Peter Thomas. Listen to the full song and find out about other paper and book arts folk songs.
Gary A. Hanson did the sound editing for this episode. He practices and refines his skills in audio production while making his own podcast I’ll Have a Beer and Talk, a show about tech news, culture, weird animal stories and of course, beer. Gary is also the Deckle in Pulp & Deckle, a Portland-based community hand papermaking studio.
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