The Sunday Paper #144, January 29, 2017

Paper of the Week: Equality Broadside

My biannual online paper sale is going on now through Tuesday, January 31. Treat yourself to unique handmade papers that you won’t find anywhere else in the world!

This 18″ x 12″ cotton broadside is one of papers featured in the sale, and it is pigmented pink! The image is a watermark, which I cut by hand and adhered to the papermaking mould. During sheet forming, the watermark (made from a thin rubber material) protrudes into the wet pulp, making the paper thinner in the images areas. After pressing and drying, the image appears, especially when backlit.
I have been thinking a lot about equality (for years actually, but the recent election and women’s marches brought my thoughts to the forefront). There are so many ways to think about equality: women’s rights, human rights, sexual and gender bias, religious freedom, income inequalities, etc, etc, etc. Why do we feel powerful; when do we feel weak? This is my humble attempt to voice my feelings through a love of letterforms, watermarks and design. The root is love, the letters are blooming, and I was delighted to discover the grid/ladder that formed when the roots of the letters intertwined with the rainbow earth at the base of the image.
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In the Studio:
This is the title page for my next artists’ book, Nebulae, which has to do with clouds, colors, and nebulous ideas like our daughter’s tale about the time before she was born (as told at age 3). It is all hand stitched on abaca.

• I’ll have this book with me later this week at the Codex Book Fair in Richmond, CA. I hope to bump into some of you there!
• The price for my first ever online class, Paper Illuminated, goes up February 1. Join 30 other participants from around the world!
• Check out my 2017 workshops.
• Don’t forget to take a peek at my online paper sale.

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If you happen to be in New Zealand (Nelson specifically) check out these recycled paper works by Janet Perrier at the Parker Gallery. Once collected, Perrior spends hours re-purposing materials into distinctive art works by folding, splicing, opening up, and revealing the structure of cardboard, the wine carton, or glimpses of maps, while challenging our perceptions of the normally mundane materials.

British artist Jonathan Korejko recently introduced his clever papermaking literature to me, which you can view here in the form of flip books. Check out these clever works!

As seen on Nerdist: three insane Star Wars origami tutorials to help you learn the ways of the fold. This would have saved me a lot of money back when my son was into building (and buying) lego Star Wars kits.

Paper cutting is getting a lot of attention these days. Here’s a show that looks interesting that’s at the Greater Reston Arts Center in Virginia. Here’s a video about Eric Standley‘s work, who is one of six featured artists.

• Do you make artists’ books? Consider submitting work to Celebrate! the third in an ongoing series of satellite art exhibits. Orchestrated by Abecedarian Artists’ Books, the exhibit will be on view at University Libraries, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado. International in scope, the exhibit will feature works that celebrate any aspect of food, dance or music.

• There’s a new episode featuring Susan Mackin Dolan on my podcast series, Paper Talk. Have a listen!

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