All Things Included

Inclusions in paper have been widely used to embellish and transform subtle fibers into sheets containing wonderful textures. I began this process by blending some of my remaining cotton and unbleached abaca fibers. Each batch was blended for a total of eight minutes. As soon as I pulled my first sheet, it was too thick for my liking, so I added a bit more water. After pulling a couple more test sheets I was able to get a relatively thin sheet and proceeded to add some pieces of the plants I collected from my lawn. I did not add the plant bits to the vat, instead I placed each one with great care and intention into the wet paper and proceeded to couch a new sheet on top of the sheet containing the inclusions.  I made several sheets with delicately placed flowers and leaves. I considered what other types of materials to add to the paper, this time I wanted to add something to the vat of fibers. 

Impulsively, I grabbed my French press, containing left over from the morning coffee and dumped the grounds in. After adding another batch of beaten fibers, I swished everything around and added a bit more sizing to the concoction and began pulling sheets of “coffee paper.” The wet fibers looked like a sampling of dirt from my garden. I had no expectations of the outcome; I was simply looking forward to having a highly textured surface to experiment on. Three days later, once all the papers finally dried, I was able to inspect my handywork. The color of the coffee paper is different than what I was anticipating, the color is more of a light gray than a brown. The coffee grains easily flake off the sheets as I rub them between my fingers. Looking closer I was able to see many of the coffee grains are trapped, dried between the fibers. After inspecting each coffee sheet, I continued pulled out the paper with the plant-based inclusions. They were exciting because of the textures that resulted from the patterns and makeup of each leaf and flower. 

In future works I intend to embed more types of materials such as pressed natural leaves and other types of fibrous inclusion. 

Wonderful World of Color

In the latest round of learning, I dove into the exciting realm that contains pigment! I used a linter of unbleached Abaca fibers and went through several rounds of blending. Each batch was blended for 5 minutes. Prior to mixing the pigment into the fresh batch of Abaca, I added retention aid to assist the retention of pigment in the fibers. I mixed two separate colors; the first batch was red with a hint of yellow. Since the ratio of yellow to red was pretty low, the results ended up looking like bright pink, instead of orange. The second batch used black pigment, I had some vague ideas of combining the colors, I wanted something that would make the pink seem bright.  

The biggest issue I had during this session was the amount of fibers in the vat. I pulled two sheets and the mix was already too thin. I ended up adding the black fibers to the pink batch to add volume and see how the colors would mix. It resulted in a deep, exciting purple! 

In hindsight, I should have beat more fibers and went through the pigmenting process again. This way I could have had enough to pull some slightly thicker sheets. Many of my sheets were too thin and resulted in them coming apart as I tried to remove them from the pelon once dried. I intend to continue experimenting with pigment while also including various fibers and experimenting with the ratios. 

Until next time!

Embarking on an Adventure

Paper using recycled fibers

As the leaves turn from green to yellow, the temperature drops and we begin to settle into a new normal, I am slowly redesign my studio practice at home. Ijn the last two years paper has captivated my interest and become an important element in my creative process. This fall I look forward to experimenting with new fibers and altering the paper making process to fit my kitchen.

Scale is an important factor in my previous work. Making sculpture, paintings and prints the size of a human body is essential for the viewing experience. Although the home studio is not situated for large scale production of paper I am excited to find ways to work at a slightly enlarged scale. Some potential solutions to the issue could be drying sheets together, stitching them or weaving while wet.

Paper making as a process is quite electrifying, but what excites me is not just a flat material, but the potential for sculptural forms. Using various casting methods I will be using damp sheets to take the form of molds I have carved using some digital fabrication tolls such as the CNC router.