Women's Studio Workshop: Update

Lizz just posted a great article about my project with some beautiful photographs. Read all about it here and about the finished book here.

It feels like it has been snowing non-stop since I arrived

 

 The icicles have been building for days and look almost like they are going to become pillars!

Going for short walks after a snowfall has been something I have been enjoying.
Its also perfect time to be printing in the studio

 

The binding of the book I am working on has been revised and is working better- more handle-able

and able to stand up for display

 

I cut 50 sheets of Sakamoto and 75 sheets of Kitakata for an edition of 50 books. The barn was freeeeezing but a couple of space heaters did the job. Plus, when the board shear and guillotine are so
wonderful to work with, the cold bothers you less!

 

Starting on the second run of the first spread

 

I managed to finish up all the image runs in a couple of days

 

Meanwhile- I have been teaching the Art-in-Education classes

 

Some students really enjoyed making their paper portraits

 

Some are particularly fetching and simple,

 

And some are more complex...

 

 and involved

 

After printing all the images and the colophon, I decided to start on cutting the shapes out.

I used Mylar stencils to help with accuracy and registration

 

Ten down, fifty more to go!

 

With all the squares finished, I started on the triangles

 

These were harder to register, but I go them all cut finally!

 

And I finally finished printing the title

Now to fold, fold fold!

IAPMA Conference in Fabriano, Italy (2014)

I meant to blog about this shortly after the conference, but just couldn't find the time. I attended the IAPMA conference in Italy last summer. It was simple amazing. The spaces were beautiful. The conference was held in the papermaking and watermark museum in Fabriano which was right next to a church, where the presentations were hosted. I delivered a presentation on watermark stop-motion animation and talked about a 4-second animation I was working on for my thesis. I also gave a demonstration on Islamic-style papermaking and talked about Mohammed Hussain Kagzi and all the beautiful paper they are making India. Read more about them here.

 

Apart from an extensive collection of watermarks (that were hard to photograph)

the museum also had a wooden stamper

 

They also had a functional papermaking set up that was used to make paper (just as in the Capellades mill) as well as for demonstrations

 

The entrance to the courtyard was decorated with this cut paper stencil that made the

light coming through beautifully dappled

 

All the windows in the museum overlooked the large courtyard.

This where the demonstrations took place 

 

I set up an angled vat that was deep enough to simulate the dug-out vats used by the Kagzi family. It was hard to the back! Samples of their paper as well as paper from my hemp fermentation experiments were available for people to peruse

 

 

The crowd was extremely interested in the process and in the family

 

Amy and Roberto helped me with couching and parting!

 

 The church where the presentation were delivered- from the pulpit no less!