Papermaking

It was a busy week between work and life. Mostly it was a week filled with paper. Technically, given that I draw - most weeks are filled with paper. But this was a week filled with papermaking.

Handmade paper was something I was introduced to in 4-H, which I was involved in as a child.
Anyway, once every couple of years the desire to make something out of paper pulp occurs to me. My renewed activity with this craft happened last summer (as evidenced by this post). And I've been putting the bowls in my etsy shop, and amusingly enough I realized a few weeks ago that my stash of paper bowls was getting really low.

So, like a squirrel with nuts I have been accumulating 'unwanted paper' and tearing it into bits and soaking that in water, so that I can then put it in the blender and make the pulp. And this past week there was a papermaking / bowl moulding extravaganza that took place in Casa Del Knight. And then there were bowls of paper in front of all the heat vents because this is Michigan and it's still cold...

Torn up bits of paper soaking in water.

Pulp!


The bottom of a 'large' bowl.


The unpainted inside.


A stack of unpainted bowls.


And, yes, more bowls.

I have another batch of paper that I need to blend into pulp, but this weekend I think I'm going to try to get some of these painted. Of course, that's the plan, and as one of those free-spirited artsy people — I'm not to spectacular when it comes to staying on plan... so, maybe I'll start or finish some other project, who knows.

To see what bowls look like when they're finished click here.

Have a fun & productive weekend!

plasticity of abstraction

This entry should really just be entitled "write something here." This is the entry that was and wasn't. Because this was the week that was and wasn't. It's winter, it's cold, the drive to work was icy, episodes of CSI were watched, I endeavored into the realm of constructing an idea for a project and then thinking about all the parts that would need to come together for it... I guess I'm still in the middle of that.

So, I was looking around the place for something that I could use for a blog entry. Given the volume of "stuff" I have, this really shouldn't be that difficult, but really, I just want to veg on the couch with the decorative throw and the remote control and do nothing.

So, here it is:

These are not paintings. These are not photos.

There are "artists" who are very much about the "process." I suppose I'm not so much one of them, which is not to say that I lack procedure — just that my procedure is not predicated on buying the most expensive or "professional" tools or media. I will not deny that there is something to be said for quality materials and tools. However, I own one "actual" paint palette (it's a tray for watercolors). Otherwise, every summer I relish in the fact that 'box stores' sell colorful non-microwavable plastic plates as though there is no end to plastic. Yes, I paint off of plastic plates.

The images in this entry are scans of some of the plastic plates I used this summer when I was painting the insides of my recycled paper bowls. In other words, that is the residue from these. I guess I'm not one of those "tidy" people who washes everything down after I use it, otherwise this would have been lost to the sink. I think dried paint looks kind of cool, which, I suppose is part of why I didn't bother to scrape these down or wash them off... that and they're cheap plastic plates, they were like 4 for $2.00 or something, it's not like I would even consider using them for food.

Of course, I just think they look cool. Beauty can be found in the most mundane circumstances.
Now, I should probably actually start working on that project that's floating around in my head before I forget it.