"The Voice Within" Big Book Big Paper Success

Picture This Gallery "The Voice Within" July 7th - August 17th, 2012

The works of Mary C. Leto and Mira Scott

78 D Arrow Road Cypress Square Hilton Head, SC 29928

info@picturethishiltonhead.com

A book installation created by both artists will be the centerpiece of the exhibit.

This is the result and long awaited appearance of the  4' x 17' handmade book titled

 "The Voice Within"

The "big paper", made from cotton and marsh grass, was the support for Mira's gorgeous paintings. The book was designed to showcase and compliment Mira Scott's work.

It was set up down the middle of the gallery and Mira Scott's colorful impressions of the low country were framed and exhibited on one wall and my books on another. Smaller books were exhibited on a  custom made table fashioned by Mark S. Tierney, photographer.

wall book - "A Garden Journal"

"Baker's Dozen" - the building is a slip case for 3 folio's of small etchings on handmade paper.

several small books

ceramic pomegranate holding  small handmade paper scroll's containing Robert Browning's poems "Pomegranates from an English Country Garden" in place of seeds - I had 18 books in all.

This was an amazing project to work on  with the help of artist Nancy Mitchel (intern and guardian angel, nurse,sister, friend) and Mark S. Tierney who pulled it all together with Mira Scott who's vision and persistence made it all happen.

BIG PAPER - success

REDO
I went over every detail of my process. I made sure that the mold and deckle was absolutely level and little to no sagging of the screen. This turned out to be very important for even drying.  I devised a system to remove as much water as possible (sham wow) both before and after pressing, improved the drying method and reworked the idea of the book form. Success
 

I propped up corners and tied down the deckle with wire measuring all precisely.

I dried only 2 sheets at a time between blotters and under weights.  I filled gallon milk jugs with water which worked like a charm....and easy to handle too! When done just empty and string up from ceiling ! The paper was dried inside a room with a dehuminifyer.

Since warping was possible wherever this book would be shown I decided to make a "fence" from thin wood  and glue the paper onto the back and front...joining panels with a series of tabs still folding in an accordion fold.

The finished paper stacked on the floor 14 sheets all together... success.

Big Paper continued....

STARTING OVER.... The result of a lot of hard work by several people and the arrogance of thinking I knew how to make any kind of paper resulted in a minor disaster. Cockled, folded paper not worthy of a paper/book maker !. I solicited help from a very knowledgeable source and was given the best advice ever "rethink your drying system" along with "start over and chalk it up to experience" and preceded by - " I think your in a pickle !!!" and a pickle it was ! This paper is to be used to create a large accordion book in collaboration with artist Mira Scott and the deadline was looming.

Pressing dampened paper under heavy weight usually produces some lovely flat papers... too much pressure all at once - folds. ( paper 4 ft. by 2 1/2 ft. )

Don't try this.

Large papers drying outdoors had to be covered in case of rain in the evening... although very sunny days the dampness of the evening and morning hours  caused some mold to grow. The paper did not dry quickly.

Even though the pulp and paper formation looked great...it ended in a folded mess  ...had to start over again using a different drying method.