Back to a Large Format

"Untitled"
Banana skins, oak leaves, black walnut hulls, bubbling pure abaca


"Field in Four Seasons" "Woodland in Four Seasons"

Nature's scraps, seeds, leaves , sticks and twigs

These large wall hangings were created with the pulp made from the found material at each site (oak leaves in the woodland, grasses from the field) each site contained a large variety of material so I had many colors and textures of pulp to "paint" with. Each represents the life cycle of the environment, winter, summer spring and fall.

These and the "Untitled" above are large... approx. 3'x4' wall hangings created in a large deckle box. All are left unframed so that the paper reacts to its environment and cockles and twists accordingly -interesting to watch the changes. The different pulps contract, shrink and relax according to their own properties within each piece as well. ...a mini environment. These have been shown in several galleries hanging without protection with great success.... paper tougher than you'd think.

With the studio finally set up, kinks worked out I'm looking forward to making many more large pieces and back to a regular routine. Finally comfortable in my new home ... (I still might like to play with paper buttons occasionally)



"Oracle Bones", artist book, paper, wax, found objects


"The Promise", artist book, paper and seeds, mulberry twigs


"Corporate Verses", shredded currency embedded in mulberry paper, traditionally bound.

The above artists books ... the top two are pageless and rather large compared to the "Button Tale" series. I'm just passionate about making books - well, as a conceptual artist this seems to be the best way to express myself. The "Oracle Bones" is my favorite "child", the "Promise" is in a private collection in Connecticut, and "Corporate Verses" is in the Crane Paper Gallery collection in Mass. I have plans for many more...I actually have a book of books to be constructed..mini sculptures.....


"Procession"



"Treasure's Gate"

These large pieces are cast paper...always a fun way to use left over pulp treated with a heavy sizing. Just one damp left over sheet of pulp...watch out I'll cast anything not moving.

"Procession "- was cast on a large wood block and colored with oil pastels, "Treasure's Gate" was cast over a 19th century fireplace grate in my possession. I found many objects hidden behind the paint encrusted cast iron grate - gold rings, bracelets, medals, watch fob, chloroform (?), dominoes, pins. Pat Sahertian (http://studio-ps.blogspot.com/) has done an amazing extensive art project based on these finds, check Pat's blog and look for TREASURES. I will also, one of these days, base a book on this find.

I love casting paper over or in anything (plaster molds etc) the dimensional feel of the paper brings it into a whole new art form...sculpture. Its no wonder paper is my choice of medium. There isn't anything you cant do with it....even eat it (John Cage's Edible Papers) !
sooooo lots of work ahead.....

BUT FIRST, Finishing up

A Book About Death.

Before I get started on my larger pieces, I haveto finish up started projects. A Book About Death (http://abookaboutdeatharchive.blogspot.com/) is a traveling juried postcard show originating in NYC, the idea of Matthew Rose, which then went on to MOMA Wales, UK, where the above was included. The current show "ABAD-OMAHA" is in Omaha NE (August) another will be at CW Post College Campus LI NY and another at Willo North Gallery in Phoenix AZ. (http://willonorth.blogspot.com/) Each location asks for artists to submit a work about death. It has been hugely successful and generated enough entries to fill whole galleries. Very interesting to see the different responses.

New thoughts about death.

After our lose this summer, I thought more about the spiritual rather than the physical side of death. I'm experimenting with plaster molds of religious icons and talismans, objects of comfort, for casting paper for the next ABAD show in NY. I love making plaster molds - even made some of buttons - not sure why yet ! hmmmm

Photographs recycled, mangled images, grey slurry.

I had the good fortune to meet a conscientious photographer and artist, Mark Tierney (http://www.markstierney.com/), who gave me several large imperfect works on very fine paper to recycle, enough for 3, 2lb beater loads- tree free rag paper. Mark uses large format photography with a unique printing method to photograph woodland settings that will take your breath away. I hated to rip up these beautiful images but used the pulp to experiment with sizings. I usually use cornstarch but used potato starch (Staylok) this time and found it much better for my purpose. I will be making small sketchbooks and journals for the Friends of Dard Hunter Paper Conference in Gatlingborough TN in October and also using the papers to finish my series of "Button Tales" accordion books. Almost done !

Grey, Tan, Thick, Thin, Smooth, Tooth

Some of the photograph pulp papers. I prefer the air dried papers but the forced air dried has a wonderful finished "tooth" for pencil work....very happy with this. I added some of my beloved sea grass to the pulp for texture and color, the grey was just too much like cardboard. I hope I don't loose my notes... I rarely make the same paper twice from memory...organize, organize,organize.

SINCE I'VE BEEN GONE......

Does a bear you know what in the woods ?

Early this spring, ever mindful of locating vegetation for all stages of paper/book making, I went for a hike in upstate Downsville NY where my son just bought 11 acres of mountaintop land in the Catskills with a log cabin. I found a large stand of blackberry bushes intending to gather the canes to use for dye or possible fiber source for paper but thought better to leave this task to my next visit when we came upon this (pictured). The bears were out of hibernation with young and looking for food. We brusquely walked back to the cabin.


Little visitors, little hands, little pieces of banana skin paper.

Still trying to set up some children's classes for papermaking and have a list of neighbors who are waiting for cooler weather to bring the kids over.....the heat index has been as high as 121 with very high humidity ..impossible to stay outside where most of the beating and drying happens and almost impossible to dry anything. Again, why did I think i could make paper in the steamy South ????


Deck finished, water, sink, air conditioning installed !

Managing my space better...set up my favorite tool on the deck.......my portable press. This was made by an intern I had several years ago (Eileen Sackman- a wonderful artist) from scrap wood and plans I received at a Friends of Dard Hunter Conference generously handed out by Jana Pullman (http://aboutthebinding.blogspot.com/) who makes the most beautiful tools and books. This has become the most exciting feature of my class as each student gets a chance to operate the press...very exciting to watch the water flow using a 2 ton car jack !



"Emily and Me" Poems by Emily Dickinson and Faces by Ellen Beinhorn
http://www.portraitspoetryart.net/ I met Ellen at the inauguration meeting of the Emily Dickinson International Society meeting here in South Carolina and have been a dedicated fan of both Emily and Ellen ever since. I was able to attend the exhibit "Emily Dickinson's Garden, The Poetry of Flowers" at the NY Botanical Garden in the Bronx in June. Some of Emily's favorite flowers pictured above. I was inspired by Emily's herbarium (popular pastime in the mid 1800's) on exhibit at the Garden's library and thought how valuable a herbarium of plants currently used for papermaking would be !

So many ideas so little time .....................

I will also be working with Ellen to create and bind small little single signature books of handmade paper to resemble the 40 "Fascicles"...little gatherings bound with string... that Dickinson created for hundreds of her poems, hidden and found after her death by her sister. These will be used by Ellen's poetry students at her classes at the University of South Carolina Beaufort Branch in the fall.

Accordions in Kalamazoo and Trenches return

My button book is finally done and hopefully it's only one of many to come "Button Tales, Myths, Superstitions Vol. I MMX". This accordion book has been entered into a show at the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center in Michigan. "The Illustrated Accordion" April 2nd - 30th. What fun to work on it- thoroughly enjoyed making this and envision several more in the button series. The superstition illustrated claims that you must hold on to you buttons when passing a hearse or cemetery to keep the deceased from taking you with them ! (I love that 2010 is written MMX in Roman numerals)



The book is wrapped with a paper band with a Velcro closure...and sewn paper button. The cover is flax dyed with walnut hull handmade by "Cave Papers". All the buttons are made from my handmade papers.



Each foldout page is a different shaped headstone with buttons attached in random patterns. To see more books in the show go to the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center's flickr page, many amazing creations.



"In The Trenches", an illustrated hand made book about NY's Hart Island, finally returned home from the Atlanta Mixed Media/Collage Show at the Gallery at Paper Mill Road in Sandy Springs GA...... and with an award of Merit. We are very pleased with the way this adventure turned out. Pat Sahertian and I put our hearts and souls into the making of this book. Looking for the next show to display it.....

Book Buttons and Trenches

GREAT NEWS....."In The Trenches" the book collaboration with myself and Pat Sahertian is finally completed... all 3 volumes and one will be shown at:
The Gallery at Paper Mill Village
"Atlanta Mixed Media/Collage Exhibit"
March 5th- March 26th 2010

We spent an enormous amount of time in preparing this dedication to all those buried in a potters field - everywhere- those that go unnamed and unremembered. We traveled from Phoenix to Bluffton SC and Bluffton to Phoenix - experimented with many different pulps to get the paper for the pages and covers right - spent hours and many back and forth emails, video's and mailings to get our images right and then join all together. Two artists (originally from NY ) now in the South and the West with different ideas and techniques came surprisingly close to one uniform piece of work in this unique handmade book. (can be viewed on YouTube)

"In The Trenches" is specifically about Hart Island New York and the conditions that have existed for more then 100 years. The subject of this book is our reaction to a web site we came upon a year ago... "The Hart Island Project" with Melinda Hunt ... please refer to her web site for detailed information. However, the sentiments apply to all potter's fields. It's a tough subject.

We are very excited to have the opportunity to show this book ! Yea!

So exciting !!!!... I've found a way to make buttons from books.... and usable buttons at that ! To be used for closures, decorations, jewelry...... sweaters, vests - anything!!!! I'm just going to call them BOOK BUTTONS ... divided into... poetry, mystery, prayer, historical... math equations, music - different languages - just about anything printed in a book. This a very new project and seems like this will consume about every waking moment for awhile. I'm still making buttons from my hand made plant fiber papers - banana skins being the best so far.

I guess I can always find shark teeth along the beach in the fall !!!

What do you think ? Cute? Interesting... email me !

Buttons and more Buttons

Paper Buttons!! How wonderful! I've been planning to construct a Button Book for some years now but never quite satisfied with what I had sketched out. Of course I love buttons, doesn't everyone? But how best to make an artist's book on the subject?

I found a small punch for paper buttons then a larger one and couldn't stop making them. I brought the first few (smaller ones) to the Dard Hunter Paper Conference in Atlanta last October along with sea grass paper from my new Moon Tide Paper Studio and found the attendees were almost more interested in the buttons. I'm going to make bags of them for the next conference. I tested all my paper and found that the banana skin and corn husk papers were best especially if dipped in wax. So my button book will be of paper and wax. I finally feel I have the right idea for this little passion of mine.

So cute I could just about eat them.



I've always been drawn to buttons and never quite realized how much - until I packed up the house last year for my big move from New York to South Carolina. I had jars of buttons, bags and boxes of buttons and a bowl of white shell, bone and glass buttons.

I found buttons all over the place... could never pass a notions department or button shop. I spent many years on Long Island digging in old dumps for bottles and found the most fantastic things along with bottles dating back to the 1850's. One of those small little extras were bone and glass and shell buttons, many in this bowl pictured above. I found metal buttons, a little rusty but fun. I have horn buttons, coconut shell buttons and bakelite buttons, cloth buttons, fur and leather buttons, rhinestone buttons and knotted buttons and clay buttons but until now NEVER a paper button... Are there other closet button people out there? Truly did not know I was collecting them until I had to gather them in one place. Wow... but fun.

I have to finish my copy of "In The Trenches" about Hart Island one of an edition of three in collaboration with Pat Sahertian. Pat's copy is finished, our joint edition done and on YouTube but mine still needs more work. Our primary goal for the next few months is to promote the book and find some book art shows to exhibit them. Then I can have fun with the buttons !

Banana Skins and Coffee Filters

Holiday cards are done and mailed, this year's wrapping gathered and stored, new projects and thoughts for a new book beginning to form .... saving coffee filters and banana skins for making a beautiful rich dark textured paper - several ideas for this as well... just need enough bananas for a vat full of pulp !! etc etc etc. My mind is racing and I'm looking forward to a very productive new year.



The word is out among my neighbors that a papermaker lives in the area and requests for visits and classes are trickling in. We commissioned our neighbor, Rob, to build my studio along with other neighbors in the construction field last year. I invited Rob and his family here to help make the first official sheets of paper in my "Moon Tide Paper Studio" (actually I should call it a cottage... it's so perfect) word spread from there. I guess I will have to be ready to "go public" in my new community of Bluffton. There are still some kinks in the studio layout – we're adding a deck and work table alongside the building for cooking and hand beating fiber out doors since I use the studio for bookbinding as well.... less mess inside and our beautiful weather pulls at me to work outside. I checked with town officials and there is no restriction on collecting sea grass (spartina) from the beaches here. So full speed ahead on MOON TIDE PAPER for the new year.

TIP: for those looking to teach classes - home schooled groups of children are always looking for something different - papermaking and studio visit is perfect for this setting.

My year long project with friend Pat Sahertian - "In The Trenches" a book about Hart Island Potter's Field is ready for its debut ... looking for artist's book shows to exhibit this amazing book. Pat has details of this book on her Studio PS blog. I will eventually have detail photos of the pages as well.