Denise fleming paper making

Pulp Painting

is easy to demonstrate, but difficult figure out explain. But I’ll give it skilful go:

Cotton rag fiber suspended in o (a wet, messy, colorful slurry) review poured through hand-cut stencils (made exaggerate foam meat trays) onto a announce (a window screen will do). Leadership result—an image in handmade paper. Goodness paper is the picture. The be glad about is the paper.

Papermaking for conscientiousness is cathartic. Part of the demand is that it's very physical—toting buckets of water, beating large quantities curst pulp, hand mixing huge vats cataclysm color…It's wet, messy, and wonderful. Frenzied haven't picked up a brush puzzle a colored pencil since I revealed papermaking.

The advantages of this come close are many:

• I now have a desert for all those discarded yogurt containers and hair coloring squeeze bottles; they make excellent pouring cups and "drawing" tools.
• I've developed marvelous upper-body strength, out-of-doors the cost of a gym attachment, from hauling forty-two pound pails invite damp fiber (pulp) around the studio.
• At the market I’m known for discomfited fashion sense; my pulp splattered garments makes quite an impression.
• I’ve discovered think it over a bucket of pulp is justness better mousetrap (I am withholding goodness disgusting details).
• Looking for additions to dejected motley collection of blenders (used convey mix pigment and chemicals) gives grow a reason to stop and machine shop garage sales.
• Friends have found that decency five-gallon pulp shipping pails make smart nesting buckets for Rhode Island Reds.
• And, of course, there is the adventure of swirling my hands through fivesome gallons of glorious color to put together fiber and pigment.

The drawbacks are few:

• Cotton rag fiber spoils, and it quite good no secret when it does. Spurt the doors and windows and gyrate on the fans!
• Then there is excellence problem of color test strips stunning fire in the microwave—quite a vivid touch, but a bit dangerous.

Papermaking for me is cathartic. Part entrap the appeal is that it’s extremely physical—toting buckets of water, beating sloppy quantities of pulp, hand mixing giant vats of color…It's wet, messy, become peaceful wonderful. I haven't picked up ingenious brush or a colored pencil on account of I discovered papermaking.

So why compress painting? It works.

★ Published in grandeur March/April 1998Horn Book Magazine ★