We know we can expect the unexpected in people, weather and pretty much everything in life, now we can say the same thing about paper!

These handmade papers are works of art in themselves. Light filters through drops, swirls, or geometric shapes creating shadows of a magical and luminescent quality. A great source for interior design projects.
Simply hang one in a window, or cover that electrical box on the wall...spark your imagination.
I was thinking these would make an amazing stencil for printmaking or painting. Have some fun!

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Posted October 28, 2011
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When you think of origami, do you think of a crane? If so, it could be time to spread your tiny wings...yes, pun intended!!

There is an abundance of origami videos out there. As many as there are origami folds. The valley fold, mountain fold, book fold, reverse fold, rabbit ear fold to name a few.

But if you want to go beyond, into a whole other realm, check out some of these folks. You will never think of this little piece of decorative origami paper the same again.

Akira Yoshizawa, Robert J. Lang, Won Park, Tomoko Fuse, Brian Chan.

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Posted October 12, 2011
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Call it twine, string, thread or ribbon we have an inspirational variety of it!

Made from hemp, jute, cotton, vintage fabrics, vintage metal wire.

Hand dyed, twisted, variegated bright or natural, use for jewlery making, wrapping, tethering, bundling, tying up gifts and baked goods. Sewing buttons, adding to all kinds of imaginative projects.

Construct drawstring bags and binding up books. Or simply wrap around your finger as a way to remember something.

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Posted September 23, 2011
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Marie Price has been using washi, japanese handmade papers, for years in her inventive and versatile printmaking.

I asked Marie to share with us some of her techniques she uses to make prints. I like these ideas because you could do this without a press. It would be challenging, but worth the experiment. Thanks Marie!

"One of my favorite techniques is the "lift" print. It is a very simple method of printmaking that involves rolling out a thin slab of ink onto a glass surface using a roller that corresponds to the size of the image you want. The artist draws on the back of a sheet of paper that has been placed directly onto the ink slab face down, and once the drawing is completed, "lifts" the paper off to reveal the image. Because I use washi papers exclusively, I always place a sheet of newsprint over top of the washi to protect it, and draw on the newsprint rather than directly onto the washi. Where the pencil has pressed the sheet of paper as you draw, the ink gets taken up from the slab, giving you a fuzzy rich line or texture of ink. You can draw with a pencil, the back of you hand, a finger, or an old toothbrush, anything that is handy. Each implement will render a distinctive mark".

"Sometimes I draw a figure on a sheet of washi and cut it out. After cutting it, I place the figure face down onto an existing inked plate, either a woodcut or etching plate. I may put the cutout upside down or sideways on the plate. I may run it through the press several times placing it in a different spot each time. By doing this, I ensure that there are all kinds of marks on this one little cutout. Now I have a single image that I then glue onto a completely new sheet of paper. I repeat this process for all the other images or figures and finally combine them all to form the final image. Each figure of that final image comes from a variety of different plates and is glued onto the support paper through the chine colle process".

To see more go to http://www.marie-price.com

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Posted September 7, 2011
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