HANDMADE PAPERMAKING…honouring the environment

At Adagio Art Studio and Gallery in East Grand Bahama, I create handmade paper for my “Artistry in Handmade Paper” following the same process as that of the Chinese who first made paper in 105 AD.

As an artist I had worked in other mediums but it wasn’t until I began making my own handmade paper did I feel my creativity truly develop. When making and feeling the pulp and using handmade paper for the entire artistic process I found that I had more freedom to experiment with size, shape, thickness, texture and color, giving me new forms of artistic expression and more unique art pieces.

Here in the Bahamas I have year round material from the local leaves, flowers, seaweed and recycled paper that provides unlimited variations when making my paper that becomes my canvas and my painting medium.

The method I follow to make my paper is to collect the plant material and paper that is shredded, cooked, strained, washed, blended into pulp and poured into large vats of water. The pulp is collected on a screen frame, drained and reversed onto large boards that are placed in the sun to dry. When dry this beautiful sheet of paper becomes my canvas ready for my Artistry in Handmade Paper.

For centuries exquisite handmade paper art works of the Chinese have hung in museums and art galleries around the world. I feel privileged to have entered into this broad field of handmade paper that for many years was a closely guarded secret. I am also fortunate to travel to meet and study with International hand papermakers and paper artists in order to expand and refine my artistry.