I love Paste Paper!

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The Ancient Art of Paste Papers

As many of you know, Paste Paper is one of my favorite things to create & teach, as it is a process one can get lost in, that connects the artist to a deeper place.

P.S. Here’s some Student Testimonials from prior workshops:  “Susan is delightful!”…….”one of the most encouraging and inspiring instructors I’ve ever had”……”Susan’s combination of rigor and playfulness was absolutely perfect for me”….”lots of experimentation”….”Playful spirit”……..”Great workshop!!!”….”Susan is fantastic. I enjoy her knowledge, skills & beautiful energy!”

Mendocino Art Center “Open Secrets”- 5 Days of Handmade Books!

Kathleen’s blizzard book. The button is a dremel tool cloth wheel. (How cool is that?!)

The finished blizzard books look like lusciously painted wallet portfolios.

Carolyn, gluing away!

Gwen shows us the wonders of Tyvek.

Kathleen in a blizzard book & paste paper reverie.

Carolyn’s beautifully textured accordion book.

Carolyn used Mendocino moss on her bird’s nest!

Amber crystal beads sewn into the center spread.

Gwen’s colorful accordion book with pockets housing many treasures.

We love adding baubles and beads.

Kathleen freaked us all out with her gorgeous inked-over paste paper.

Kathleen incorporated pockets, die-cuts, sewn-in pamphlets and more.

What a full summer it has been! A few weeks back I spent a lovely week on the coast at the Mendocino Art Center teaching a Book Arts workshop entitled “Open Secrets.” What an incredible experience. The class was wonderful- it was an intimate group which led to a lot of collaboration and creative discoveries. The chemistry of the four of us was perfect and to say we bonded is an understatement! The MAC staff and other workshop faculty and students who were also there only added to the fun.

We made paste paper, accordion books, sewn-in pamplets, learned pop-ups, tried some various transfer techniques, but the biggest nut to crack: learning to make Hedi Kyle’s blizzard book. This is an ingeniously designed origami-like folded book that has no stitching or glue. There are pockets that can be used as such, or folded open to reveal hidden gems. It was a folding, collaging, creating, paste paper-ing extravaganza.

Monotype Collages with Paste Paper

Here are some of my Hamsa/Hamesh Hand prints.

More Ink on Paste Drawings

Here are a few more of my ink on paste drawings. Or are they paintings? I had some extra paste paper wheat paste mixed with paint, and then topped it with ink. I am making digital prints of these.

Mini-Book Pendants

OK, so I am obsessed. Is this anything new? I have made some teeny-tiny books that one can wear around ones’ neck. They are great for love poems, mantras, inspiring words or pictures you like to keep close to your heart at all times. I love picking the teeniest pieces of beautiful paste paper for the covers. These are just the beginning, I have so many more ideas, I just wish I had some time!

My handmade Brag Books AKA accordion with wrap-a-round covers

These sweet little books are so fun to make, they are almost like a wallet, with an accordion book inside. I made a bunch for my family to use as brag books. What a wonderful way to keep snazzy pictures of cute kidlets (OK, and cute others) handy.

Paste Paper (altered) Gameboards

My student and friend Diane Paget created this amazing paste paper Backgammon game. She even made fimo game pieces and a matching red and green marbled pouch for them to go into. I altered an old gameboard into a paste paper checkerboard. The obsession continues…

Student’s Paste Paper AKA Being (age) 5 again

Beginning from the top: Ellen Springwater, David Spain, Susan McClure and Geraldine Rose. Aren’t these YUMMY?!?!

So, I only have a few large pieces of other’s papers in my personal collection, but I witness the amazing creation of these Rorschach-like paintings from friends and students quite often. I would show more, but alas I need to scan pieces bigger than the swatches I have begged for. My begging continues….!

One of the most interesting things about working on these with my crazy free-for-all anti-perfection process is that everyone’s personality shines through the work. If you’re feeling freaky or blue or fabulous or funky, it is bound to reveal itself. Folks often find that they think that their particular paste paper “looks the same” (yeah, right!). It’s just that each person does tend to have a style or repetitive almost meditative-ness to his or her stroke. (Thus, in my opinion the entire process becomes a therapeutic way of letting go.) And if you don’t “like it”, just…paint over it! Add another coat! How liberating!!

Paste Paper Collages on Wood

In these pieces I was experimenting with using the paste and paint directly on wood, and working on a larger scale. Hence, I needed larger pieces of paste paper to add on top. Ay-yi-yi! I also finally got to use some of my old rusty shmushed bottle caps.