Now that we're a week into our kickstarter campaign, I have some time to reflect on the kinds of paper art that I hope our students will be making in the future. So I turned to the trusty internet to find some inspirational papermaking artists and crafters. 

The photo on the left is a lamp by Tadao Shimizu, featuring a washi (Japanese paper) shade. I would be delighted to have something so playful and beautiful in my home. I also like that it reminds me of some kind of space sheep creature, not just a raining cloud. I don't have extensive experience with sculptural paper forms, but there is a fantastic handmade paper lamp maker here in Portland, and I hope to collaborate with him and pick his brain.

The sculpture on the right is from artist Vally Nomidou. Made from  handmade paper, newspapers, paper towels, wire and glues, she sands the work to reveal layers of form. I would love to see her work in person, as I can only imagine that it is both solid and delicate, and contains details that photos can't quite capture. And it's always nice to be able to interact with the physicality of sculpture in relation to your own body, and I find this especially to be true with figurative scultpure. 

Maybe some of our member artists will embark on larger scale paper projects of this kind?

I'll close this post with a very different kind of paper art. Artist Kyoko Ibe collaborated on what looks like a beautiful and unique performance art piece titled "Recycling: Washi Tales." 

The project's website states, "Washi Tales explores the aesthetic and spiritual values of recycling, beyond practical environmental concerns, into the realms of history and imagination. Working internationally we collaborate with local artists and encompass different papermaking traditions around the glove; in Egypt, a Papyrus Tale. There is an important educational component to our washi work, with workshops in papermaking and performance reaching students of all ages."

Click on the image above to visit the Washi Tales website where you can view video highlights from performances and rehearsals. 

This really got my brain going and I can imagine student projects involving all kinds of performance pieces with paper. From the very physical pounding of plant fibers, to making wearable paper costumes, I can think of some interesting possibilities for handmade paper and performance to be combined.

Hopefully this post will inspire some of you out there to get involved with TEAM PAPER! Be sure to sign up for our mailing list so you can keep up to date with our future events and workshop schedule. 

                                     Your Humble Paper Master- Jenn