A PARADOX OF PAPER AND ART

Some background

I'm celebrating 30 years since innovating my particular techniques for creating art sculptured in paper. It's a long time to explore how to work this beautiful medium in endless ways, but also to the learn the depths of its underlying nature and what makes it so special and enduring for other serious artists curious about paper.

From childhood I had a split passion for drawing and making things out of paper on the one hand, and an intense attraction to science and the natural world on the other. A quick look at my profile and you'll see I took my undergrad in Biological Sciences before returning to my greater passion for art. But the science never left me. It's been invaluable in driving a thorough search for a deep understanding of the nature of the medium to which I devoted my professional art career. I couldn't have achieved what I do without it, and means I can guarantee my art is as archival as possible for those who commission my work or purchase pieces for investment.

The history of paper and a paradox where art is concerned.

We all know the origin of paper goes back to China around 140 to 87 BC for one simple reason: There are fragments still in existence. The evolution of the material took different pathways with Buddhist monks introducing paper to Japan around 610 AD, and via the Silk Trading Route, paper found its way to the Middle East through North Africa to Spain andv northward to Italy, the Germanic provinces, France and the rest of Europe. Back then, paper was handmade from mostly hemp and flax, but the 18th century invention of printing led to more demand for paper and a need for faster ways to make it. Up to this point, the papers had an inherently long life, with the exception of impurities like iron that could lead to foxing for example.

By the mid 19th century a big change occurred: the discovery of Kraft or sulfite paper made from wood that provided cheap, high volumes of cellulose. The fibres are short but the paper is very strong. Brown Kraft paper could be further bleached to make it white. It's been fantastic for helping the world satisfy its hunger for paper in uses never before imagined like packaging, newspapers, publishing, personal hygiene and even construction. Sulphite paper is cooked in a highly alkaline brew that generates its strength and removes the lignin from the wood, but not all of it. Lignin and chlorine are among residues that will lead to changes in the colour of the paper over quite short time. These papers perform exceptionally for the short to medium term commercial uses they are designed are also what cross the minds of most people when they think of paper. So the evolution and increasing popularity of paper in our daily lives led to the common perception that all papers are the same and can't be a long term serious art medium. Its long history and the fact that so many beautiful examples of paper used before the 19th century in books, paintings and drawings paradoxically proving the archival nature of paper is sadly overlooked.

European Cotton, Asian Papers and the Artist

As cotton became easier to cultivate, its high cellulose purity and long fibres gave rise to numerous European and British mills creating extremely high quality mould made papers for artists. Because of the length of cotton fibres, up to 50mm, these papers are remarkably strong too. Hahnemuhle, Arches and Fabriano with their centuries long histories are examples. Japan developed papers of such variety and beauty, they are works of art in their own right. Awagami Factory is a leader in that field today. Most of these papers are handmade from pulp of pure, exceedingly long cellulose fibres extracted from a medium called kozo, a matted material from the inner bark of mulberry. With fibres up to 100mm long, mulberry papers can be as light as 7gsm or less, and as translucent as gossamer. Asian papers made from hemp and flax also deliver long cellulose fibres macerated, beaten and hydrated into a pulp that makes uniquely beautiful papers. For the artist who wants to make prints, drawings and paintings the opportunities are immense. (It's worth noting that Picasso and Dali have works on papers surviving beautifully 60 years on in museums and collections today). For me, all these inherently beautiful papers are my sculpture palette. I do have measured reason at times to include sulphite papers in my work but I check my sources so I know what I create will behave in every way I ask of it.

For further information please contact me through www.papersculptureartist.com