PAPERMAKING

The art of making paper made a popular resurgence in the world in the 1970's. This art was developed by the Chinese in the first century B.C., but the theory and general techniques remain the same. Pulp and paper are used for fine art as well as the production of more utilitarian items.

In my studio, I use natural fibres, collected in Barbados, such as banana leaf-stem and wild cotton. The fibre is cooked in an alkaline solution, washed thoroughly, beaten to a pulp, then mixed with a large quantity of water in a vat. At this stage the pulp can be bleached, colourants and other things can be added. The fibre is then lifted from the water with a sieve-like screen called a mold. As the water drains, a sheet of matted fibre, or paper, remains on the screen. The paper is then dried and ready for many creative uses.

 

 

Paper Making Demonstration at Aweipo Gallery, Barbados, 2010

Collecting the leaf stem of tyhe banana plant for making paper