Artist Wayne Montecalvo will be giving a demo at the the International Encaustic Conference in Provincetown, MA, combining digital color separation and silkscreen printing.

He will also be teaching his technique at a workshop after the conference at the Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill.
Wayne has developed a unique method of using color separated images that are screen printed on separate sheets of Tengucho.
The individual colors are then layered with wax to complete the image.

For more information see the link below and look for the workshop titled “Digital color separation and encaustic workshop”.

https://www.castlehill.org/post-conference.html

Hiromi Paper will not be at this conference, but we hope all that attend will be able to see how Wayne uses the Japanese papers for his encaustic work!

Be sure to sign up for the workshop, seats are going fast!

Last week, we delivered special ordered papers to artist Larry Bell, and saw his new studio space!

Larry, with his new work on red Japanese papers

These thick papers were dyed especially for Larry, by a papermaker in Fukui, Japan.

His beautiful new studio space!

Feel free to contact us about custom sizes or colors of papers!

May 5th is Children’s Day in Japan, when traditional carp-shaped koinobori are flown in the air for children in the hope that they will grow up healthy and strong.
These carp patterns are usually drawn onto paper, cloth or unwoven fabric.

Although the traditional way of displaying koinobori is to hang them from high poles outside of homes, the people of Inomachi do things a little differently…
Since 1995 when the event started, hundreds of koinobori are gathered at the famous Niyodo River, where the townspeople and people around Japan come together to enjoy this annual celebration. The koinobori designs are all on unwoven cloth made locally, which are durable enough to be flown in the wind and ‘swim’ in the streams of Niyodo River. This unwoven cloth is an “in-between” of paper and cloth, since the synthetic fibers are bound together randomly like the characteristic of Japanese papermaking.

People can choose to see the swimming koinobori up-close on small boats!

The event is usually from April 24th – May 5th, throughout the long Japanese vacation of Golden Week.
I personally would love to see this in person someday!

Thank you Chinzei-san (Hidaka Washi) for the amazing pictures!

TreeSpace Studio

Amy T. Won

www.treespacestudio.com

Watercolors on Khadi.

It started out as a project to create her wedding invitations, and escalated to more invitation requests from couples. Amy is now taking the time to work on her own art. She has been drawing all her life, and attended school for architecture. During a mission to find paper sources, she was led to us, and we have been big fans ever since the first time she brought in her work! Last week, Yuki and I were more than excited to be able to visit her enchanted studio. Take a look around!

She has a passion for books, especially mythical and adventurous stories which are often an element of her work. Other sources of inspiration comes from nature, hiking, films, photography, and outdoor activities. Amy also has a very whimsical collage of photography on her studio wall. It was very inspirational for us just to be in there!

InkJet prints on our Amate and Bhutan paper!

Some of Amy’s prints over the years including idea sketches and invitations. The details of the lines and letters in the design come together magically with her choice of colors and Amy’s brush strokes.

Amy also hosts workshops and sells her work on her website. See for more fun! www.treespacestudio.com  

Artist Jennifer Moon and bookbinder George Busby of The Fire Monkey have collaborated on a book project, a part of the “Made in LA” exhibition at Hammer Museum!

This is an especially interesting collaboration for Hiromi Paper as well, because when Jennifer had been searching for a local bookbinder, we were the ones that first recommended George at The Fire Monkey; whom we’ve had a close relationship with for many years. We are so glad this collaboration worked out, and together they created such a wonderful book!

The book itself is a half leather-binding with a gold leaf pressed emblem on the front, a logo that Jennifer had made especially for this show.
Inside papers are inkjet prints on all Amate Solid Natural.

Jennifer’s statement:

The book that George so beautifully and masterfully bound is called the Book of Eros and it is one of five pieces in my installation, Phoenix Rising, Part 2: Eros vs. Agape, which will be part of Made in L.A. 2014 <http://hammer.ucla.edu/exhibitions/detail/exhibition_id/251>  at the Hammer Museum. The Book of Eros is a play off of the D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) Monster Manual. It is essentially a chronological compendium of all the people I’ve ever obsessed over, crushed on, made out with, had sex with, tried to have sex with, and entered into a romantic relationship since I made this deal with a cosmic entity in 1993 (to forfeit all romantic relations in order for my art career to flourish) through 2013. It mimics the D&D Monster Manual layout so each person’s entry page contains a lore (written in the Elven script of Tengwar) and a statistics block. The entire installation is about my attempt to merge eros with agape in order to realize love as a political concept.  (Jennifer Moon, 2014)

About The Fire Monkey/George Busby:

With her experience working at bookbinderies and background in paper conservation, George Busby started The Fire Monkey almost 30 years ago.
Since then, she has worked on numerous projects, varying from personal to commercial requests, not only bookbinding but restoration, box-making and even making props for movie work.
George is a go-to person if you are looking for someone to collaborate on a unique, one-of-a-kind project, offering pin-point suggestions and ideas.

An old book that she restored, and made a custom box for (Left paper is our Bhutan Shawa!)

George’s workspace

The Hammer’s biennial exhibition Made in L.A. 2014 features works by 35 Los Angeles artists with an emphasis on emerging and under recognized artists. It debuts recent work and new painting, installation, video, sculpture, photography, and performances created specifically for the exhibition. The show is up from June 15, 2014 – September 7, 2014

50 Years of the All-Japan Handmade Washi Association

by Satoshi Hasegawa/Translated by Yuki Katayama

Mino papermaker Satoshi Hasegawa in his early years

The All Japan Handmade Washi Association is an organization constructed of Japanese papermakers from around the country. Established in 1963, this group has acted as a prime spot for information exchange for 50 years. Though our activities and members have decreased since establishment, the association is still striving to preserve handmade washi.

Back in March, we all gathered to look back on the past 50 years. We were surprised to realize that many of the past records and documents had not been organized or even stored, so there was almost no records of the first 25 years of association activity. There was one individual we came across while organizing data that caught my attention. From the documents I could tell that he was a very devout ‘washi-lover’, who put much effort into succeeding the washi traditions to further generations.

He also greatly contributed to Hon Mino paper being chosen as an Important Intangible Cultural Asset, stating that “We must make (Hon Mino) an Intangible Cultural Asset, before we lose the paper forever”.

I feel that these countless efforts from past individuals is one of the main reasons handmade washi has survived for all these years.

Handmade washi has been proposed to UNESCO for their Intangible Cultural Heritage candidate as “Traditional Japanese washi”, but there are many existing problems in washi production and well as succeeding the traditions.

I wonder what the dedicated, washi-loving individual would say about the current situation of handmade washi. Though I can never meet him, I can’t help but want to exchange thoughts and ideas with him.

From Hiromi Paper:
Like Hasegawa-san, we at Hiromi Paper are also concerned about the decrease in papermakers that are able to make high-quality washi. We hope that we can be of help to those Japanese papermakers and preserve their traditions.

Thank you, Hasegawa-san, for always sending us your lovely and wonderful Mino papers!
See them here: HP-01 Hon Mino, HP-02 Usu Mino, HP-04 Usu Mino Thin, HP-05 Chochin, HM-54 Usu Mino Thinnest.

Whisper by Laura Viñas

” Whisper is a project developed by Laura Viñas at The I-Park Foundation during her July 2014 Residency.
The installation is made of watercolours on Tengucho paper. It is inspired by Jorge Luis Borges’ Afterglow.
The boundless spaces and unique horizon of the Pampa landscape are subtly portrayed in this beautiful poem. “

Laura used the MMN-1 Tengucho 5g papers for these watercolors.

Check out this video to see the papers in action!

I had the pleasure of visiting Poehlman Press, a fine-art printing studio in Downtown Los Angeles. Jalal Poehlman, artist and founder of Poehlman Press, works closely with each individual for every printing job. His clientele ranges from artists around the world, galleries, photographers, exclusive hotels, casinos, and more, many of which continuously come back for multiple projects. Some of his favorite projects include photographer Hannah Collins for the Ford Foundation and John Baldessari in 2002. Jalal showed me around his printing studio and a few of his wonderful prints. He also shared some insight on printing with paper and profiles. This led into a collaboration project we are working on with Jalal to print on washi for people to see at our retail location. Here is a little Q&A with Jalal Poehlman on printing:

How did you get into the profession of printing?

What are some differences with printing on washi compared to other paper?

Washi papers offer much more variety of texture, weight, tone and color as compared to other papers and especially to other fine art quality inkjet papers. Washi papers also tend to be much stronger than western cotton papers and like gampi for example, can remain strong as a very thin and translucent material.

Bergy Bit Paintings on Nepalese Paper
Artist’s Statement by J. J. L’Heureux     
www.jjlheureux.com

“I am an abstract painter. I often use landscape as the inspiration for my work. The road from the physical environment to the inspiration on the canvas attempts to convey my enthusiasm and attraction to a place, its wildlife and selected aspects of the actual physical scenery.

Antarctica is remote, vast, windy and cold. Yet it is the most pristine place in all regards. It contains life in the most amazing forms and adaptations including penguins (birds that do not fly), birds that fly, seals, whales and in few places a handful of plants. While it is a place dominated by white on white there are colors in this setting of ice and snow that most people would be surprised to see.

Few people have had the privilege to travel to any part of this continent. There is a complex process underway among the many nations working in Antarctica of expanding the imagery of Antarctica into our shared cultural inventory of word, picture, music and scientific discovery.

Since my first visit thirteen years ago I have been building my own visual vocabulary. Bergy Bits is my first series of ice paintings. I have a photographic series that captures the colors and life in the snow and ice landscape. It is my intention to use different disciplines to capture my varied responses to this most wondrous place.

Close up look at Bergy Bits by J.J.

I have been to the Southern Ocean 13 times, the last in March 2013 when I was able to fly into the Taylor Dry Valley and study the Canada Glacier, one for the only “moving without movement” glaciers as it stays in approximately the same place because as it moves slowly forward it evaporates at the front inthe extremely windy, dry and extra cold air. It is my intention to find additional venues to explore different parts of this vast and inspiring place. The art will follow.

By definition Bergy Bits are large chunks of glacier ice or a very small iceberg floating in the sea. They are generally spawned from disintegrating icebergs and glaciers.”

We visited J.J.’s studio in late July, to see the Bergy Bits Series she was finishing up on. We were surprised to see how she incorporated the textured Nepalese papers into her work, using the bumpy textures of the papers to portray the coarse surfaces of the actual icebergs in the Southern Ocean. Over some coffee and J.J’s delicious homemade chocolate pudding, we asked her a few questions regarding her work:

Why did you choose to work with the Nepal papers for this series?
I loved the Nepal paper’s texture. I used to create my own bumpy textures on smooth papers, but when I found this Nepalese paper at Hiromi, it saved me a lot of trouble.

Do you go through any special preparations?
I have someone make the special size custom panels for me, then stretch the papers on to them and adhered with PVA glue. Then, I apply gesso before I start with my oil paints. I feel that oil paints have more texture than acrylic, which tends to become ‘flat’. 

What is your main inspiration?
Well of course it comes from my expeditions to the South Ocean! Since 2000, I’ve been going every year on these adventures, and have been making art, conducting research and helping people ever since.

How long have you been using papers from Hiromi Paper?
Since Hiromi was at the Marina Del Rey location. She has the best papers, best variety and most availability. No one is disappointed with Hiromi’s Papers!

Check out our Nepal Paper here.

Thank You, J.J.!

香港、香港、香港。

Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

飲茶とブルース・リー。そして100万ドルの夜景の街。

Dim sum and Bruce Lee. And the town of Million-dollar Night View.

そんな世界有数の観光都市で、2年に一度のIICの学会が行われるという。この貴重な情報元はもちろんヒロミペーパーの寛美さんである。あれは去年の初夏のことだ。「ウチは来年のAICサンフランシスコとIIC香港に出展するから、そのブースの一角でよろしければ御社もメーカーとして参加してはどうでしょう？」と、初対面の対話もそこそこに大変有難いオファーを頂いたのが、つい先日のようだ。二つ返事で「是非お願いします。」と即答し、大変貴重なAICサンフランシスコでの体験を活かし、より良い典具帖紙のプレゼンテーションを行う為、香港に向かった。現地の空港ロビーで寛美さん、越前和紙の五十嵐さんと合流し、いざ出発. エアポート・エクスプレスという空港から香港島を約30分で結ぶ高速鉄道に乗り込み、なんだかんだと喋ってる間に香港駅に到着。ホテルからの迎えのバスに乗り込み、チェックイン。その後ホテルにサンタモニカと日高村から事前に輸送していた資材を受け取り、タクシーにて会場のシティセンターへ。会場の設営時間ギリギリまで3人で汗だくになりながら、設営。その後香港海防博物館にてウエルカムレセプション。様々な国から参加された方々との交流を楽しんだ。

In such a world leading tourist city, it is said that the IIC Congress is held once in two years. Of course, the origin of this information is Ms. Hiromi of Hiromi Paper. That was the early summer of the last year. “Why don’t you join us in our booth at AIC San Francisco and IIC Hong Kong next year.” Although that was the first time for us to have some business conversations, she gave us such a wonderful offer to our company. “YES, please let us join your booth.” I answered immediately. After our first joint presentation success in AIC San Francisco, we headed to Hong Kong in order to do a better presentation. Hiromi, Ms. Igarashi, and I joined together at the Hong Kong International airport, and headed to Hong Kong Island. It took us about half an hour to get to the Hong Kong station by high speed railway called “Airport Express”. We took a hotel shuttle bus to our hotel to check in and pick up our paper materials. As soon as we got the stuff, we jumped back to the Hong Kong City Hall where the congress was held. We built and set our booth until they closed the exhibition room. Then, we moved to the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence to join the welcome reception, and enjoyed conversations with visitors from all over the world.

 レセプション会場にて本番前のリラックスタイム。Relax time at reception.

翌朝。事前のブースチェックと最終調整の為、少し早めにホテルを出発。ラフな運転で有名な（？）バスにて会場に到着。

In the next morning, we left our hotel a little early to check our booth. We safely arrived at the city hall by taking the infamous “rough” bus.

準備を終え、会場の他出店業者さんへの挨拶をひと通り済ませる頃に学会は休憩時間に突入。会場に人が雪崩れ込むや否や、ヒロミペーパーのブースは黒山の人だかり。ブースに人が入りきれず、三人はサンプル出しや、対応に大わらわ。

ヒロミペーパーが提案する修復用の和紙とグッズは会場でも別格の注目度！

After we finished setting up and making rounds to the other exhibitors, refreshment time has come. As soon as people rushed into the exhibitor’s room, our booth was filled with so many people that even we could not answer every one of them.

 寛美さんは日本からこられた懐かしい方々との嬉しい再会も！

Hiromi met some old friends from Japan!

そんな大変忙しい4日間を過ごし、様々な国の方々とのコミュニケーションを楽しみ、和紙に関する貴重なご意見を伺う事ができた。この経験を活かし、今後はより分かりやすく、魅力的な展示を行いたいと思う所存だ。ヒロミペーパーさんには、このような素晴らしく、貴重な経験をさせて頂き、本当に感謝しています。有難うございました。今回吸収したリクエストや、情報を次回の地元ロスアンゼルス大会にて昇華させたいと思ってます。

After a busy 4 days, we enjoyed conversations with many customers from all over the world, and received valuable suggestions about Japanese Paper. Taking advantage of this experience, I intend to give more appealing and clarified presentations at future conferences. Finally, I thank Hiromi Paper for giving me such a wonderful opportunity. I will work harder at the next Los Angels Congress in 2016.

–

Thank you to Chinzei-san of Hidaka Washi for the IIC 2014 update! It sounded like an amazing conference, we look forward to 2016!

On November 27^th, UNESCO officially registered “Washi: handmade Japanese papermaking and techniques” into the ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’. The specific types of washi that were recognized were: Sekishu Banshi (Shimane prefecture), Hon Mino-shi (Gifu) and Hosokawa-shi (Saitama).

(Original Japanese article can be found here)

What is significant about these three types of washi?

1) Made with 100% kozo

Japanese papers (washi) are primarily made using kozo, gampi or mitsumata fibers. Other materials such as wood pulp and hemp are used, to create different textures of washi. The three papers that were chosen for UNESCO only use kozo, which has longer fibers, which creates a beautiful and strong paper.

2) Using only domestic materials

Nowadays, many papermakers rely on foreign-grown kozo (Philippines, Thailand, China, etc) because of the availability and low cost. Though these foreign-grown kozo fibers are similar to those grown domestically, there are issues of them leaving flecks of oils within the finished paper; lowering the overall quality of the papers.

Sekishu uses kozo grown locally, Hon-Mino-shi uses the highest quality Nasu kozo and Hosokawa-shi uses local or Kochi kozo.

The continuing decrease of kozo farmers is another existing concern. They can be cultivated, but the return of income is so much lower compared to other industries. There have been efforts to cultivate Japanese kozo on foreign land using planting stock, but the quality of course will not be the same.

3) Whitens over time

Usually, chemical additives are used in papermaking to bleach the fibers to create a whiter paper. However, the three selected regions do not add any chemicals during their process, which makes the paper become whiter and whiter over time.

Papers that have been chlorine bleached are a pure bright white color in the beginning, but after being exposed to sunlight over time, the ultra-violet rays turn the papers yellow.

4) Water

The quality of water is also an important element in papermaking. The kozo fibers are usually immersed in water to wash away dirt and impurities, or “chiri”. This is why all papermaking regions have close access to natural water.

5) Nagashizuki method

The three selected regions all use the traditional Japanese papermaking method of nagashizuki. Contrary to the tamezuki method where the water is simply drained from the papermaking screen, nagashizuki is done by moving the mold, creating a weave of fibers.

6) Wet strength

It is said that handmade papers are much stronger to water compared to machinemade papers. Papers that have been carefully dried in the sun are especially resistant to falling apart in water.

It is fantastic news that washi and the techniques have been recognized internationally by UNESCO, and would hope that Japanese papermaking and related industries will attract more attention from this.

Rembrandt and Gampi  Written By: Bruce Meade The news got to Rembrandt quickly. The first trade ships from Japan had just dropped anchor in Amsterdam harbor. And among the exotic treasures in their holds was rumored to be a rare, beautiful paper. Luminescent, incredibly lightweight, yet more than strong enough to hold a printer’s ink. Rembrandt hurried through a maze of alleyways to the shop of the paper merchant. The artist arrived just as the new sheets from Japan were being carefully stacked on wooden shelves. “Gampi”, stated the merchant. “Made from the bark of a shrub that grows only in the wild. Quite expensive.” The cost of the paper did not register with Rembrandt. He was lost in thought, caressing a sheet, imagining the effects his dry point technique could achieve on its silken surface. “I’ll take a packet. Just put it on my bill”. “Your already considerable bill”, muttered the merchant. But Rembrandt was already out the door, the gampi papers tucked carefully under his arm. He moved quickly along the canal, not even stopping for a potato pancake at his favorite vendor. Arriving at his large (heavily mortgaged) house he hurried up two flights of stairs to his printmaking studio and began to experiment.   The results were stunning. The gampi’s smooth finish held his ink on its surface, creating a rich, velvety effect. And the papers’ warm tone softened contrast in a pleasing manner he had never achieved with even the finest western parchment. Rembrandt was so pleased he immediately incorporated gampi into his most important etching editions, the first western artist to do so. He would make several impressions of each state, some on western paper, a select few on Japanese. Unlike other print artists of the time who released only the final state, Rembrandt considered all states building to the final state as works of art themselves, and marketed them as such. He was unique in this practice. And it was the impressions on gampi that became the most sought after by collectors of the day. As an artist, Rembrandt was fortunate to be living in a 1650’s Holland with whom Japan made its first western trade agreement. It was this “luck” combined with his fiercely open-minded, searching nature that led him to experiment with gampi. His desire for the deepest, most inward expression in his work was answered by the warm, living presence of this beautiful paper from Japan. Author’s note: I am indebted to Erik Hinterding, whose essay “The Etchings – Experimental Technique” in the catalogue of the “Late Rembrandt” exhibition (2015 Rijksmuseum) provided invaluable insights. Check out this Exhibition: Rembrandt’s etchings and Japanese Echizen paper Location: The Rembrandt House Museum Date: June 12th – September 20th 2015 See information here http://www.rembrandthuis.nl/

John Wigmore

We had the pleasure of visiting the studio of lighting designer and artist, John Wigmore. He combines the elements of sculpture, painting, and installation with Japanese papers for his lighting installations for both show rooms and personal clients. This time, we were able to ask a couple of questions and learn more about John and his work.

Thank you John, and we look forward to seeing more of your work soon!

Bridge Lights Woodcut Workshop led by Jeff White (totemic17)

Dates: Saturdays 6/20, 7/18, 8/1 and 8/22
Time: 1 – 4PM
Location: Warner Library, Sleepy Hollow NY
(121 North Broadway, Tarrytown, NY 10591)

Create a woodcut to honor a person or heritage you care about that will be made part of a lantern for public display.

Artist Jeff White will provide instructions during the workshops! Paper used for the lanterns is Bhutan paper from Hiromi Paper.

Did we mention that the workshop is F R E E ?
The goal is to make 100 paper lanterns, and the finished art work will be displayed at an exhibition called BRIDGELIGHTS @ Circus Latino, Sept. 18 – 20 in Sleepy Hollow, NY.
Anyone, ages 12-120, is invited to come carve portraits or family names/origins, which we’ll print on beautiful handmade Bhutanese paper.

    

Sugihara-san and Fukui paper makers attended the opening of the much anticipated exhibition: Rembrandt’s Etchings and Japanese Echizen paper at the Rembrandt House Museum!

The exhibition will be open to the public until September 20th, 2015.

The Rembrandt House which once was his home is now a historical monument and museum, commemorating Rembrandt’s life and work located in Amsterdam. He lived and worked in this house from 1639 to 1658. Although the interior has been reconstructed since then, the overall architecture remains the same as it was in his time.

On Friday June 12th 2015, the Rembrandt House Museum will open an exhibition devoted to Rembrandt’s extraordinary choice for paper from Japan. It has long been known that Rembrandt made prints on this kind of paper, but it remained unclear from which region it originated. Recently researchers in Japan and in The Netherlands (Rijksmuseum) have started research on whether the paper originated from Japan and more particularly from the region of Echizen, located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. Rembrandt was even a pioneer in the use of such valuable and exotic papers, starting around 1647. The only etched portrait of his son Titus was exclusively printed on Japanese paper. Dramatic comparisons with prints on western paper will reveal the effect of Rembrandt’s striking choice. (The Rembrandt House Museum, 2015)

Remember Nishino-san ? (If you don’t, click here for the 2012 post on him)

Here he is, demonstrating his paper making skills:

(Photo credit: Yoshinao Sugihara)

Brazil-based artist Elinor Cotait has been using the Asuka inkjet coated paper for her beautiful imagery. I had the pleasure of meeting her a few months ago when she visited our store, all the way from Brazil. We began to talk about her works on Asuka paper, and I loved how her subtle photographic images looked on the Asuka paper!

A few words from Elinor:
“In 2012, visiting friends in LA, I spent some time at Bergamot Station Art Center and then discovered Hiromi Paper, where I found myself in an entire new word of possibilities. At the time, I was working in a series of photographs characterized by soft forms and pastel colors. My idea was to share through it a very abstract, subtle view of the landscape. However, I tried all kind of papers to print and never achieves what I had in mind.

That is when I found coated washi paper at Hiromi Paper. Not only one kind or size, but several! I brought some options home [to Brazil] and in the very first trial I finally saw something that was real only in my mind becoming real on paper too.

Nowadays, I am a member of Hiromi Paper, and four series of my photos are based on their washi paper. Currently I am working on a photo book that hopefully will be printed on washi paper too.”

It makes us extremely happy to hear from and meet international customers like Elinor, and even more so to imagine the beautiful papers from Japan traveling to all parts of the world, influencing their art in such a profound way. If you have artwork, experiences, comments you’d like to share with us, about working with the Japanese papers, please let us know!

In our quest for the most color fast kozo paper, Hiromi Paper has collaborated with Echizen papermaker, Hiroya Yamashita, to create the Hiroya color series. Here are some questions we had for Hiroya about the new color series:

Paper profile: Weight, Size, Material, Sizing, and Cooked with?
50% Kozo, 35% Pulp, 15% Manila Hemp
67 gsm
With sizing
Cooked with caustic soda

How did you get into papermaking?
I started papermaking about 13 years ago, when I was 23 years old. The mill is my family business, so it was a smooth transition into the world of papermaking.

Can you tell us the process of developing this paper?
The base of Hiroya Paper is a handmade paper that we had originally been making at the mill, with a mixture of local-grown kozo, pulp and Manila hemp. I felt that it was important to use as much local ingredients as possible, since I knew this paper was going to be used internationally.

What do you find yourself doing when not making paper?
I love cycling, playing golf, and of course eating myself full of sushi!

Please leave a few words for our readers if you have any:
I’m always open for new suggestions or opinions on what kind of papers overseas customers want! Please let us papermakers know, and we will try our best to fulfill those requests!

How were the colors of Hiroya Paper developed?
In order to achieve better, long-lasting colors, I outsourced to a different company for their assistance to dye the papers after the papers were formed.
 
What is the significance of the coloring?
The pigments used are what were traditionally used to dye kimono textiles, and are much less likely to fade over time.

How are the colors applied to the papers?
The colors are screen-printed onto the papers, all by hand.

www.lorrainebubar.com

Lorraine is a Los Angeles based artist whose work you can see exhibited at TAG gallery in Bergamot Station. Some of you may be familiar with Lorraine from when she taught a paper-cutting workshop at Hiromi Paper, Inc. This month, we had the opportunity to visit her studio and learn more about her work with paper.

Before pursuing paper cutting, Lorraine graduated from UCLA and studied animation at Yale University. She worked in animation for about 25 years and also worked with watercolors. Her watercolors reflect the fluidity of animation and she often represents the motion of metamorphosis in her narrative paintings. From watercolor painting, Lorraine started paper cutting as a form of connecting folk art with her experiences with traveling. Lorraine is a world traveler and many of her influences are found among various cultures such as Japan, India, and Nepal.

She starts working off as a theme and the range of the subject matter evolves out of the process that comes out of being absorbed into the work. The outline of her paper cut is first drawn with a sharpie and white out on white paper. She works in symmetries, and at times when unfolded can make surprising shapes that add on to the imagery of her piece. After the outline is made and cut out onto her actual border top layer of paper, she then begins the process of adding layers of colors. For Lorraine, this process includes laying out sheets and trying out different colors accordingly to her image. The intricate combination layering of various colored sheets make her papercuts feel like a painting or a woodblock print.

Lorraine uses paper for its fragility and strength. She works on the edge of her x-acto blade and when asked of any advices, she stresses to take risks. If something is nagging her, such as color replacement or changing the composition, she recommends experimenting and to spontaneously play with colors. Make sure to check out her new exhibition (information below)!

Thank you, Lorraine!

Exhibition: NOT HOME
Recent Papercuts by Lorraine Bubar
Date: September 1 – September 26, 2015
Location: TAG Gallery
Bergamot Station Arts Center
2525 Michigan Ave. D3
Santa Monica, CA 90404

Translated by Yuki.

PART 1: Naho Murata

Naho Murata is one of the two women who make our Echizen Color Gampi. We have been carrying this paper for over 14 years since Hiromi introduced it back in 2001. We were able to ask the ladies a few questions and here is part 1 with Naho Murata’s interview.

Artist Feature: John Zabrucky

By Oren Giladi

John Zabrucky is an artist and designer living in Los Angeles. He both works in the film industry and creates independent bodies of art using our various handmade papers. The majority of his works are drawings and collages done on our Yucatan and Bhutan papers.   John has been drawing on our papers for years. In his studio we leafed through hundreds of works and picked out a few highlighting multiple techniques.   

John Zabrucky on Bhutan and Yucatan

John’s work contains imagery of machine parts, diagrams and geometric patterns. Usually done in black ink set against the natural toned papers. The two pieces above are a mix of drawing and collage. The piece on the left is using our Yucatan solid natural paper. The white lines are collaged strips of our thinner inkjet papers. The piece on the right is also a collage using our Bhutan natural dyed paper. Both papers are sturdy and rustic platforms that can stand up to several layers of work and at the same time highlight the delicate precision of the black ink.

John Zabrucky on Yucatan

This last work is also done on our Yucatan solid natural paper. In person the larger black areas in the drawing are heavily saturated with ink and have a rich velvet quality. John’s work is a great example of using papers that are made with a specific purpose for a new end, which yields unexpected results. The Yucatan papers are coated for ink and laser jet printing so they are designed to receive the color black. These drawings and collages reveal how the high quality of handmade paper is allowed to shine while simultaneously highlighting unexpected techniques.