I love March. It’s the last month of winter and the first month of spring – spring being my favorite season! In March I start my garden and I also turn a year older - cheers to 29! It’s when I begin to open-up all the windows in the house (even when it’s chilly), and I get overly excited by bird song in the mornings. Speaking of birds, thousands if not millions of birds are migrating back up North right now. Tundra swans, snow geese, winter wrens, canvasbacks and more are on the move. You can look into who is migrating in your area here: https://birdcast.info/ – I’ve been admiring the large v-formations of Canadian geese flying over Philadelphia lately. I love that you can hear their loud “honks” from high-above the city.
I started some garden seeds indoors last week and a few of the seeds are now just starting to sprout, like my Rembrandt snapdragons. Each day I check-on my collection of little planters, anticipating who's next to come up! Maybe my tomato seeds (gifted from Oak Spring Garden Foundation) will be next, or my shishito peppers, who knows?! While in the midst of preparing my garden, I’m slowing down in the studio.
Winter was busy, far too busy for me… Balancing a full-time job and an art career is not easy. As much as I love teaching, showing, and talking about my artwork, it’s hard to juggle my 9-5 with all of my art activities. Plus, my full-time job requires a lot of creative energy in its own right. On the cusp of 29, I’ve decided it’s finally time to hit pause and take the rest of 2023 in slow, methodical strides. I’m taking a break from the rat-race. Which doesn’t mean I’m not making art, but I’m making in a way that’s kinder to my mind and body.
As an artist, you always want to say yes – because if you don’t say yes to an art opportunity it might not ever present itself again. Right now, besides a two-week long residency planned for July, I have nothing scheduled for the rest of the year. Each day is what I make of it. I’m not scheming, I’m not creating mile-long open call lists, I’m not stressing over how many pieces I should make this year, this month, this week etc. I’m existing and moving at my own pace. I’m finding balance – balance is the word I’m living by in 2023! It’s a pace that’s not defined by the art world or by capitalism – I’m making art because I want to and need to. Because it’s what makes my life whole.
So here’s what I’ve been up-to: I built a paper-making studio in late-February, mostly out of repurposed items. I needed a large tub, for holding paper pulp and water. I repurposed a red plastic drawer, that was once part of a toy container from my childhood. I made a mould and deckle from two store-bought wooden stretchers (rest in peace AC MOORE, you were good to me) and some leftover garden mesh. The paper pulp is made from paper scraps that I’ve been collecting since late-2018 (that’s 5 years worth of paper scraps!). I processed my paper scraps into paper-pulp using a second-hand food processor.
My paper making studio is based in my unfinished, 100-year old basement. As you can see in the images below, it’s not a beautiful place but it works! Paper making is something you can do just about anywhere! I’m excited to continue working on different pulp mixtures. In time, I’ll be incorporating plant-based dyes/inks into the coloring of the paper and maybe even plant-materials themselves. For now, I’m admiring the 12 sheets of paper I made last weekend. Soon they’ll find their way into new works on paper…
Making a mould and deckle (frame and screen) with various tools, repurposed stretcher bars and leftover garden mesh. I sealed the wood with shellac.
A repurposed plastic drawer, now a large tub for holding water and paper pulp.
A freshly pulled sheet of paper resting on the deckle.
Freshly processed paper pulp sitting next to a bag of paper scraps.
Pulling sheets of paper with the mould and deckle from the pulp and water mixture.
Finished and dried sheets of handmade paper!