Website updated

After quite a hiatus and a lot of mucking around with iprimus and dreamweaver I have finally updated my website.
Also we had the opening of the Papermakers exhibition Paper is that is on at Mont de Lancey in Wandin yesterday, it rained most of the day so not a great day for an opening however we had quite a good turn out. Last Monday I decided that my leaves would look better green so I got out the paper dyes and turned them green, I think they look much better.

Paper is: Leaves

Paper is: Leaves

I have been having a great time with some abaca that I beat in the valley beater for 7 hours. It took two trips to Bundoora but it is such a wonderful fibre. This particular piece uses wire embedded between two sheets of fibre. The longer you beat the pulp the more the paper shrinks. The area braced by the wire becomes taut while the rest shrivels.

Second box

My second box also incorporates the well beaten abaca plus the hemp that used to be my Christmas tree. 

I made a drum from a cardboard cylinder with abaca and hemp. I made the string from a mix of the two fibres and the bits on the end from hemp pulp. The abaca worked beautifully as the drum surface.  It makes a lovely sound, I made a video but unfortunately had the sound turned off.

I cut all the musical symbols out of abaca.

One Black Box down

As part of our Paper is exhibition we have a black box challenge where we make a work to fit inside the box. My first piece is done.
After two trips over to Bundoora and 7 hours in the valley beater I have some abaca that I am loving. It stretches beautifully over armatures and is almost like velum in appearance and feel.

This piece is Paper is Light and although you can't see in the picture a small battery operated tea light sits inside.

The green in the background and on the wires of the armature is hemp that was my Christmas tree this year.