Sunday, December 8, 10:30am-4:30pm
Eastern paper, often identified as washi, is characterized by its both thin and strong properties and is commonly made from the inner bark of the mulberry bush. The method we will use, although Japanese, is applicable to all plant fibers. This class will go over all the steps in making paper in this method, starting with pulp preparation: cooking and scraping the fibers clean and then beating them into pulp. We will then form sheets using the nagashizuki method with flexible screens as it is practiced in Japan. We will make as many sheets as time allows from both abaca (known as either Manila Hemp or banana fibers) and kozo (mulberry fibers).
Level: Intermediate – Introduction to Hand Papermaking or similar workshop experience (6 hours) required.
Registration closes December 1, 2024. Material fees are included with your registration to cover the supplies provided in class. Students will need to gather/purchase additional materials for class (see the materials list below). This list will also be provided with the registration confirmation email.
Registration includes a $45 materials fee to cover consumable materials provided in class, including kozo and abaca fiber, pellon, and formation aid. Students may want to bring the following optional items to class:
Zofia Chamera earned her BFA in Interdisciplinary Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2020 and her MFA in Studio Art from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in 2022. Chamera’s foundation is in traditional mediums such as clay, wax, and bronze, however she recently began exploring handmade paper and how it can be applied to sculpture. She is constantly pushing the structural boundaries of this medium and with that challenging the conflict of fine art versus craft. While studying at PAFA, Chamera worked as the papermaking shop monitor and a graduate teaching assistant for figure modeling and many other courses. Her work has been shown in the National Sculpture Society Gallery in Manhattan, New York as well as local galleries in Baltimore, MD and Philadelphia, PA. Most notably, she was selected as one of seven artists to participate in the Lucca Biennale 2022 Outdoor Exhibition in Tuscany, Italy. Learn more about her work at www.zofiachamera.com.