Papermaking

ABSTRACTED EMOTIONS #1

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2019

ABSTRACTED EMOTIONS #1 is a hand inked and hand pulled monotype printed on paper I made using scrap watercolor and business paper which is in turn mounted on another sheet of paper I made using banana peel and abaca. ABSTRACTED EMOTIONS #1 is the first in a series which will try to match abstract prints with handmade papers from materials such as banana peels, corn husks, asparagus stalks, kale stems, pineapple leaves and cantaloupe rinds each of which produces a paper with a unique texture and color.  I am finding that the more I become involved in creating art, the more I become interested in using found, salvaged, and recycled objects and materials as part of it, whether it be ceramics, paper making, print making or collage.

FRESH CUTS — THE ART OF PAPERCRAFT

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I am very pleased to announce that my Joomchi wall hangings, PORTRAIT OF GAIA: 2018 and THE ART OF THE GERRYMANDER, will be part of the Crooked Tree Arts Center’s “Fresh Cuts – The Art of Papercraft” Exhibition. The Exhibition will open with a reception from 2 to 4 pm on Saturday, January 12, 2019 and will run until February 16, 2019. The Crooked Tree Arts Center is located at 322 6th Street, Traverse City, MI 49684.

PORTRAIT OF GAIA: 2018

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Earlier this year I took a workshop on Joomchi, a Korean art form, which uses Hanji (mulberry paper), water, and a lot of elbow grease to create interesting and unique objects. PORTRAIT OF GAIA: 2018 is my first effort to apply what I learned in that workshop. In Greek mythology, Gaia is the personification of the earth and one of the primordial deities, the ancestral mother of all life. In this piece, the colors represent land and water, the essence of Gaia while the form reflects her state of affairs in 2018.  Matted and framed to 20” x 16”.

AN AMERICAN FACE #3

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2017

AN AMERICAN FACE #3, a hand inked and hand pulled collographic monoprint, continues the experiment of using hand woven paper as printing surface that I started with DANCE OF THE PENGUINS: SOLO # 11. It is part of a series of  images designed specifically for hand woven paper, attempting to combine the angles and features of the human face with the textural aspects of the woven paper and a layered application of ink. Matted and framed to 18” x 14”.

 

AN AMERICAN FACE #2

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2017

AN AMERICAN FACE #2, a hand inked and hand pulled collographic monoprint, continues the experiment of using hand woven paper as printing surface that I started with DANCE OF THE PENGUINS: SOLO # 11. It is part of a series of  images designed specifically for hand woven paper, attempting to combine the angles and features of the human face with the textural aspects of the woven paper and a layered application of ink. Matted and framed to 18” x 14”.

THE GREEN MAN: AUTUMN

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2017

THE GREEN MAN: AUTUMN marks my return to a favorite topic: the folklore, legends and mythology of the “Green Man”, something I’ve explored in a number of different mediums. This time the medium is paper collage using paper that I hand inked and hand pulled specifically for this piece. Mounted on mat board and matted and framed to 18”x 14”, THE GREEN MAN: AUTUMN is the first on an intended four part “seasonal” series.

LINEAR THOUGHTS: TRYING TO FOCUS

(C) 2017 JPHN FANSMITH
LINEAR THOUGHTS: TRYING TO FOCUS is a paper collage created by weaving together two of my hand inked, hand pulled collographic monoprints from the LINEAR THOUGHTS Series. Like REDEYE TO THE COAST and NAVIGATING THE ROUNDABOUTS it is part of my effort to explore the possibility of using my prints in broader ways such as in mixed media and collage pieces. Image: 7” x 9 ½”, Matted and framed to 11” x 14”

DANCE OF THE PENGUINS: SOLO #11

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2017

The DANCE OF THE PENGUINS Series originally started out as part of an exploration into using multiple plates printed simultaneously to create a single image. I was (and am) also exploring expanding the use and presentation of my prints, as for example the woven paper piece LINEAR THOUGHTS: TRYING TO FOCUS. After completing that piece, I was curious about what would happen if I wove the paper before printing on it and DANCE OF THE PENGUINS: SOLO #11 was the result, a hand inked, hand pulled collographic monoprint on hand woven paper. Matted and Framed to 18” x  14”

Papermaking

(C) JOHN FANSMITH 2016

I’ve been thinking for awhile about using hand made paper in my print making and collage work, and while I have made paper before, I hadn’t for several years. So I just finished taking a 3 hour workshop entitled “Plant Fibers for Paper Making” from Winnie Radolan at the Abington Art Center, which proved to be  a very good introductory and/or review workshop. The pieces shown above, using Ginko leaves and milkweed are a couple of my workshop pieces. I’m going to continue working with using fibers such as day lilies, daffodils, hosta, corn husks, et al, and incorporating those papers in my print making and collage work.