Guest Spot: Arun Loves Nature

Arundhati Srimani, teacher extraordinaire, always accompanies the preschoolers on their field trip to my studio. After making sure that every child is perfectly happy with their own creation, Arun manages to make a sheet or two of her own paper. It looks like she has been saving up her papers from the last few field trips and finally had the time during the August break to make some cards.

Arun's love of nature permeates her classroom. There are plants, flowers, paintings, photographs, light tables covered with feathers and leaves. And the poetic words of children who have learned to embrace and observe the natural world. It's no surprise that Arun would create beautiful landscapes with her paper.

Thank you, Arun!

The Denim Papers

If you cut it up small enough and blend it long enough, denim turns into a wonderfully sticky, stringy pulp for recycled paper.

I like to think of denim as more of an accessory than a head-to-toe look. A blend of denim pulp and recycled paper pulp works best for me. Blender-ize the cut-up denim and the recycles paper separately, them pour both batches in the vat and swish vigorously to mix. Pull the sheet using the dip method.

Here are the results:

The texture is smooth and surprisingly light.
I want to cover a bottle with the grey/green sheet.

Speaking of head-to-toe denim, here's a fellow who can really pull it off.

The Chicago Papers

One of my favorite buildings, as for the location, the two signs say it all.

Merry Christmas to all

And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night."

Gloria!

An Angel made of paper. Merry Christmas.

Red Girl

For Christmas, my very favorite card. There's something about the way she is standing and so gently dropping her bread crumbs that I love. And the paper-- sycamore tree and wooly coat as only handmade paper can make them.

Blue Girl

I love the way the colors talk to each other. I love the way the girl and the bird talk to each other.