Wednesday, August 8, 2012

hot papermaking

it was HOT.
HUMID.
but my amazing students persevered. 
krista, emily, nancy and betsy
(and the amazing organizing nancy
has slipped away)
all beautiful, all so happy!
 a first at long ridge: 
drying paper on the sheep barn 
interior walls
 better sheets,
better and better
 expertise beginning
 some small moulds
 arbor vitae
 white cedar
 HEAT
 and then rain
 trial run for the arnold grummer press
 it rained on sunday
 cats and dogs
 and the weather finally broke
 too late for papermaking, 
but we did some grand work
 anyway
 everyone can now
go home
and complete the entire process
and make their very own paper.
HURRAH!!!

24 comments:

  1. golly me! so many things to like!
    and again I find myself aching to be doing just this right now...... (but instead must exercise patience and restraint) ahhhh me

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  2. ronnie, i've been lerarning patience and restraint all my life. er, must not have learned them yet.

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  3. Velma...what a good life you have. Paper making requires so much energy and concentration from gathering your barks to cleaning up when you are exhausted from all the fun. I keep the bark from the mulberry branches after feeding the leaves to the worms. It has been three years since I made any paper. Reading and seeing this blog makes me want to cancel this weekends plans and reduce the mountains of mulberry bark under my rafters. I just use the paper to paper my shoji and fusuma (Thick paper doors.) Having your skills and taste and creativity there is an inspiration to all.

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  4. nothin like pennies from heaven...for a good blessing.

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  5. beautiful setting! and beautiful message from bryan too.

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  6. bryan, i suppose you could cancel and stay home making washi
    valerie, beaming and so beautiful
    nancy, it was wild
    india, i think they was silver dollars
    neki, yes and yes. smiles here.

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  7. Oh Velma

    These and the previous posts re: the papermaking class are fantastic. I love how the participants can go from raw fibre to book ...very inspirational.

    You rock.

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  8. judy, a little blushing here. thanks. they, of course, rocked, too.

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  9. great to see... hot and humid everywhere, you just keep going...

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  10. jude, it's good that we were working with water...it did help

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  11. HURRAH! Indeed. It looks like a fine fine time, and I love your fiber selection. Congrats!

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  12. very luminous cats and dogs. :)

    you are amazing. They look so happy in spite of the humidity.

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  13. melissa, yep, and th epapers worked very well, there was hosta as well
    m, these women were indominable!

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  14. fantastic teacher, eager students and all that fibre - who needs patience and restraint. how about teaching a washi workshop at Bryan's ???

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  15. Velma - shall I plant the seed?? I'll sell my house to be there.

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  16. how fun it all looks, whether sweltering or listening to the rain!

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  17. jean, yes, please!
    dee, you'd have to ask them, but i think so.

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  18. You did rock Velma! And the shot of the rain flying is pretty cool. This was a great class.

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  19. nancy, i like that shot, too! i loved this group.

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  20. Oooo I am so longing to do this. How wonderful to be able to attend one of your paper making workshops!

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  21. robyn, well, you're always welcome...or maybe i can get myself to your country someday!!!

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