Topics in Fiber - Paper intensive

What a run of days I've had!   I do not think I have been home for 15 hours on 2 consecutive days since June 20th and I am wiped out.  Here's a brief post on my class!

Let's talk about the paper :)  This was class number five in my graduate degree journey was an 8 day intensive down at the college in the ceramics/fibers/paper studio.   As I mentioned, I haven't been in a studio class since I graduated in 1995 and I really missed it. 

Many of the fibers we used for the class were in the form of linters.   Sheets of fibers ready to be rehydrated and beaten into pulp. cotton linters from Twinrocker
 

   We also processed several fibers from their raw states.  Straw, hemp, kozo, and flax were simmered for 5-6 hours, rinsed until the water was clear, then placed in a Hollander Beater

 

or could be processed by hand like this.....

(beaten to a pulp has new meaning now)


Once our pulp was ready, it went into large bins with water.  Using frames stretched with window screen on the bottom, and a deckle frame on the top, we pulled papers from the pulp.

After the water drained from the bottom, you pressed the paper onto wet felts, and when you had a large stack, it all gets pressed to remove most of the water.

I learned more than I could have imagined from taking this class.   Paper has new meaning now!  I still have a large group of papers due for a final project, that will be presented in about 2 weeks.

Color!!!

This contraption...

is called a Hollander Beater. Think rubber ducky carnival game where the ducks go 'round and 'round but with a metal cylinder in the middle that smashes the ducks into little tiny pieces of pulp.

Work table

Wet felts, mold and deckle boxes, and at the end of the table (top of photo) my post of paper under felts.

Attractive, I know.

Should have seen me in the rain boots and goggles.

My view for the next 8 days

This is the ceramics/fibers/paper studio I'm working in for the week.

What I'm doing this summer.