There's just something about paper. It's cheap, it's accessible, it's all around us...and full of possibilities. It's a completely average yet completely extraordinary material.
I worked in metal for many years. I studied metalsmithing, made jewelry, and even dabbled in metal sculpture and books. While I enjoyed it and the properties and strength that metal provided, it always felt like I was imposing my will on the material. There was no subtle give and take. The whole process of expressing myself in that way seemed harder than it needed to be. And so eventually, I found my way back to paper. Paper started to appear in my sculptures and jewelry. I remembered the origami I made in my youth, and the pride I felt in folding zoos out of everyday pieces of paper.
I've been working on and with paper for the last several years, but I just rediscovered the art of papier mache. I love how the formula of ripped up paper plus flour and water makes whatever objects I can dream up---it's a new kind of kitchen alchemy. I've been getting stellar guidance and inspiration from Sarah Hand's book, Papier-Mache. I've been thinking of more and more ways to make the things that I've wanted to make over the last year but didn't have the skills for. And, I'm plotting new ideas and friends like Floppy, the wall hung bunny basket, who is currently holding clothespins in my kitchen.
