Above: Queen Nefertiti, Egyptian Museum, San Jose, California Roman Scultpure, Ephesus Museum, Ephesus, Turkey Museum of Ethnology, Ha Noi, Viet Nam
card by Pioneer Announcements, Miami
WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO
Bless my digital camera. It has been a heavy contributor to this website, indeed. It also allows me to freeze moments in time which I can share with all of you here. Be it the opening of a new store, the birth of a baby, an award winning invitation, a one of a kind book, or an inspiring page in a scrapbook.
I will try feature the creativity which inspires all of us to do what we do. As often as possible, you will see art objects created by customers, friends, colleagues, from various areas of the arts and crafts communities, all joined by one common love of paper. You might recognize some of their names, or you might be boldened by their creativity in doing something yourself.
I encourage to send in your own paper treasures which will find their way into the pages of this website. Thank you.
HARMONY
Mia Kodani. I met Mia when I worked with Savoir-Faire in California; she makes the most beautiful objects with paper, including pillows!
Click on each of the thumbnails to savor the beautiful balance of color and texture in each of the works; Mia uses a variety of Japanese laces, some of the Blue Collection Yuzens, papers from Nepal, and adds an ethereal feeling with the addition of Thai Unryu 25 gsm tissue.
I purposely divided the cool colors from the warm color palettes, to provide direction for those who are just starting their art. Since these papers can be sewn, one can easily envision an elegant purse, a unique portfolio or a decorative pillow.
and there was light..
The stunning lampshades to the left are made with our Lokta & Asparagus paper by a woman calledGail Person . No kidding. She lives in Ketchikan, Alaska and as with most artists and designers, she is quite discriminating when it comes to the paper. The beautiful wood for the bases is found by Gail in the rain forest, aged for a year, and coated several times with tung oil before it gets assigned to a lampshade.
Cross Pens need no introduction as they have been around for many years. Their brand embodies elegance and style, and they have initiated the opening of a couple of their own retail stores on the West Coast. Kara Orr left to become a mom, and now I have the pleasure of working with Nathalie Thompson in developing gift boxes which are handmade in India and covered with US made papers. One of them is shown in brown, one of four different colors, all selected for their "male appeal". We wish Cross much success in their retail venture.
BELLE OF THE WALL
ELIZABETH DOW is not your ordinary wallpaper artist; the New York Times stated that she reinvented the look of wallpaper. I have the privilege of working with her in her indefatigable search for new and unusual papers for her process. She sent me some of her finished "squares" so that I could get a tactile, as well as a visual sense of her work. The Lokta with Asparagus is a favorite, but it must be gotten from a source that is totally consistent with the color and length of the stems she requires.
When you click on the link, you'll be transported to a page appropriately covered with one of her designs. I urge you to look at her "installations" section of her website: the papers steal the show from the rooms they adorn. My favorite? The Confetti, Plaid and Cream.
Fran Saperstein and I met initially by email, which is not so unusual these days. She was a recipient of my monthly newsletter, and as a soul sister of paper, we had many conversations and messages going between us. We finally met in 2002 at HIA. Fran was an accomplished designer, teacher, and had many articles published in various trade magazines. She adored Victoria papers, and as you can see from the photos to the left, tried to incorporate them in many of her works, including the stunning collage in the middle.
Fran is now the publisher for A-Z Media publications RubberStampingIdeas.com and Scrapbooking.com; the latter being one of my very favorites. We continue to cross paths at shows, and vow that we will take time to smell the "roses" together. If you are not subscribed to the online magazines, I urge you to do so. See an archived sample of Stamping Ideas .
Had to write in this color, because most of the petals in the paper were purple. Remember the Petals & Greenleaf Paper in coverweight? We must have sold truckloads of it. One of the creations which caused tremendous excitement was a four-fold wedding invitation created by Nancy Stutman. I found myself sending a copy of it all over the country so that customers could see how well one could write, fold, stitch and paint on the paper. You can see it below opened to reveal the pockets, and folded to showcase the first fold which is the actual invitation to the marriage.
All the other images below are works by Nancy Stutman.
The best wedding invitation design ever
Talk about a luxurious wedding!
This one used our Wahon paper on top
The colored papers are all Lokta
This one has Blue Jeans & Black Rag
This is part of the previous
This was rolled and mailed in a tube
A table seating card
Lokta & Asparagus graces an invitation
Wrapped in Tosa Tengujo
Doodles on Japanese Torinoko
An invitation on Casca de alho
Hemp Stationery from Venezuela
A layered pulp greeting card by Nirma Zarate
Tonya Hill creates with Coral Reef
Vance Studley used Manila-shi Olive
On Paper announces my arrival
Rona Chumbook's magic with stamping
Lined with Black Rag &Silver flecks
Fabulous Chingale Stationery
Lil Mena's Corn husk envelope
Victoria Paper Year End Card framed
The wondrous Long List Books
A creation from Bellevue Art & Frame
Wrapped in Kathmandu Silk Green
Guaymi laminated on Pressboard
Peter Sowiski
Ray Tomasso
Winnie Radolan
Michelle Samour
Nirma Zarate (deceased)
Mary Crest
Mary Lou Manor
Marjorie Tomchuk
Marylin Sward
Rona Richter
FRIENDS
I've been a member of the Friends of Dard Hunter for many years. Every year, the members reune in a different city to discuss their experiences or show new papers they have made. The organization was conceived to "provide a forum to exchange information and educate its members and the public about the art, craft, history, science and technology of papermaking, the book arts, and other diverse interests which captured the imagination of Dard Hunter (1883-1966)". Many of the members are papermakers, fine book printers, bookmakers, educators and a very small percentage are merchants.
Every year, all the members would receive a Keepsake Exchange which would contain a piece of art from various members. I recently found my keepsakes from 1995 and 1998, and am sharing them with you, a few at a time. It's a magnificent testimony to the fact that paper language is universal.
Please click on the thumbnails to see all of it better, and also read the choice of pulp for the artist's work. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the late Nirma Zarate, a member, personal friend and trusted supplier to Victoria Paper for many years. She was considered by her peers to be the "scientist" in the group. You will find her signature paper, algodon y piña, (cotton w/pineapple) with her invitation style.
