We experimented with a variety of fibres including hemp, yukka, heliconia, lemon grass, bromeliad, banana, and ginger. We took our new Hollander Beater and gave it a good workout. The heliconia and bromeliad fibre was from my own garden, I've been doing a fair bit of tidying up lately, so it was easy to keep some of my plant waste to cook up.
Papermaking is a lot of work, requiring physical stamina and effort, but the load is lightened when working in a group. Lots of fun as well, playing with water in temperatures over 30 degrees celsius.
I used a 30cm long mould & deckle to make a range of botanical papers, I hope to use these in an artist book in the future.
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| Selfie with some of the girls and the beater. L to R - me, Zela, Tricia, Ngaire and Liz. |
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| Chopping up plant waste to cook. |
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| Hollander beater in action. The cooked fibres flow around to be macerated by the drum. Our beater was made by Mark Lander in New Zealand, paid for with a community grant. |
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| The girls are separating the fibres to help the beater. |
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| Close up of the beater. Its a beautiful machine! |
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| Papers drying in the sun. |
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| A selection of my dried papers. Some rough and textured, some smooth, some with flecks, some with chunky bits! |
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| A highly textured paper, might be good for chine colle and collage. Or just to admire its beauty. |
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| Some of the wonderful food from the local caterers, there's nothing better when working hard to enjoy some tasty treats. |