JAPANESE PAPER
These painting begin with another Japanese-style papermaking process, made from the inner bark of plants; abaca, gampi, mulberry and cattails. Although Japanese paper is delicate and thin, the long fibers give it great strength. Long fiber pulp is mixed with water and mucilage. Mucilage is traditionally made from okra, tororo-aoi, or formation aid. It is just basically very slimy stuff in which the natural fibers are suspended.
The pulp solution is then poured on a screen traditionally made of bamboo. As the excess water drains, I roll it back and forth in waves successively until the desired thickness of the paper is achieved. Images within the paper are collaged elements imbedded and laminated in the fibers: (pieces of other papers, threads, raw plant fibers, pulp bits, pigments, etc). The existing images created are then embellished further with paint, inks, and sometimes metalic leaf.
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