Phragmites Paper

The pulp I blended at Out of Hand Papermaking Studio makes a beautiful paper! Last week I made ten sheets and this weekend I made twenty. I can't wait to see what it looks like after an image transfer!

Pulp Happy!

Karen O'Neal, the owner of Out of Hand Papermaking Studio, continues to be my guiding light in this project. I drove to Ann Arbor yesterday to pay her a visit and to rent her glorious machine! (I want one.) What would have taken me weeks to chop in my broken-down blender only took six hours! I left with a big bucket of beautiful, finely beaten Phragmites pulp and will pick up the garlic mustard pulp on my next trip. Looks like I'll be making paper today!

I couldn't help but snap a few shots of her wonderful studio. So much to look at (and pine over), like the heavy duty paper press and drying rack. It's such a peaceful and inspiring atmosphere. Thank you Karen for all your help, the great ideas/tips and for a wonderful day!

Blender Blues

I received the replacement part for my blender and have been busy beating invasive plants. A few weeks ago, I beat the first round of Phragmites and last week round two of garlic mustard. Today I was on round three of garlic mustard when my blender started smoking. I don't know the name of the part, but it melted. There has to be a better way of doing this without spending $5,000 on an Oracle Hollander Beater.

Garlic Mustard

Here's the pot of garlic mustard I boiled over the weekend. I'll beat it next week and then see what kind of paper it makes.

While the garlic mustard was boiling, I cut up a big barrel of phragmites, which will be boiled next weekend.

Collecting Phragmites Australis Subp. Australis

It's official. I have now turned into one of those crazy people you see collecting plants on the side of the road, though I am proud to have joined their ranks. I just got back from collecting a HUGE bin full of Phragmites australis subp. australis, pictured above. This time I collected newer plants whose stalks weren't as thick in hopes that they'll be easier to chop and I won't have to spend so much time at the blender. I should have enough for a steady stream of paper-making this winter. 

Two Prints for Donation to Michigan Nature Association

I just finished these two prints, newly transferred and still wet, for the Michigan Nature Association's Silent Auction to Benefit Environmental Education this Friday at the Kellogg Center. Click here for tickets and more information about the event. (Sorry for the horrible picture.)

The images are shadows of cream wild indigo (Baptisia leucophaea) and shooting star (Dodecatheon meadia), transferred onto paper made from Phragmites australis subsp. australis. 

Exhibit at Gallery Karahashi in Otsu, Japan

Here are some pictures from the exhibit at Gallery Karahashi (ギャラリー唐橋）which runs September 19th – 30th, 2014. Thank you Tomoko Hirao and Takayuki Fukuyama for making such lovely frames for my prints! And a big thank you to all who helped hang the show!