Category Archives: paper

May14

making paper.

Posted on May 14, 2025 by beth

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I have always been drawn to beautiful paper of all kinds

especially homemade paper

recently I had the opportunity to make paper

with a small group of fellow enthusiasts

we began by collecting invasive plants on a park trail

choosing stems, green leaves and blossoms

some with a faint scent

some with color

added some torn pieces of reused papers

chopping, mixing, blending

all the pieces with water

mashing, straining, draining, shaping

adding details, textures

each piece it’s own style

finally set to dry

now inspired to try more pieces

loved working with the botanicals

maybe add some threads,

some hints of finely crushed stone?

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‘fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.’

-william wordsworth

Feb12

paper cut.

Posted on February 12, 2024 by beth

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at the store in aisle seven

looking over things for my classroom

this came into view

let me double check,

no,

guillotine not on my wishlist.

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“ever since my childhood, i was haunted by the search for perfection.

an imperfectly cut paper literally made me ill. i would guillotine it.”

-hans arp, french-german sculptor, painter, and collagist

Jan27

white on white.

Posted on January 27, 2024 by beth

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the kinder painted

using play feathers and real fingers

and colors they mixed and made

one

chose to paint

only white on white paper

to see what it would look like

it was a beautiful painting

all nuance and shade and texture.

“renoir said once that nothing was so difficult, and at the same time so exciting, to paint, as white on white.”
– ambroise vollard

Sep29

scribbles, scraps, and scrawls.

Posted on September 29, 2022 by beth

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anyone who works with me, is related to me, or friends with me

knows i love writing my ideas/notes/lists

on any random found piece of paper

all makes perfect sense to me

interesting to look back at later

when out of context and a bit of time has gone by.

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“but those who cannot write, and those who can, all rhyme, and scrawl, and scribble to a man.”

-alexander pope

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note: (photo above is an “S” page ( S is for: scribbles, scraps and scrawls)

from a work-in progress – my memoir,

done in a large-format, alphabet book style,

using a bajillion collage pieces cut from everywhere – the best way i know to tell my story.)

May19

margins.

Posted on May 19, 2021 by beth

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throughout your life, you probably never thought much about the purpose of margin lines on your writing paper. they’re obviously there to help keep your writing neat, right? margin lines were originally added to paper not to keep your writing neat, but to protect it from rats. rats love to eat around the edges of paper, apparently. so as long as you keep your writing within the margins, all your hard work will be safe from these little fiends!

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i loved to doodle in the margins of my paper when bored in class.

anyone else make use of them?

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“i love the broad margin to my life. ”

-henry thoreau

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source credit: historymates.com