PBI 2014: Papermaking and more Papermaking

There were two impressive papermaking classes at PBI this year. I was not in either of them, but it looked like they were doing some amazing work so I wanted to show a few pictures, just to give you an idea of the extraordinary work that is done at PBI every year in the papermaking studio.

The first papermaking class was taught by Anne Marie Kennedy. She instructed the students on making paper with a variety of different fibers, including some local plant fibers. They made a wide range of papers, with some that were nearly transparent and others that were thick and opaque. They also learned methods of manipulating wet sheets allowing them to include found objects, add texture, create patterns, etc.

A few of the papers from Anne Marie's students:

The second papermaking class was taught by Kerri Cush­man. In this class they were focused on creating unique papers with the added intention of using them to create sculptural books. They learned how to use stencils and shaped-deckles, and different couching methods to create layered sheets, etc.

Here is a small sampling of paper made in this class where several techniques are evident:

And as I mentioned, the students in this class also made books. This next photo shows books made from shaped sheets, and the last photo shows some of the book-boxes that they made.

As usual, an astounding quantity of paper was made during these two classes. The results of the papermaking classes are always a surprise to me, since papermaking is really out of my comfort-zone. Impressive work from everyone involved, for sure.