Paper Unbound

Here’ we go again. Staying home a good bit.

Staying home has been good for me. Over the past couple of years, I’ve taken this the time to dive deeply into some interests. I’ve also been able to develop zoom classes that I would have never had time to develop while I was teaching in schools.

Last spring I designed and taught a four-week class that focused on working with papers in unusual ways. Four weeks didn’t seem like enough. Am trying it out this January as a five week course. I feel like I get to collaborate with the people work with. as I try to offer skills that are meant to be embellished by people’s own proclivities. Just writing this reminds me of one woman who felt she wasn’t with the program because she took what I offered and completely transformed it into something of her own. I loved what she did.

The class description just got put up on Center for Book Arts website. There’s a picture and a class write up there. Want to show more, though.

There’s all these ways of working with paper that would have never occurred to me, that I’ve now stumbled upon and have worked out.

I’m interested in these paper forms for the same reason I’ve been interested in making books. It’s always been the structure of the book that was most intriguing to me. I’ve liked building books. It’s why I’ve liked Hedi Kyle’s work so much.

I’ve always had trouble making really good looking solids. Thought I was just too clumsy or impatient to get it right. Finally figured out that I just needed better technique. This will be part of class 5.

There will be a couple of origami moments in the class. One that will show up in the very first class is a cube by Tomoko Fuse. There’s three reasons to do this. First, it is such a mind-blowing clever construction, two, it gives me a chance to help people decipher origami instructions, and three, well, I’m not going to tell you the third reason…

Here’s a way of folding that creates a curved form. People last spring created lovely glowing forms, using light behind them. This one would be so much easier to teach in person. I was surprised that everyone got it. They were so brilliant.