From Reeds to Dogwood

A dogwood bush growing in front of my house.

I take pride that my sculptures are made with natural materials. With support from the Ontario Arts Council, I received an Access and Career Development grant to study papermaking with plant fibers with Akemi at Kozo Studio. Since then I have made sculptures with maple leaves, forsythia, grasses, and even onion skin!

The paper on this sculpture, is made from forsythia fibers.

The paper in this sculpture is made from blackberry fibers.

When I first started making my sculptures, I used reed to form the skeleton. Reed was the material introduced to me when I first learned how to make my light sculptures. It's very easy to work with. Just soak it in warm water for 10 minutes, and it's extremely flexible.

Reed is used to form the skeleton.

I'm happy using reeds, but it's shipped from Indonesia. It disturbed me when I think about its carbon footprint. Just like our diet is influenced by what's available in our surroundings, I began to wonder if it can be the same for materials. I looked into basket weaving in Canada, and came across dogwood. I've never used dogwood before, but upon researching I learned that it should be harvest in the fall, when the sap is at their lowest. It should be pruned close to the ground, to encourage new shoots in the spring.

Although not as long as reed, it is flexible, and as a bonus, colorful! After harvesting, they are dried before I can use them (I read that they shrink).

After pruning. It will need to be dried before I can use them.

You can learn more about this process by following this blog, taking one of my sculpture making workshops here in Simcoe County, or taking a look at the final product in my shop.

Handmade Forsythia Paper

This sculpture, Whisp, is decorated with forsythia fibers. The process took two days — and yields only 5 thin sheets of paper! I do like the whispy texture it gives, so I'll give this plant another try ... one day.

Below are the steps I took from harvesting the fibers, to making the paper.

Materials:

• Stainless steel stock pot
• Soda ash
• Stir stick
• Digital Scale
• Papermaking mold and deckle
• Large basin
• Cloths

Step 1
I went outside with garden snipers and began clipping off thick branches from my forsythia bush. Don't clip thin branches — they have less fibers. Look for branches that are about 1 inch thick.

I collected as enough branches to fit into my steamer.


Step 2
Cut at 45 degree angle (to help peeling easier in next step), and place into a steamer.





Here's a cross section of a branch — outer bark, fiber (light green), and the woody core. All we want is the fiber, and steaming will make it easier to strip off.






Step 3
Cover and steam for 30 minutes. Open windows for ventilation.






Step 4
After steaming, peel away the outer bark, and strip the fibers away from the woody core.






Left to right: bark, fiber, and woody core.









This basket of dry fibers weights about 4 oz, yields about 5 thin sheets.

If you wish to continue with papermaking, continue to step 4. Otherwise, dry the fibers and store in a dry/moisture free place. Dry fibers can be stored indefinitely. When you're ready to make paper, rehydrate the fibers by soaking it overnight

Step 5
Fill 2/3 of the pot with cold water — you don't want hot water to overflow when you add the stems. Measure out soda ash and add to the pot of water. For every 1 liter of water, use 15 grams (1/2 ounce) of soda ash.

When water is beginning to simmer, add fibers. Let it simmer for 2 hours.

Open windows and doors for ventilation. Every 1/2 hour or so, give it a stir.

Step 6:
After 2 hours, the water will be dark and thick. Drain and rinse the fibers until the water runs clear.





Step 7:
Begin to pound the fibers until it turns into pulp.







Step 8:
Set up your couching area by layering a pile of cloths.







Step 9:
Fill basin with water and add pulp. Agitate the water to distribute the pulp evenly.

Slide your mold and deckle into the basin, lift up, and let excess water drain.


Step 10:
Remove the deckle and bring the mold over to the couching area. Flip the mold over, paper side down, and sponge off excess water.




Step 11:
Gently lift off mold, and allow the paper to dry flat.