Paste Papers from Our Precious Earth Project
Making paste papers from scratch; digging local clays to color paste to create decorative papers and cloth with unleashed imagination.
Do we really pay attention to how we use these basic building blocks of our lives; the soil, sub-soils, clays beneath our feet, water and air? How do we use (or abuse and waste) these resources? What can digging, touching, feeling, breathing, smelling, seeing, mixing, and using it teach us?
From beneath our feet;
Earth pigments
Making your own paint from pigments gathered from your back yard or a nearby site is exciting way to learn more about the world we live in, and the importance of caring for it!
These pigments can be a basis for stunning book covers and other projects. My goal is to make a paste paper sample specimens book that includes clays from sites world wide!
Join me!
I am collecting clay from all over the US and worldwide! Please! Send me your local clay! Learn how to collect clay that will make good paints and pastes. Find out how to refine it to have a smooth pigment. Or, if you choose, going fast and loose, learn how to work with rough variable sized pigment particles – both options are fun! Soil horizon chart.
Paste recipe
Paint is basically a pigment (from various organic or inorganic sources) held together with a binder and water. This recipe is a basic paste recipe used to make paste paints for paste papers. Make your own paste, add the pigment from your own clay.
Elements.
The process
Making your own paste papers is fun and everyone can do it! Decorate papers using all sorts of ways; from fingers, paws, to homemade tools from recycled materials found in your home!
How to do it.
Host a party or invite a pet and get busy making art!
! ELEMENTS !
Materials:
Collect clay samples from as many locations as possible, by enlisting anyone to become a volunteer from 50 states and all US territories (would also like to add worldwide submissions to this!).
Process:
I will be using processed and unprocessed clay bodies as natural pigments to color paste paints to make paste papers, adding water and plant materials to make the binders for the paints I use. (Re)using, repurposing recycled materials to make the tools to create the designs on the papers.
Product:
Create a book or small edition run of books containing samples of paste papers using these clays and as much information about origin stories of each clay body as well as (scientific/observation) information of local sites where gathered, conditions of soils, minerals present, as I can gather about them from participants as well as general scholarly research that has been gathered about each of the regions represented.
Impact:
I am hoping that by sharing this hands-on process there will be a multi-way share of information with others worldwide about elements; soil, clay, mineral resources, water. Encourage volunteer participants to learn about environmental conditions to help raise local awareness of conditions that may need their support in order to thrive. Stress the local impacts of use of water resources, soils, clays, minerals, and the importance of building soil health, keeping water sources clean, and importance of diverse plant materials to hold soils to keep desertification at bay. Encourage creative, critical thinking, and build world wide connections through inventive ideas and expressions of beauty.
What is in it for you? An interesting way to build awareness of basic life elements within your local conditions. Connecting with others who are involved in the creative process and actively learning to use and treasure our earthly resources. Find joy in making art!
Dawn art / design / metal / paper / fiber 