February's Featured Artist: Joan Marr

Joan Marr in her studio

It's an art form that is open to endless experimentation with textures and pigments. Celery makes a strong, almost translucent paper, whereas tea leaves make a lovely soft paper. Fuchsias and geraniums add wonderful colors.

It makes sense to recycle existing reusable paper and to make paper from other organic fibres such as rice, cotton, flax, and reeds. I have experimented with these other fibres to make my papers.

I am involved in conversation and ecology... For this reason, I am making my own paper... Most of our paper uses treated wood pulp which produces chemical effluents that are poisoning our environment. Organically-made papers are free of toxins and acids.

I feel I have achieved an expanded paper product and art form of different textures and of organic pigments. This art form is just beginning and is an ongoing process of experimentation....

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