A Discovery of Paper
When Jean makes her own paper canvases she sometimes stores the finished screens to use at a later date. Jean doesn't make the individual paper sheets from pulp, but instead combines the ready made mulberry and/or rice paper using a papier-mache' process to make her screens.
Here's Jean in her studio with two panels that she recently discovered from under a pile of drawings.
You can also see a video of Jean making paper on our YouTube channel. Take a look here.
The discovery of paper is always a joy as Jean revisits all the textures and lines in the expanse of paper, knowing that she will get to paint on it. Finding paper is always the beginning of a journey.
Here is the start of a wave illustration found in our children's book "Elliot and the Perfect Wave".
In the rediscovery of all the lumps and lines, and bumps and dunes of her handmade paper canvas, the surface becomes a mystery as Jean never knows how the painting will turn out.
In this, her "Cypress Winter Landscape", you can see how the paper's texture adds another dimension. Note that what look like curls in the sky are the result of the fibrous paper pulp.
Jean also, occasionally, uses a seal to emboss her initials that stand out in relief on the paper, creating more shapes in the artwork.
