Zak

Papermaking and what I now know as paper pulp painting had interested me for a while. I was curious how and if my own use of color and dye on fabric would translate to this tactile medium. I loved what I saw in Helen’s work—particularly her use of color to divide and layer the paper’s surface area. I wanted to see how that happened in her studio. 

I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least! Working with Helen and learning this process went beyond what I could have imagined. Helen is a natural and knowledgeable teacher. We dove right in and I had my hand in wet paper pulp within 2 hours of arriving—learning the basics on day one. 

By day two, she had me set up to make some large-scale pieces I told her I was hoping to make. She did some prep work ahead of time which allowed me to experiment but also walked me through each step of the process so I was able to understand how the pieces were being created. 

The medium’s flexibility also surprised me—I was able to work on 3 or 4 pieces over the course of a few hours, adding elements as I went which allowed me to feel in control, creating and experimenting as time went on. I really loved the creative environment Helen fostered for us during our time together.