Smoked Paper - Part 2

When you lift the paper off the burnt material, you have beautiful and subtle grey-black and amber marks on the paper (rinse the paper off with a hose). The element of chance governs the patterns; you can control it some by how you lay out the straw, or what materials you burn. But it is always a surprise. You can do the process more than once to get an effect that you decide is "done." Once the paper dries, you can use it to paint or draw on.

Smoked Paper

In September 2006, I participated in a workshop on Smoked Paper with Ray Kass and Stephen Addiss at the University of Richmond. These two guys worked with John Cage and all three have used this smoked paper technique. First you soak some straw (or other substance) with mineral spirits. Then you light it on fire (Careful!!) and quickly lay a sheet of wet paper over it. The paper should be a fairly heavy watercolor paper or rice paper. Then you quickly smother the fire by laying a large sheet of masonite over the whole thing.

Mother Ocean

Something I really love is to go to the beach. Here I am on the Atlantic coast of the Outer Banks of North Carolina in August 2006. There is just nothing like standing on the shore, looking out at that great expanse of water -- it really puts you in your place as a small component of our huge planet. Very grounding and good for me.

Here is Jiinx again. She is a rescued dog from FURS (Friends United for the Richmond Shelter). I have had her about 2 1/2 years, and suspect she is about 4 years old. She might be a Lab mix, or the Vet says she could be a Catahoula Leopard Dog (the state dog of Louisiana which comes in this size and many colors). Before I got her, she was abused, tied up, and may have broken free during Hurricane Isabel in Sept 03.

A blog is born...

I have crept into the 21st century, beginning a WEBLOG of sense and nonsense, art and pictures, late night musings, early morning thoughts and whatever. A public sort of diary is a new concept to me - who will read it? Who will care? How long will it last? How will I feel about it? (Now I'm sounding like a shrink...)