Papermaking
Was He Series, 2017
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Was He Series, 2017
Original photographs and notes encased in handmade abaca paper, fiber removal, letterpress printed wood type. Approx. 14 in. x 11 in. each. Unique works. For this series, I took photographs from my childhood and embedded them between sheets of abaca paper during the papermaking process. The abaca fibers act as a veil to hide or obscure portions of each image. My severe lack of episodic memory means that it is very difficult for me to recall moments from my past. Photographs help but only slightly. By embedding the photographs within the sheets, they begin to mirror the amount of detail that I actually remember. Some of the abaca fibers were removed during the papermaking process to allow for portions of the photographs to be more easily discernible than others—similar to when one may remember a specific toy from their childhood but not others. The text, letterpress printed from handset wood type, is taken from articles about how to write a eulogy. I am interested in the phrases suggested by these articles because a eulogy is expected to be so personal and particular to the one that has passed. They seem to be talking about a specific person, but are general enough to cover almost anyone. |
Untitled Series, 2017
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Untitled Series, 2017
Blow-outs on handmade cotton and abaca paper. Approx. 8.5 in. x 11 in. each Unique works. This was a set of blow outs I made during Paul Wong's Quintessential Stencil workshop at the Morgan Conservatory. |
Negative Space in Handmade Paper, 2014
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Untitled, 2014
Inkjet prints embedded in abaca paper with fibers removed. 10 in. x 8 in. each The first image in this set is what the edition for the portfolio was. The other two images are rejected proofs. The first of the two is a screen print and the second is a linocut. Ultimately, I felt that the geo-forms did not add enough to the concept of the piece to merit inclusion. The photograph I chose depicts a moment from a camping trip of which I have no direct memory. However, through stories and mementos, I have come to recreate details of the trip clearly. I am interested in the moment in our minds when the accuracy of memories becomes uncertain or irrelevant. The unveiling of portions of the image and text allows the viewer a clearer view into perceived recollection. The text is appropriated from an obituary in the New York Times of a recently deceased father whom I have never met. For me, obituaries epitomize the glorification of the past and serve to immortalize that idealization—keeping one's memory alive and well. I find them particularly interesting because most of them use similar language, occasionally repeating exact phrases. This repetition brings up questions about the clarity and accuracy of reminiscence. To make this piece, I beat abaca linters for four hours. I then inkjet printed the photograph and the obituary on commercial Asian paper. Once I laid the printed text and image on the abaca base sheet, I placed small pieces of mylar over select areas. I couched the top sheet and pulled off the abaca fibers that covered the mylar shapes and proceeded to extract them. This unveiling illuminates key words of the obituary and portions of the image, while the rest is left blurred beneath the surface. |
BFA, 2012
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BFA Thesis Piece, 2012
Inkjet prints encased in handmade abaca paper. Screen printing and letterpress printing. 15 in. x 12 in. each. Unique works. These pieces were made for my BFA thesis exhibition at Memphis College of Art. I am fascinated by the fact that our memories are not simply true accounts of past events but rather are fabricated from fragments of reality, stories, and interpretations. This work explores timeʼs effect on my perception of the past and the validity of my own memories through the use of manipulated photographs and text taken from obituaries. Obituaries—most often the last writings about someoneʼs life—reveal how that person will be remembered. They epitomize the glorification of the pastʼs allure and serve to immortalize that idealization. I find them particularly interesting because most of them use similar language, occasionally repeating exact phrases. This repetition brings up questions about the clarity and accuracy of reminiscence. |
Untitled, 2012
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Untitled, 2012
Pulp painting on handmade paper. 12 in. x 9 in. Edition of 5. Made as a collaborative piece to be sent to Montclair State University in Montclair, NJ for a student to draw on in response to my pulp painting. |
Untitled, 2012
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Untitled, 2012
Pulp-painting and screen printing on handmade paper. 15 in. x 12 in. Edition of *. This piece was made during my time at Memphis College of Art. This was part of a body of work titled Structure which can be seen here. During the papermaking process, I mixed multiple gray cotton pulp-painting pulps and free-form painted on each sheet of handmade paper. Each sheet is unique as a result. Once dry, I then screen printed the structure form on top of the paper. Using the same screen, I printed the second color by blocking portions of the open mesh with a crayon rubbing as a resist. |
Untitled, 2011
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Untitled, 2011
Pulp-painting on handmade paper. Size *. Edition of 12. This piece was made during my time as an AICAD Mobility student at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, MD. |
Amends, 2009
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Amends, 2009
Seven panel piece housed in a clamshell box. Watermark, pulp painting, line bleeding, suminagashi marbling, letterpress printing, and line etching. 9. in x 6 in. each. Edition of 5. This artist book was made during my time as a student at Memphis College of Art. |
Frays, 2009
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Frays, 2009
Pulp painting on handmade cotton paper. 15 in. x 12 in. Unique work. Made during my first papermaking class at Memphis College of Art. |
