Andrea Peterson

This course will introduce hand papermaking as an art form using contemporary and traditional techniques. You will utilize and develop techniques and skills that are unique to this medium. We will focus on a range of fibers that have differing characteristics that can exemplify content investigation. We will be reviewing many artists work for their use of material in conjunction with concepts pursued. This will include flat works, sculptural, installation, etc. - some will be actual works brought in to the classroom for a close up examination of process and idea. Students will create a range of experimental works with the medium and produce a final body of self-directed work that will all be reviewed during 3 participatory group critiques.

This course will instruct advanced students to explore personal concepts through projects utilizing traditional methodology and contemporary paper art processes to create new works of art in a unique medium. The contemporary processes will include pulp imaging, watermarking, fiber manipulation through restraint drying, as well as others processes discovered by the individual artists by trial by extensive studio work. The malleability of the material will allow new methods of making, created at the moment, due to the nature of the individual projects at hand. Since this a fairly new and unique field of studio work We will review and discuss professional artists and studios working in the field of paper arts through websites, images, writings and professional reviews, such as David Hockney’s pool series using pulp imaging as medium, Lesley Dill’s using it as a type of performative language and Arlene Shechet’s utilizing the medium to create maps of ritual places into sculptural forms embodying reliquary and vessel as figure. We will have group critiques as well as individual critiques to assist in the creation of a body of work. Students will participate in 3 critiques toward a progressive completion of a body of artwork.