{click the image above to watch the video}

The artists used paper to craft a mesmerizing array of props – from ships and sealife to trains and rollercoaster. Quite a feat in and of itself, but then to animate the props? Impressive. A true display of talent and skill.

Pianina & Papace’s website

More ‘making of’ photos here

Diary Ring

Cones Necklace, etched copper, paper, paraffin

Poetry Container, etched copper, paper

silver, paper, paraffin

Living in Amsterdam, closed

Living in Amsterdam, open

Cones Necklace, etched copper, paper, paraffin

Ingeborg Vandamme’s website

Cochineal dyed fibers

Textile, paper, basket and fiber artists interested in environmentally sound colorants for their art quickly discover that Botanical Colors is the go-to shop to purchase historic dyes that have been used for centuries by artisans.

Aquarelle liquid natural dyes

Based in Seattle, Kathy travels around the world visiting suppliers to ensure that their working environments and processing methods are humane and socially responsible. She brings to market high-quality products that are not only sustainable and environmentally friendly, they also support farming communities and small producers.

Sneakers (love them!) from last year’s Woad dyeing workshop

Hattori also hosts workshops, locally and around the country, teaching artists how to use the natural dyes and pigments (there are a few spaces left in this May workshop for Woad dyeing with master dyer Denise Lambert – check it out!).

“The colors are beautiful, rich and glowing and each color can be linked to a fascinating tale of discovery, ritual and use by different peoples throughout history. Every color in the natural dye palette has a story. Every purchase of our natural dyes benefits a small producer or community and helps maintain a traditional way of life.” Kathy Hattori

Artist Deena Schnitman uses Botanical Colors dyes to create wonderful paste papers and loves the results she’s getting: “If not for Botanical Colors I wouldn’t be nearly as far as I am using natural dyes in my work. Love, love, love the colors I can get with the naturals dyes/pigments.”

Paste Papers by Deena Schnitman

So why did this successful supplier with a compelling product line and a roster of workshops across the country sign up for the Teaching Art Online class?

Because online tutorials will allow Hattori to teach people around the world how to use her products.

Because Kathy understands this small investment has the potential to increase sales significantly. Simply put, when you show people how to use a product it generates excitement and sales. Though she’s already doing this with face-to-face workshops, adding digital download tutorials and possibly even interactive online classes gives her the opportunity to reach a much larger customer base.

Brilliant.

I can’t wait to see the tutorials Kathy Hattori creates for her customers!

Kathy Hattori

Botanical Colors website

Deena Schnitman

Woad Dyeing workshop

Paste Papers

Teaching Art Online – There is still time to sign up! Class begins on Monday, April 23rd. Students have unlimited, lifetime access to the online class and class materials. See you there?

Vally Nomidou uses these abundant materials in ‘Let it bleed’, a collection of life size sculptures that depict the strength and vulnerability of women and girls.

Nomidou builds a cardboard grid frame for each figure, covering it with ‘skin’ made of  paper – handmade paper, newspapers and paper towels. Wire, PVA medium and white glue hold it together. After each figure is constructed, the artist uses electric sanders to shape and further define the features, adding details by cutting, sewing and gluing.  She does not paint or pigment the sculptures – the colors of the papers and the bleeding of those colors creates the subtle shading of skin and clothing. Fascinating.

Vally Nomidou’s website

Lena Scuccimaro
Arrested for baby trafficking in 1905

For her most recent body of work, Grazini gathered stories from the New York Times about people who committed crimes between 1885-1915, then translated the criminals into sculptures made completely of paper.

John Herbert
Arrested for peddling without a license in 1915.
He dyed sparrows yellow, and sold them as canaries.

Ada Turise-age 16
Pretty but depraved. Arrested for opium smoking on Pell Street, NY in 1884

Not all of her sculptures are based on criminals.  Sometimes a horse is just a horse.

A copy of the original NYT article is included with each character. Grazini uses ephemera gathered during her travels to construct the 12-14″ figures. She takes each piece through an arduous process of layering and detailing, creating a unique narrative for these unforgettable rogues.

In the video profile of the artist above (and here) she explains why she chose to make animal heads for the criminals instead of human heads. Interesting. . .

Patty Grazini’s website