WHAT IS HYDRO STONE?
Hydrostone is a very hard gypsum cement that is almost completely waterproof and picks up even the smallest detail from my original mahogany bas relief sculptures. It begins as a powder that's mixed with water and poured into the mold I made from the original woodcarving. It produces a very accurate casting containing all the detail from my original . Hangers embedded in the back make a frame unnecessary. I finish the Hydrostone sculpture by hand-painting the details with acrylics, bronze and copper surface rs and patinas. The result is a small, yet dramatic sculpture that can hang on a wall indoors or out!
HOW DO YOU MAKE HAND MADE PAPER ?
Handmade paper is the medium and cast paper is the result.
That is, I hand carve an original sculpture from Honduran Mahogany and place little shreds of wet paper pulp into a reverse mold I made around the original sculpture.
I use a mix of a short cotton fibers (for detail) and Philippine Abaca fibers (for strength ). The pulp also contains a Ph neutralizer, a sizing agent , methyl cellulose and proprietary pigments.
I sponge away most of the water and slowly air-dry the casting under fans up to two weeks to make sure it is stable enough to remove from the mold. After I remove the paper casts from the mold, I sign and number these limited editions and frame most of them. Some of the larger ones have hangers embedded in the back and don't require a frame.
Each casting is light-fast, acid free and moisture resistant - truly archival, museum- quality paper !
DO YOU EXHIBIT YOUR WORK AT ART SHOWS OR GALLERIES ?
I exhibited at juried fine art festivals and art galleries across the country for over 30 years. I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2007 and gradually had to give up "show biz" The physical demands of travel and doing show required an evolution in how I create. Hence, the exploration of new mediums ad forms of expression...
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN MAKING HANDMADE PAPER ?
I made my first handmade paper sculpture in 1987- over 32 years ago!
DO YOU TEACH CLASSES ?
I taught Commercial Art at Pikes Peak Community college in the 1980's and had a number of apprentices from the 90's until 2007. I'm still open to teaching basic papermaking ...