Paper Craters

Inspired by Alexis’s discussion on inductive leaps I am going anywhere and everywhere with the paper casting and it’s so liberating. I think I have tried too hard in the past to weave my ideas together too neatly, which means I am critical and that’s good but I probably miss ideas along the way if they don’t ‘fit’ into the thinking.

I have been casting paper onto foam and decided to try natural sponges which have created these little paper craters. I love the irregular edges and I feel an urge to draw on them with indigo or compost humus ink. I want to weave the blue into my work again, as it’s really one of my central interests, but it isn’t quite in keeping with the compost.

Next steps

• Bigger batches of paper pulp as it takes so long to soak I need several vats on the go at once

• Improve drying as they have been taking too long. During the few sunny days last week I got so much done but particularly over the winter it won’t be practicable to wait a week or more for each cast to dry

• Making lots of the craters and stacking them, playing around with how they relate to one another. Sculpture and installation are possibilities (consider differences, what’s important…)

• Drawing into them with humus ink and indigo to see how the colour absorbs and what sorts of effects and marks I like

• I have been thinking about larger scale craters, such as using chicken wire and dipping the whole wire crater into a vat of pulp