On Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 13 and 14, 9 participants came for the two-day workshop in hand papermaking from SCG Artist in Residence Jane Ingram Allen at the Blue Line Arts Center in Roseville, CA. The participants prepared plants gathered locally, cooked them in alkaline for three to four hours, washed out the alkaline after cooking, and beat them to a pulp by hand with wooden hammers and then finished the pulp preparation by mixing the fibers and water for a few minutes in a kitchen blender.

The plants we used in this workshop were cattail leaves, white mulberry bark, Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) and Bird of Paradise leaves. We also used some already prepared blue jean pulp (cotton), kozo (paper mulberry) and abaca (a banana leaf relative) dyed orange. The participants learned Jane’s modified Japanese style sheet forming technique and many other techniques for layering and embellishing handmade paper artworks. We couched the newly formed handmade paper sheets onto non-woven interfacing fabric and then hung them to dry outdoors. Here are some photos taken by my husband Timothy S. Allen of the two-day workshop.

The workshop participants were all very creative and enjoyed working together in the wonderful indoor and outdoor studio space available at the Blue Line Arts Center. Jane will be continuing her artist in residency through September 26 and trying some other local plants for hand papermaking and making some new works inspired by her time in Roseville, CA. This week she has a tour group visiting from a local college and Open Studio on Thursday and Fridays from 12 – 2 pm and the Artist’s Talk and Reception on Saturday, Sept. 20, 4-5pm (lecture) and 5-7pm (reception). Check out the website of Blue Line Arts Center for more information about the Susan Cooley Gilliom Artist in Residency and Teaching Program at Blue Line Arts Center: https://www.bluelinearts.org/scg-national-2025

The public is invited to come visit with the artist and see her exhibition during gallery hours Tuesday through Saturdays, 11 am to 5pm. The public is also invited for the Open Studio times and for the lecture and reception. Jane will continue working at the Blue Line Arts Center through Friday, Sept. 26. More photos will be coming soon of this hand papermaking artist in residency.