11 Monday Nov 2013
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
eco-art, environmental art, Global Nomadic Project, Gongju South Korea, International Nature Art Curators, Nature Art, Yatoo, Yatooi
11 Monday Nov 2013
Posted in Uncategorized
I was awarded an artist-in-residence at Sitka Center for Art & Ecology in Otis, Oregon, from October 16, 2013 to January 10, 2014. The Sitka Center is located in the northwestern part of Oregon on the coast just above Lincoln City. It is a beautiful area, and Sitka Center is part of the Cascade Head National Scenic Research Area. They have wonderful studios and small cabins for the residents here. We are living amidst tall Sitka Spruce trees and also able to see the ocean where the Salmon River runs into the sea. There are many elk here we are told – haven’t seen one up close yet but I have seen a big herd of elk far up on the mountainside.
I am having a great time making my handmade paper art in the big and light-filled Boyden Studio at Sitka Center. This studio has great facilities for a papermaking with a huge bathtub sink, stove and lots of tables and also a high ceiling for my suspended installations. One of the things I started when I first arrived here was making paper with some pulp I brought with me, kozo and blue jean pulp. I noticed the Sitka logo form that is on all the signs around here. So, I decided to make some handmade paper that was inspired by the Sitka logo, a spiral form, that reminds me of the ocean, the wind and waves. A poet Tom Crawford, also a resident artist here now, and I may collaborate with a calligrapher to put one of his Sitka inspired poems on some of my handmade paper.
Here are some photos of me working in the Sitka Center studio and making the Sitka Center symbol-inspired handmade paper. I am drying the paper on sheets of non-woven interfacing, and I used buttercut to make the spiral stencil on a round embroidery hoop frame with ordinary fiberglass window screening on it.
I am also making paper from plant materials collected here for a Sitka site map and other works I am planning. I have made paper from 3 plants so far and have 3 others gathered and ready to cook up and make pulp. I will keep posting here with news about the results from the Sitka plants and the new artworks I am making.
My husband Tim is here with me at the Sitka residency and he is enjoying taking photos of everything. For some really great photographs of the Sitka area and the Oregon coast (also some of my art projects!), take a look at my husband Timothy S. Allen’s photo blog at http://allentimphotos2.wordpress.com
31 Thursday Oct 2013
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Tags
art project, Gallery Route One, Lucid Art Foundation, papermaking, plants for papermaking, Point Reyes, Point Reyes Station, Public Art Project, West Marin Community Foundation, West Marin School
In my “For the Birds” public art project and residency at Point Reyes, CA, working with children in West Marin School and supported by Gallery Route One (www.galleryrouteone.org) and the Lucid Art Foundation with additional support from the West Marin Community Foundation, I used 7 local plants to make the handmade paper for the hundreds of paper feathers to hang from the big nest in the Commons and the many smaller nests installed int he trees along main street (Hwy. 1) in Point Reyes Station.
The paper pulp has seeds to feed the birds and I also used some pulp made from old blue jeans and abaca (musa textilus) as well as these 7 local plants:
Olive tree bark
The olive bark pulp was a nice tan color and interesting texture, but a little difficult to remove from the papermaking mould.
Eucalyptus bark
I think eucalyptus bark pulp is great and a nice rich dark brown color. I gathered the bark that was peeling off the giant trees along the roadside in this part of California.
Willow bark (Salix arroya)
These willow trees are everywhere along the roadsides in the Point Reyes area. The road maintenance crew was trimming back the trees so they don’t cover up the road! I was able to get many branches that were useful for papermaking as well as for making the nests. This willow is not so bendable as weeping willow, but still a great material for basketmaking as well as the bark being useful to make paper pulp. I like the color of the paper, a nice golden tan, but I think I needed to cook it longer as it was still very tough and stringy even after cooking for 4 hours.
Crocosmia leaves
This flower is a member of the lily family, and the flowers are yellow and looks somewhat like day lily. It was growing in the West Marin School garden near where we were making the handmade paper feathers for this public art project. It proved to be an excellent plant for papermaking.
Canna leaves
There were also many canna lily flowers in the school garden. This one has beautiful red flowers. The leaves look big and promising for papermaking, but actually it gave little pulp. The leaves cook down so much that only a handful of pulp remained after the preparation. The paper is nice and crisp but it is probably not worth the trouble since the yield is so little.
Cattail leaves
Cattail leaves are great for making paper, and I have used this plant before in Taiwan and other places. There are many cattails growing along the Tomales Bay in the Point Reyes area. This is one of the most plentiful plants for papermaking in the area and it makes great paper…a nice tan color and good texture.
Corn husks
Corn husks are good for papermaking although the texture is a little rough. I got the corn husks by saving all the husks from the corn we ate during the 3 -week residency….yum. Corn husks are also easy to get at the local grocery store as usually they take away some outside husks before putting the corn out for sale.
If you have any questions or want more information just email me. I made a sample book for Gallery Route One and Lucid Art Foundation that has the complete recipe and samples of paper made from all 7 of these plants used in the “For the Birds” project, Sept. 7 – 25, 2013.
28 Monday Oct 2013
Posted in Uncategorized
My Solo exhibition at Gallery Route One, Point Reyes Station, CA, titled “For the Birds” is on view from Oct. 25 – Dec. 1, 2013, and the exhibition contains mixed media sculpture installations and photographs related to my “For the Birds” public art project and residency in Pt. Reyes during the month of September. This public art project and school residency was a project of Gallery Route One’s Project Space and sponsored by the Lucid Art Foundation and the West Marin Community Foundation. There are several wing sculptures made from found branches in the show, and they are on display along with many additional handmade paper bird feathers so that visitors can write some wishes for the environment on a paper feather and hang it in the gallery on a wing.
The large nest created in the Commons in Point Reyes Station is still on display with its many handmade paper feathers. Also, the small nests created in public workshops and by the children at West Marin Elementary School are also still being displayed along Main Street (Hwy 1) in Point Reyes Station, CA. They will remain on view through Dec. 1, 2013, or until they biodegrade or the bird seeds get eaten by the birds.
Thanks to the Gallery Route One Exhibition Committee and Project Space coordinators, Mary Eubank and Zea Moritz for their help in installing the show. Thanks also to my husband Timothy S. Allen for taking all the photos of the “For the Birds” project. For more photos by Tim, take a look at his Blog at http://allentimphotos2.wordpress.com
22 Tuesday Oct 2013
Posted in For the Birds
“For the Birds” Public Art Project with Gallery Route One, Point Reyes Station, CA, September 5-25, 2013
This artist-in-residency and public art project included the creation of a large bio-degradable nest sculpture of branches and handmade paper feathers in the Commons and the making of many small nests installed in trees along the main street in Point Reyes Station, CA. The artworks were created with the participation of students at West Marin Elementary School and community volunteers during Jane Ingram Allen’s artist-in-residency project in Point Reyes September 5 – 25, 2013. The children and volunteers worked with the artist to construct the large nest in the Commons and make many handmade paper feathers to line this nest as well as constructing smaller nests also lined with the handmade paper feathers. The handmade paper feathers are made from pulp created with local plant waste materials (leaves and bark) and have seeds to feed the birds in the pulp. 7 local plants were used to make the handmade paper for this project, and the birdseeds are the blend called “No Mess” because the seeds do not sprout. The children and adults wrote wishes for the earth and made drawings on the handmade paper feathers they created to hang on the “Nest” at the opening celebration on September 22. This art project was completed on September 22, and the handmade paper feathers tied onto the “Nests” for the birds to eat. The public art installation will be on view until December 1, 2013, or until it disappears as compost. It is hoped that this public art installation will raise more public awareness about birds in Point Reyes and the importance of preserving habitat and a clean environment “for the birds” as well as humans.
All photos here are by Timothy S. Allen. For more photos by Timothy S. Allen, view his Blog at http://allentimphotos2.wordpress.com
Jane Ingram Allen Art Projects 