MarbledPaperArtisan

I am an itinerant artisan, instructor, and historic trades interpreter. My education includes a B.F.A. from Missouri State University(Springfield) and a M.F.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University. My creative work is influenced by history and channeled through the historic trades of papermaking, bookbinding, and paper marbling. I've held classes in Conneticuit, Illinois, Indiana, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. I have performed historically inspired demonstrations at Historic Deerfield, Massachusetts, Dollywood in Tennessee, The Boone Home in Missouri, Felix Valle Historic site in Ste. Genevive, Missouri, The Lincoln Log Cabin historic site in Illinois, New York State Fair in Syracuse, Champlain Valley Exposition in Vermont, The Shelburne Museum in Vermont, Old Sturbridge Village and the Eastern States Exposition in Massachusetts. My products are featured in the shops at Colonial Williamsburg, as well as other retail venues. My work as a historic artisan has earned me a position amongst the Top 100 Artisans in Early American Life Magazine's Directory of Traditional American Crafts.

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I was first introduced to marbled paper through books. My father would often bring my brother and I to the Saint Louis public library. Many of these books dated from the late 1800s, when marbling had become very fashionable and, therefore, very abundant. As a young child, I understood these mysterious designs were generated by some means of water. The process of paper marbling was a mystery to me, as it had been to many generations of admirers throughout history.
While attending University, I bought marbled paper through artist’s materials retailers, but it was not until I met Curtis E. Finley(1994), that I had the opportunity to marble my first sheet of paper. At the time, I was hand bookbinding and needed the same decorative paper. I wanted to build books with traditional tools, materials and techniques, and, therefore, was not satisfied with the contemporary nature of available marbled paper. Curtis came along in just the right time. In the mid-nineteen eighties, Mr. Finley reintroduced the world to alum-free marbling. Until that time, most paper marblers forgot about the old ways to marble paper without the aid of alum as a mordant to affix the paint to the paper. History shows us that alum was never used in the marbling process. It had been found to exist naturally in some pigments, and it was used in the manufacture of certain paints, but never was alum applied as we do today. This fact made Curtis’ marbling very attractive to me. Curtis’ paint was flawless. It allowed me to begin learning the trade and to share it with thousands of people through teaching and historic trades demonstrations.
In 2001, Curtis stopped selling paint. Curtis suggested that I start marbling with alum like everyone else. This was not an option. I had to preserve one of the basic essential elements that made paper marbling a historic trade: its paint. Curtis E. Finley had reintroduced alum-free paper marbling, and I was determined to continue sharing and preserving alum-free paper marbling.
I was now forced to figure out how to make my own paint. At this point, I had known Curtis for around five and a half years. Curtis revealed many clues pertaining to paint making, but no clear directions or obvious secretes were given. On April 5, 2003, after weeks of research, I attempted to make paint. By June 9, 2003, I was successful with Prussian Blue. On October 13, 2003, one of several yellow paints were successfully made. Around this time, a red pigment was found to complete the necessary primary color group needed to marbled paper in a historically appropriate way. Paint formulation continues today. Each day at the marbling tray is a new day. It seems that everything effects marbling a piece of paper. This is especially true of how and where I work. It must be known that I rarely marbles in the protective environment of my shop. By profession, I am a historic trades interpreter and teacher, along with being an artisan. I often perform outdoors and usually in the public’s eye. I work under a tent in temperatures ranging from 30 degrees to 100 degrees, in all sorts of atmospheric pressures, levels of humidity, and wind conditions. Paper marbling demands consistencies in the working environment for predictable limits to be realized. I normally do not have this luxury. I mention this because this has been a great influence. My work reflects research and efforts to preserve alum-free paper marbling.