Announcement    HANDMADE PAPER FROM THE FARM!
Papermaking is a labor intensive process but one with great rewards. I have been able to combine my desire to live a “green” lifestyle with my need to create art. This is done by recycling materials into paper and then using that paper to create art. I use plant fibers from our small farm (those that I can get before they go into the compost pile!), pieces of scrap paper of ALL kinds including the wrappers from tea-bags (why do tea bags have to come individually wrapped anyway? I have switched to brands that do not do this.), and I even make paper from linen clothing found at the thrift store. Repurposing things that would otherwise go to waste is a very satisfying thing to do. The paper that I make is beautiful and tactile. No two pieces are ever the same so whatever artwork I do on it is totally unique, one-of-a-kind. Even if I make prints of the same drawing or painting each will be different because of the variety within the paper itself. This reproduction of my drawings and paintings has proved to give them new life and added beauty. The paper is used in an ever increasing range of ways: to draw on directly, for etchings, to collage on or to reproduce prints. I create the paper to have embedded characteristics like bits of plant fiber or tiny pieces of colored paper. I have also laminated materials between sheets to increase the textural quality of the finished piece. Edges are irregular and ruffled. When framed slightly elevated from the background in a shadow box these edges create a lovely dance of shadows around the piece. I have recently branched out into rescuing objects from thrift stores and clearance racks and recreating them into new works of art. Reuse, Restore, Recycle!! For more examples of my work and some pictures of the papermaking process go to: www.caterobbins.net. I also have an additional etsy shop called robbinsart.