“…papermaking is undeniably splash heaven”
Paper Artist and Printmaker
I don’t know if there are any metaphysical dots to be connected here but papermaking is undeniably splash heaven.
This is because while the medium is pulp, the vehicle is water. Thus, with so much pouring, dripping, squirting and hosing, I think in terms of water painting, water drawing and finally water shaping, through the use of protective stencils.
The careful designing and cutting of these stencils provide just the corrective I often look for to complement the slop of pulp play. (Georges Braque’s statement “I love the rule that corrects the emotion” comes to mind.)
“If one is willing to entertain the reciprocation or dialogue of printed images with exuberant paper, then the step from pulp painting to printmaking is small.”
The conventional rationale for quiet, uninflected white paper is to eliminate all distractions from the printed image.
Against this irreproachable logic, however, lies the sheer theatricality of the composite image of print and paper which raises a novel set of esthetic considerations.
– Laurence Barker
Art Catalog (PDF)