Fiber to Form: Papermaking & Botanical Printmaking with Kaitlin Pomerantz & Samuel Havens

PLEASE NOTE: This is a two-session workshop, meeting on November 14th & 15th, from 12:00 – 3:00pm

Have you ever wanted to make your own paper to use in your own art? Join artist and materials researcher Kaitlin Pomerantz and Samuel Havens, master printer and Workshop & Residency Manager at The Church, for an introductory workshop on the practices of hand papermaking and botanical printmaking. Over the course of two 3-hour sessions, participants will be guided from fiber– the raw plant matter that forms the material basis of paper– to form– creative surface design made using various flora and the monotype printmaking process.

Day One: FIBER – Introduction to Hand Papermaking

Pomerantz will introduce participants to working with plant fibers to produce strong, archival, and completely custom sheets of paper. Participants will learn basic techniques of Western papermaking, including fiber processing and pulping, sheet forming, pressing, and drying. Advanced and experimental techniques, including inclusions, collage, and watermarks, will be covered as well. The paper will be pressed and set to dry for use the next day in monotype printmaking. Pomerantz will also share about her own practice and current botanical-themed paper project, a work from which is featured in the Church’s exhibition: Here & There: The First Churchennial. 

Day 2: FORM – Intro to Botanical Printmaking

With custom papers fabricated and ready for use, Havens will lead participants through the basics of botanical printmaking, using local flora to impress various textures and designs. Participants will have the opportunity to develop their own unique compositions, while also learning the proper steps and etiquette for operating an American French Tool etching press. At the conclusion of this session, each participant will have created several unique botanical monotypes, each printed on their own custom handmade paper.