Lori B. Goodman

Kozo, the bark of the Japanese mulberry tree, is the main substance of my mixed-media sculptures and installations. For thousands of years this bark has been harvested annually (the tree is cut leaving a base that grows back quickly), and made into an extremely strong and beautiful paper. The natural beauty of the white paper is exciting and mysterious in itself. Sometimes I pigment or dye this characteristically long, shiny, translucent fiber, which creates an intense and integral color. Often the paper is stretched like skin over an armature of reed, cane, or bamboo. I feel a connection to the ancientness of this process and continue to be seduced by the act of making paper.

The structures and installations are the result of looking intimately at and absorbing parts of life; the small pieces can be astonishing and overlooked. Often this analysis results in dissecting and exaggerating observations. It is hoped that this exaggeration demands scrutiny and thought and brings the forms out of the realm of any specific reality.