Georgette L. Veeder

ARTIST STATEMENT

I love the power of paper! I am able to to build, layer and shape with pulp fibers and create new forms of expression. This work is cast paper. It is made with handmade rag paper pulp. I have adapted traditional methods with personalized techniques.

Papermaking promotes the bonding of cellulose: a carbohydrate, which is the chief constituent of cotton plant cell walls. Tasteless and odorless, cellulose is a type of polymer. I make paper from shredded cotton rags. I soak and beat the cotton rags with water in a Hollander-type beater. When the individual fibers are separated and suspended in water and the cellulose is hydrated. This hydration is ultimately responsible for the chemical bonding. The basic colors are from the cotton rags. In addition, I added pigments to the pulp. For this installation I made the original pieces in clay and then made rubber molds. I pressed the wet pulp into the rubber molds. When dry I airbrushed areas with acrylics.

Georgette