how to make paper pulp in your kitchen

I save all the scraps when I crop my drawings so I can re-use them as fresh paper. There are 2 reasons for this: fine art paper is expensive (@3$ to 45$+ a sheet) so throwing it away makes me sad, and because making paper is awesome! This batch of paper took several months of saving scraps. That pile underneath is only my most recent edition. So here's the how-to:


Save your scraps, and tear them up

Tear them into even smaller squares.

Place them in a big bucket (or gumbo pot in my case... the family would not approve) and cover the paper with water. Make sure to saturate the paper.
Let this concoction soak for a few days (at least 24 hours) and stir it occasionally. Mine sat for 3 days. The squares should fall apart with little effort.

Use a nifty screen bag (you can find them at paint stores) to strain out the water. At this stage it is ok to use your sink, but later either strain it twice or dump the water elsewhere because the paper fibers will clog your drain. 

Set up plastic on the floor as this part is messy. I have a household blender dedicated to blending pulp labeled "paper". Please do not use the same blender that you make smoothies with to make paper (this is not the kind of fiber you want in your diet)! 
Fill the blender with about one cup of soaked paper squares, and 2-3 cups of water as needed. Pulse at first, then blend to a pulp. Don't blend for long as this will shorten the fibers and weaken the potential strength of the paper. 
Blend only until the fibers easily float around in a glass of water. Should look like this:

Strain the water out (to prevent an awkward call to your landlord, don't dump this water down your sink unless you strain it 2 times). Leave your pulp in the squishy stage because the pulp needs to stay wet until we make the paper. Probably you should have more water in your bag than I did.

Put it in a baggie, or another air/water-tight storage container. Keep it in your refrigerator for short term, or the freezer for longer term storage. 

Will show you how to turn it into paper soon!

Amir H. Fallah

Born in Tehran, Iran in 1979 Fallah received an MFA in painting from UCLA (2005) and was named by LA Weekly as one of the top ten emerging artists in the region. His canvasses feel messy yet are skillfully painted with dynamic color. Complex compositions that seem slightly influenced by cubism and decoration, often including flowers, and collage are titled in a poignant/ cryptic way that feels heavy with meaning... or completely unrelated.  Fallah also makes sculpture/ installations, crafting this signature messiness with strong geometry and bright colors. He uses neon (or at least really intense color), pattern, and geometry,  and makes forts out of pillows... so it goes without saying that I’m in love.
http://www.amirhfallah.com/

He is the publisher of Beautiful/Decay:
http://beautifuldecay.com/

“Protected Emergency 1”, 2006, mixed media sculpture, dimensions vary

“Shamans Walk Among Us”, 2009, Watercolor, ink, pencil on paper mounted to canvas, 24”x 30” 

“Robbie Conal”, 2007, Archival C-Print, Info: The Fort series consists of collaborative forts created with male friends in their home. All materials for the forts were found on location and no aspect of the fort was preplanned.

Caroline Falby

Initially Falby’s drawings are reminicent of Japanese block prints, on closer look touches of medieval illuminated manuscripts. Falby’s illustrative style is detailed and dreamy. The dynamic compositions are meticulous and seem part of a grand narrative, except for the intricate touches of personal and political context. Layers of color around a line driven foundation are like wonderfully complex fairy tales.
http://www.carolinefalby.com/

Insurgency No. 6, mixed media on paper, 2006, 30”x 22”

The Eastern Front, mixed media on paper, 2007, 52”x 72”

Jim Lambie

Lambie uses everyday materials, like tape  chairs,  speakers, whatever into installations and sculptures that transform  spaces into optical illusions. Related to Op-Art in the 60’s and some say a foundation of  minimalism, it seems that Lambie steers clear of locking himself into a group. Lambie has a background in music and a strong sense of rhythm  and repetition give his work strength.
http://antonkerngallery.com/artist.php?aid=18#

“four to the floor”, 2006, Ceramic, paint, purses, mirror, dimensions vary

Afruz Amighi

Amighi, an Iranian artist now living in New York, creates installation pieces that play with pattern and light. Working on thin, plastic sheets (to mimic refugee tents), Amighi cuts out traditional pattern motifs from Iran in intricate detail. They are quite beautiful, stunning actually, and fairly politically loaded; enough of both to earn her  a prestigious Jameel Prize and lots of press. Amighi’s work is truly stunning, and I can’t wait to see it in person... I will look for it while in New York in a few weeks!
The gallery website:
http://www.nicellebeauchene.com/afruzamighi.html

“poppy garden” detail, exact media and dimensions unlisted. 

“1001 Pages” exact media and dimensions unlisted.

Jeremiah Teipen

Working primarily with digital art and video, Tiepen has a consistent, often funny, critique of human: tech interactions. Teipen’s digital ‘paintings’ can be difficult to view as they contain so much layered information. It seems that is the point. His displays are really nice, and definitely add another element to consider within the “white cube”.
His website has great video’s, although they take some time to load.
http://www.teipen.com/jeremiah/
another link with an artist statement
http://www.crossingart.com/ar_jere.html

“Social Network”, video

Jackie Matisse

I have mixed feelings about this artist. Being the granddaughter of Henri Matisse and the stepdaughter of Marcel Duchamp probably has some advantages to being acknowledged in the art world. Honestly, if she were one of my peers I would be impressed with some of her work as some is quite intriguing; however, much of it boarders on a cheesy Calder rip-off (I would say the same to my peers). It is interesting to me how my impression of her work didn’t change when I read her bio, but my expectations changed and I suddenly expected a lot more; maybe I’m just jealous! 
Collections of objects suspended by a thread inside what looks like a deconstructed curiosity cabinet that is less curious than beautiful. In “Magic Hair” the collected and arranged objects look as though they are spilling out of what was originally intended to hold them in. It is hard to tell if the objects are collected or made by the artist and likely are a combination of found objects that the artist manipulated; there are a lot of feathers in there.  It looks as though the cast shadows would tell another story about this object, but the gallery’s lighting in this photo does not show the potential. The artist in her words:  "I make and fly kites to play with color and line in the sky. My kites play games with the light, hide and seek with the clouds. They push and pull on the wind. They challenge the birds.”
http://www.raykass.com/html/Information/info.html

“Magic Hair”, 1981-91, Mixed Media, wire frame, 39x 16.8cm

Gallery Installation