The process of handmade paper, which is the dipping and application of a wet pulp of pigmented cotton or other plant fibers, is considered the medium of these pieces in the same sense that watercolor, oil or pencil would be considered a medium that an artist chooses for his or her work. All of the color is applied wet using pigmented cotton fibers. The irregular feathered edges which follow the contours of the images are unique to the medium of handmade paper.

Artist's Statement

The centuries old process of hand papermaking has fascinated me since my first exposure to it. The process was originally an integral part of society providing paper for writing and the printing of information which was essential to the functioning of any developed society. Most paper was white or light colored for practical purposes.

I started working with handmade paper over thirty years ago and I have continued to explore and fine tune the medium in order to produce my handmade paper landscapes. My wife and I have lived on a farm in the Wabash Valley since 1973. The farm and the surrounding landscape have become the major influence on my work as an artist. My interest in color and my early training as a graphic designer has given me the vision which allows me to stylize my papermaking skills into the artwork you see in the gallery.

We normally think of watercolor, oil, or pencil as common mediums artists use to produce their work. I use the medium of pigmented cotton fibers suspended in water to produce my one of a kind handmade paper pieces. Hand papermaking is a liquid medium which allows the me to manipulate a variety of possibilities such as: embedding flat items, embossing, contouring the edges of each piece to follow images such as clouds or water and land forms, and creating multiple color variations and gradations to name but a few. The finished paper piece always has a unique matt finish which would be difficult to achieve in other mediums.

When viewing my work, you need to remember that all of the color is the result of light fast pigments which have been added to the white cotton pulp while it is wet. These pieces are not pastels which is a common misconception because the papermaking medium is so unusual.

Terry Lacy