Paper Galore

The other day i made a trip down to Queen St. W in Toronto to a tiny yet vibrant store called The Paper Place to buy a few sheets of paper. Little did i know that i’d be swept away for hours in a world filled with fabricated paper, origami art, and all the paper accessories one could ever need. I had gone to look for a very specific type of paper - Japanese washi and gampi. Something that was strong enough to withhold the warping of collaging and translucent enough to work with my layered tissue drawings - all part of a dream series i’m creating for my 4th year thesis exhibition. There were so many options to choose from and i didn’t want to make the wrong selection, as being a process-based artist, materials become as important as the final work itself. Due to this anxiety i asked for help and had personal assistance in selecting from books filled with samples, which was great. Since The Paper Place is known for having a large collection of Japanese papers, i knew i was in the right place. As i was flipping through a binder just for natural-toned papers, i came across the following that i ended up purchasing:

Gampi silk tissue, 12g

(Picture source: http://store.hiromipaper.com/hp 12sgampisilktissue.aspx) 

Gampi smooth #43 MM, 32g

(Picture source: https://www.currys.com/product.htmProduct=NAT1208&Source=Category&Category=A071B007004)

Gampi Udaban HM, 50g

(Picture source: http://www.pegasusart.co.uk/1486/Japanese-Paper-Place-Japanese-Paper---Mura-Udaban-B-Smooth-64g-16--x-56-.html)

Once i'd selected my papers, the nice lady there rolled em up for me and i brought them back to the studio. These papers were absolutely beautiful to look at and touch. In fact, once i brought them back with me to the studio, i was afraid to roll them out of the newsprint to prevent a single speck of dust or debris from landing on it. But eventually i had to get started and so here i am, cutting this beautiful paper into circles to use as a canvas for my collaging. Wish me luck!