Handmade Paper – Susan E. Brown, Interior Design

Susan E. Brown Handmade Paper

My handmade paper art derives from the need to create balance. That need originates from society’s discrepancies of pain and joy, security and instability, compassion and exploitation, as well as balance within the aesthetic variables of hue, texture, shape, line and proportion.

Gallery

Contact me for purchase information.

Pulsating Warmth — 37 x 31 inches — hand pigmented and couched abaca

Threat of the Republic — 30 x 30 inches — hand pigmented and couched abaca, gold paint, sewing thread, watercolor

Sanity Check — 28 x 34 inches — hand couched and dyed abaca and cotton fiber, acrylic paint, dried floral, stapes, watercolor, sewing, permanent marker

Sunsets and Rainstorms — 48 x 36 inches — hand pigmented and couched abaca, watercolor, nori paste

The Creep — 25 x 27 inches — hand pigmented and couched abaca, watercolor, seewing and embroidery thread

Convergence — 14.5 x 22 inches — abaca pulp, tea, sewing thread, embroidery thread, watercolor paint

Pojagi Bird (SOLD) — 19 x 16.5 inches — abaca pulp, sewing and embroidery threads, acrylic, watercolor and metallic paints

Safety Flag — 20 x 12.5 inches — abaca pulp, pigment, acrylic paint, watercolor paint, metallic paint, sewing thread

Redlining (SOLD) — 17.5 x 18 inches — abaca pulp, pigment, acrylic paint, thread, mod podge

Colorful Keys — 8.5 x 28 inches— abaca pulp, cotton pulp, pigment, metallic paint, mod podge

Elemental (SOLD) — 26.5 x 28 x 0.50 inches — abaca pulp, cotton pulp, pigment, metallic paint, mod podge

Mud Cloth — abaca pulp, tea stain, watercolor, machine stitching, pigment, sealant

Some you win, some you lose — 12.5 x 17 inches — abaca pulp, tea, watercolor, acrylic paint, sewing thread

Waterways (SOLD) — abaca pulp, pigment, twine, sealant

Accordion Landscape — abaca pulp, cotton pulp, pigment, machine stitching, ink stamping, tea stain, sealant

Hiatus — 23.75 x 15 x 2 inches— abaca, pigment, acrylic and metallic paint, mod podge

Gray Folds — 11 x 12 inches — abaca pulp, watercolor, nori paste, mod podge, thread, burned edges

Black and Blue Folds — 8 x 12 inches— abaca pulp, pigment, sewing thread, metallic paint, recycled mulberry paper

Blue and Gold Folds — 11 x 14.5 inches — abaca pulp, metallic paint, red and metallic thread, mod podge

Integration/Segregation — 36 x 36 inches — abaca pulp, twine, machine stitching, tea stain, recycled mulberry inked paper, watercolor, dried plant material, sealant

Black and White Folds — 10 x 13 inches — abaca pulp, tea, pigment, sewing thread, recycled mulberry paper

My handmade paper art derives from the need to create balance. That need originates from society’s discrepancies of pain and joy, security and instability, compassion and exploitation, etc. as well as balance within the aesthetic variables of hue, texture, shape, line and proportion.

I love the hands on approach of working with paper pulp and the many ways it can be manipulated to be 2D, 3D, textural, smooth, sewn, painted on and much more!

When I was a teenager in school, I remember a science class where the instructor informed us that water is an extremely strong chemical compound and that each droplet works as a magnet wanting so badly to be with the neighboring droplet. Of course, I had to try it out and quickly found out it’s true…water will pull itself towards each other to create a larger puddle. This really cemented my fascination with water.

I attended the University of Minnesota and earned my Bachelor of Science in Textile Science spending a lot of time post-studies in textile laboratories and the science field. After this wonderful experience, I was ready to take my love of fiber and its many properties in a different, more creative direction. I returned to University studies and obtained my Master of Art in Applied Design. My focus was on Integrative Interruptions in Color Relationships. For my thesis, I had to assert what art medium to show my design principles in, and discovering the medium of handmade paper, I was hooked. With the many pigments and additives used, not to mention almost anything you want to throw in the pulp mixture and the variety of fibers available, It’s a great combination of water, fiber, art, and science…the perfect art medium for me!

I have continued to work and play in the medium of paper pulp, and all of its’ wonderful properties ever since!