TREES TO PAPER

by Joan Stevenson

We humans tend to think that we rule the world. After all, we have tamed horses, dogs, cattle, oxen and other animals to do our work. We cut down trees to provide shelter and for energy, we clear the land to grow crops and turn trees into paper. We think of ourselves with great power until we are confronted by hurricanes, far-reaching fires, and other deadly storms. Then we remember how really small we are.

by Martha Slavin

I was reminded of this concept while reading Richard Palmer's The Overstory. Palmer presents the idea that trees are the owners of earth, not the human beings who only travel beneath them. The tale relates how trees are interconnected in a vast network through their roots and branches, how they provide shelter, and turn CO2 into oxygen, and how we abuse them all over the planet.

The book is a good but sobering read. As a voracious reader, I love the feel of books in my hands and pass them on to others to read. As I rub the paper, I'm reminded of the trees that made that book.

We all have stories about trees in our lives. I remember planting the 5-foot sticks that now tower over our house. I remember climbing the maples and alder trees in my childhood backyard. I remember watching as my kite tangled itself in the branches of the one tree on a beach I was walking on.

by Martha Slavin

Pamela Paulsrud, an artist and calligrapher, asks people to tell their tree stories for her Tree Project. She organizes workshops for all ages. Attendees take recycled paper scraps, soak them, mash the slurry in a blender, spread the wet pulp into a circle frame across a fine screen, press the water out and make new paper from the old. Once the circles are dry, each person writes their tree story on the circle. Paulsrud then collects the circles and hangs them on lengthy strings, like a forest, suspended from an art gallery ceiling. Walking through the circles quiets everyone, almost as good as going tree bathing. A couple friends and I completed our circles and they will be included in her ongoing project.

Circle Forest created by Pamela Paulsrud

Other artists recycle books by making them into paper sculptures or repurposed artist books. A book can become a precious memento of a special occasion as Micki Cooper did for a nephew's wedding. Not only did she recover the cover with handmade papers and photos, but she turned the pages in a pattern to create a message for the bride and groom.

Repurposed book by Micki Cooper

You can learn this process by checking the instructables website listed here:


https://www.instructables.com/id/Folded-Book-Art-Best-most-clear-Tutorial-available/

To purchase patterns for folded book art:
https://www.foldedbookartpatterns.com/shop/

For information about Pamela Paulsrud, check out her blog for some beautiful examples of the circles:
https://treewhispers.com/blog/

Best of all, this weekend, plant a tree.