Oh, so THIS is Chinese Paper!

Date: 15 June 2015
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: UVA Special Collections
Lecturer: Nancy Tomasko - Independent Scholar

This lecture will explore papermaking traditions in five of the many places in China where production of papers by hand continues today. Particularly informative and instructive are the techniques for making fine papers for calligraphy, painting, printmaking, woodblock-printed or moveable-type-printed books, and printed letter-sheets. Regional similarities confirm that contemporary production methods are a continuation of China’s long papermaking history. Differences in the fibers used, fiber preparation, mold size and shape, sheet formation, sheet drying, and sheet trimming all help determine the distinctive qualities and the quality of the paper produced. We will also look at some of the decorative techniques and end uses for Chinese paper and consider how these papers, which are scarcely known or used in the West today, might find renewed utility and new appreciation in our own work and artistry.