One tracked

I knew it would be ridiculous to even think I could do more than this job this month, but of course I brought two books for research (and ordered two more), a bunch of articles to read, and onion skins for dye. I did manage to make cords from the bundles of hanji strips I brought, though, so that feels like a small triumph. While I am only minutes away from David Reina, I wanted to follow up on my interview with him in the winter and take pictures at his shop. You can glimpse him through the window of his Land Rover.

Here are two beautiful machines all done and ready to be crated: a dry box, and a beater with a washer. He is so generous with his time and a wonderful host. I was taking pictures and later looked at them, thinking about how little I know. The shop is crammed full of tools, equipment, parts, cars, and so on, and it reminded me of how when I took pictures in Korea during my hanji research year, I knew some but not a ton. Later, as I learned more, each picture revealed more answers and questions hiding in plain sight.

I'm going to test Carriage House's cooked and bleached kozo, maybe in Australia. Though I've never liked the super bright whites from chemical bleaching, I am curious. To reduce weight, I'm drying it all out for easy transport. Of course I say I'm only doing this job, but this fiber test is also part of a bigger project I took on for the month as well, my first corporate exposure. This year continues to be full of surprises. Wed night is our big studio warming party—hope to see you there!