A final summer of hanji retreats

I made this one in July with 100% bark lace, a mini version of something I had wanted to do all along.

These came out of consignment and then I covered them in ink.

 

This photo is by Gus Chan, a great photojournalist I've been fortunate to work with before.

 

He came by during my first hanji retreat of the summer. It already feels like eons ago, but it was a wonderful group as always. Above is Delaney, and below is Lisa working and Justine assisting, another great shot by Gus.

Delaney cracked me up when she complained about the blue tape on my apron. It's intentional, to cover a hole. I've had that apron for at least 10 years if not more, and it's layers are peeling away. You can make a version of it yourself!

Both sections of class loved bark manipulation. Lace, grids, thread, casting.

Here, Myong is using a tool she made in one of Jeff's workshops and it was great to help lift the dry bark that had been hammered onto the wood board with a rock.

After a week off in between classes (while my students were heavily impacted by the CrowdStrike debacle), I had another group of students (not all pictured but all present) that took to the vat like a fish to water. Victoria was more Wonju style,

and Myong more Uiryeong style. We can't get into the epigenetics of it all, but from the first hanji retreat I offered, my students said they felt more Korean after working at the vat. It's a gift to meet people who take to the techniques so smoothly.

Parting and boarding! I will miss these walls.

Because the week after the final class ended, I moved out of the second hanji studio I built in this area.

Unfortunately, unlike the first, this one will no longer continue to exist as a hanji studio. The beater was the big beast for the move. You never know until the movers come if they can handle it, but I was impressed by their technique. That entire thing weighs over 1100 pounds.

I am grateful to have been able to build a space from scratch and host six sessions over three years of students who have become very dear. There's more to leaving than, "time to go!" but not something I want to disclose publicly. The incredible support I've gotten from friends, students, and family since has been heartening. There is even more good news that I have to keep under wraps for now. Suffice it to say, everything falls into place once you act on the big hard decisions.

Things start to flow again after being stuck for a long time. Priorities become extremely clear.

More often than not, many signs light up along the way as a reminder that you're on the right track.

What's coming up? I'll be in NYC for parts of the BOOKSMART fair at Art on Paper in Sept. In Oct, I'll be in Michigan and will teach a paper rope workshop in Kalamazoo, before my show that opens there in early Nov. I'm already taken aback that fall might be even more hairy than summer.