We know so many talented folks from having a booth at the Eugene Saturday Market all these years. I’ve realized what a great resource that is, to know so many people with years of experience and knowledge in their particular craft, and have thought how great it would be to learn from some of them. Our booth neighbor at the market, Denise, happens to be a papermaker. Bracken has been fascinated by papermaking for awhile now and even did some of his own experiments at one point. I thought it would be wonderful to encourage his curiosity and I asked Denise if she would be interested in teaching a papermaking class for kids. She was! So, one day last week we joined some other friends and learned about how to make paper.

The process was so interesting to me and surprising as well. That’s how paper is made? How does it hold together? That’s amazing! Papermaking felt a bit like something magical was taking place. After all, you’re turning goo into a beautiful piece of paper, so that definitely seems magical to me. We did the project outside and it was a messy, hands on project, perfect for little hands and big hands alike. After each child had a stack of their own, handmade paper, the excess water was squeezed out with a homemade press utilizing a car jack. While that was happening, Denise’s husband Frank, who is a potter, let us gather round the wheel and watch a bowl being formed before our eyes. I’ve taken pottery classes in the past and enjoy working with clay and the feel of the wheel. The children loved watching and seeing how the bowl was made. Quite a memorable day!

Each child came home with a newspaper, with the pages filled with their handmade paper drying. We changed newspapers the next day so the paper would dry all the way. And then… paper! Bracken was so proud to show his dad the paper he had created. I took so many pictures because each and every piece of paper was truly a work of art. (The paint on his hands was from another project he had been doing before we took the pictures.) We marveled at how beautiful they all were. Look! That’s the one we put the sunflower petals in! Oh, that’s the one with the polka dots! (The polka dots were a fun idea by Frank.) Bracken told me he wants to get the supplies to make paper now (and asked Jeff to build him a frame) and I told Denise that she had inspired the next generation of papermakers that day. Bracken is not yet sure what he is going to do with his stack of paper, but he told me he’s saving it for something special.

{You can find Denise and Frank’s booth next to ours at the Eugene Saturday Market, in booth 349. They have handbound books and handmade paper, as well as whimsical and functional stoneware pottery. You can also find them online at Pulp Romances and Off-Center Ceramics. Thanks Denise and Frank, for the memorable day!}