Hanji Happenings

 Life moves very quickly these days and I'm fortunate that mine is full of continuing with my passion, and enjoying the company of wonderful friends and spending time with my amazing family. I enjoy the company of my students who come to my studio to learn Hanji. They are my sounding board for a lot of my projects and as I often feel very isolated doing this traditional Korean craft here in Australia with no peers in which to bounce ideas off of, I appreciate their shared excitement in making items using Hanji techniques. Some of the students have been coming for over 3 years now and they're still finding different projects they'd like to make as well as spending time making unique gifts for family and friends. In between classes I manage to make Hanji pieces to place in our local art gallery as well as  creating unique pieces of my own.  Here's a pieces I've just completed and which can be found in many shops as you walk through the Insadong district in Seoul so th...

Whilst on a holiday in Bali last week I began to wonder if anyone there did paper making.   After a lot of research I came up with only one place, Saraswati Papers.   It was started by an Australian, Kali Sali back in 1995 when she realized how much Bali was struggling with an ever growing pollution problem caused by a growing and modernizing society.   Her goal is to reduce the amount of waste so her company collects and recycles papers from hotels, schools, businesses and homes.   As they don't use any bleaches or chemicals to whiten the finished papers the collected papers are then  cut so as to keep all the plain white pieces that haven't been printed on to use on their own and those with black and coloured printing are put together for a different type of paper. The papers are boiled overnight in a large pot.  I loved the Hindu blessing on the side of the stove. Before be...

Beginner Hanji Classes  When:                   May 2nd - June 6th                             10.30 am - 12.30pm Where:                 Station master's Art Gallery ' Red Hen' workshop                            20 South Terrace,                             Strathalbyn, South Australia Phone:               +61(08) 8536 4263 Level:                ...

'Paper art is a modern art bred by traditions and crafts related to paper and, as the newest area in contemporary art, it blends traditions and innovations, experiments and high achievements. It challenges world authors to create a new language of expression and new technologies that enrich contemporary art.' Sofia Paper Art Fest Several years ago during one of my many visits to Korea I was asked if I was a member of IAPMA.I had no idea what they were talking about and as such, I almost brushed it aside until one day I decided to do some research to find  out more about this paper association.  IAPMA stands for the International Association of Hand Paper Makers and Paper Artists and when checking out the website  I was intrigued by the  work that was done  by it's members. In a nutshell this association is an International Community of paper artists who share a common love of making and working with paper. Two years ago now, not long aft...

  Transformation, creation and longevity ...... Suji Kim Suji Kim a beautiful, young Korean is a 'Linking Traditional Artist' who embodies a new generation of Koreans who are working with their age old traditions and bringing pieces of Hanji art into the 21st century. Her background is in fine arts and her interest is in the symbolism of folk paintings which she reproduces onto Hanji .  Traditional Korean folk paintings portrayed the simple lives of everyday people  and were far from sophisticated and yet the characters, animals, birds, flowers, nature and  seasons all ha d symbolic meanings. When adored on screens and as paintings on walls they created pleasant surroundings with constant reminders to their traditions and values. Korean Folk Art is a dying art form because the majority of modern Koreans , as is true all over the world, would rather have minimalist designs adoring their homes . Suji Kim's interpretations of those paint...

Well where has the year gone!!   I'd just like to wish you all a wonderfully blessed Christmas with your family and friends and a Happy and fabulous Hanji New Year in 2017.  At the beginning of this year I couldn't have dreamt that I would have had such a fabulous year of creating and spreading the word about my Hanji passion to others. Sadly one of my dear hanji students, Necia Magain, passed away this year from an aggresive form of Cancer  but her spirit and love for all things paper continues to inspire me to make the most of every day that I have as life is so fragile and indeterminate. Thank you  one and all for your continuing support  by your kind comments, as well as following my blog and Facebook page and I hope I've inspired you just a little to continue your creative passions whatever they may be.  

Experimenting with the natural dyeing of Hanji paper, with traditional herbs. The next part of our journey took us to Jeong Hyun Ja’s Natural Indigo dyeing factory in Yeongcheong district. Hyun Ja was a very welcoming lady who opened up her premises for the filming of this documentary and was very happy to share her techniques for dyeing.   She started her business called I.N.D.T (Indigo Natural Dyeing Therapy) around 19 years ago and is hoping to pass it on to her only son, who was ably assisting her on the day. Jeong Hyun Ja is reportedly the first person in South Korea to discover the benefits of environmentally - friendly Indigo Natural dyeing products and has been an ambassador for the natural dyeing of fabrics in her country and overseas. She’s been widely quoted in the local and international media on the subject and talks extensively about POSTECH, the ergonomics Design and Technology laboratories as well as Kyunhee Univer...