Hanji Happenings

Sadly I'll be leaving the UAE in a few weeks time to settle back in Australia. It's going to be a huge move for my husband and I after an absence of nearly 15 years from our homeland but one that I'm looking forward to as I'm reunited with my family and I start a new chapter of teaching and learning Hanji back in Adelaide, Australia. Sue Fine, Anna Bailey, Diana Johnson, Monica Sturgess, Tricia O'Shea, myself, Christina & Arlette Van Veerdegem Over the last few months here in RAK, and with the last of the Hanji classes  winding down, the students  had been thinking of what to do to as a final farewell before I leave.  Diana piped up with, 'Why don't we have a Hanji Exhibition?'. I thought about it  and very quickly decided that there couldn't be any better  way to celebrate the classes than by getting everyone together and showcasing the students' amazing achievements.    I ran it past a few people and they were excited at the id...

During my recent visit to India I took the opportunity to visit Kagzi handmade paper factory in the district of Sanganer, 16 kms south of  Jaipur in the state of Rahjastan.  It's famous for it's handmade paper industry, textile printing and for Jain temples. Around 10 handmade paper industries are present in Sanganer so I was interested to see the difference between how they made paper in India and the way the Korean 'Hanji' is made. The process of manually manufacturing handmade paper, in either country, has changed very little over the centuries, despite all the advances in technologies but it's useful to note, that paper making started in Korea somewhere between 200 - 500 AD whereas it was only introduced into India in 1728. Therefore, Korea has by far a much longer history of paper making. There are generally around five steps in making paper: 1. Separating the  fiber from the rest of raw materials. (e. g. cellulose from wood, cotton, etc.) 2. Be...

Luana Rubin, Pam Holland and myself Well I have finally stopped travelling for a while and I now plan on having more time to devote to myself, my family and to Hanji. I've been fortunate enough to have spent the last 3 months travelling throughout Europe, on holiday with my husband, then back to Australia to spend time with my three children and their families and on Saturday I returned from a 2 week trip to India with my sister, Pam Holland, and her friend, Luana Rubin. I have so many fresh ideas for what I'd like to achieve in the next few years that I'm feeling quite excited at what the future holds for myself and my love of Hanji. Before travelling I was wondering how I'd cope being away from my Hanji studio for such a long time and not being able to create something tangible everyday but in heinsight, I think it's done the soul good to redirect my energies and to can come back to what I love best, afresh and renewed. During my tr...

I'm taking a break  from Hanji for a while as I head off on summer break...... I don't know how easy it's going to be to post whilst I'm away but if I get an opportunity and I have anything I think you might be interested in, then you may see a post or two pop up in the next 6 weeks. If you live in the Northern hemisphere I hope you all enjoy your summer break  and if you're currently going through winter  in the Southern hemisphere my wish is that you'll find lots of Hanji projects to keep you going.

One of the many uses for hanji paper is to line doors and windows of traditional houses and buildings.  This handmade mulberry paper is strong and yet it creates a soft diffused light inside the rooms which has been enjoyed for centuries by Korean families.

Here is a list of International Hanji Events for 2013 and their descriptions, written by the respective or ganisers    ........... if you know of any others  I'd love to hear from you so we can all share in what is going on in this every globalising world of Hanji. KOREA        Jeonju Hanji Festiva l   I've been to this event and it's absolutely amazing.  The Hanji  Artists   from around     the country come together to show their best work   for the year. I remember when I was in Korea my teacher was   showing her work and it was hailed as a must visit   event for anyone   interested in Hanji. The Korean Men and 'Ajimah's' are very  serious   about producing the  most amazing pieces of  furniture,  boxes,   screens  and lamps.  I was  blown away by what I saw.      When: - p...

Hanji Craft Class,  Fri 19th Oct 2012 Itaewon, Seoul DESCRIPTION:  Participants will make two multipurpose round-shaped boxes (10cmX12cm and 10cmX9cm)  using Korean traditional paper which is called hanji. Hanji is paper that is made from all natural ingredients and has been used in Korea for centuries. In the past it was used to make books and to cover windows and doors to keep out the wind. The paper is so durable that layered Hanji was even used as armor that could stop arrows. These boxes can be used to keep your accessories or small stuff on your dressing table or for keeping tea bags or candles in your kitchen. Also they make great gifts for friends or family back home as well. REGISTRATION:   in person at the Itaewon Global Village Center. DIRECTIONS:  Come out of exit #2 of Itaewon Station (Line#6, Stop 630), walk straight 200m, and look for the Hannam Building which has a 7-Eleven convenience store on the first floor. Th...

Don't forget to keep checking out my new WEBSITE. I'm constantly updating and adding articles and today I've added a short film on traditional, Hanji paper making in South Korea which was taken last November during one of my trips to the Andong Paper Factory to buy more supplies. It shows the making of the paper from the combining of the bark of the Paper Mulberry Tree (Dak in Korean) and the mucilage of the Hibiscus , to the drying of the sheets and putting it on the shelves ready for market. Placing wet sheets of paper in a stack My visit was on a weekend and I was amazed at the number of Japanese who were there buying the Korean paper which I am told is stronger and more versatile than the their papers due to the method of cross matching the fibres.  The shop was packed with locals as well as the Japanese businessmen wanting to buy paper from the factory as it's relatively cheap and they have a huge array of colours. Removing impurities from the ...