Butterfly Wing Paper

Butterfly-wing paper is a technique developed by the teaching artist in which a frame is wrapped tightly with thread and then dipped in various pulp fibers to create thin sheets with thread inclusions. Participants will experiment with "cloud paper," or reverse pulp painting, where layers of pulp are applied to a backing sheet, allowed to dry, and then carefully peeled away. Using natural pigments, participants will also learn to color different kinds of pulp. These techniques do not require large equipment such as a press or dry box, allowing participants to continue experimentation beyond this workshop. Participants will complete one small finished work of butterfly wing paper, cloud paper, and many small experimental samples.

Full Description:

Butterfly-wing paper is a technique developed by the teaching artist in which a frame is wrapped tightly with thread and then dipped in various pulp fibers to create thin sheets with thread inclusions (or thread embedded in the paper). There are endless possibilities to explore with this unique technique–threads can be woven, different kinds of pulp create a variety of interesting effects with translucency and opacity, and frames can be designed to create specific patterns. Students will learn this papermaking technique, as well as how to use natural pigments to add color, while experimenting with different kinds of pulp. We will also experiment with a technique called "Cloud paper" or reverse pulp painting, where layers of pulp are applied by hand to a backing sheet, allowed to dry, and then carefully peeled away.  It is possible to make extremely thin sheets of paper, with a variety of interesting effects this way.  Neither of these techniques require a press or a dry box, making them accessible to people without access to those tools.

Students will complete one small finished work of butterfly wing paper, and cloud paper, as well as many small experimental samples.

Instructor Bio:

Hannah O’Hare Bennett is an artist, papermaker and educator based in Madison WI.  She holds a BFA in Printmaking from the University of Kansas (1998) and an MFA in Design Studies from the University of Wisconsin Madison (2017).  Between those degrees, she worked as a farmer, Peace Corps Volunteer (Ecuador, 2004-2006), and produce manager, manual labor that informs her current subject matter and manner of creating art.  She has had many residencies in the last three years, including at Women’s Studio Workshop (NY), StudioWorks at the Tides Institute (ME), Playa Summer Lake (OR) and The Textile Arts Center in Manhattan.  She has taught workshops at the Morgan Conservatory and the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, as well as in her own studio, Philyra Studio, LLC in Madison.  Her work has been shown across the country in group and solo shows, and has been featured in the Surface Design Association Journal.  In 2019, her work was selected for inclusion in Handpapermaking Magazine’s Portfolio 13, In Between.   She has served on the board of North American Hand Papermakers and edited  the organization publication, Bull & Branch.  She has taught college courses at Mount Mary University and University of Montana Western, and works as a substitute teacher for the Madison Metropolitan School District.

Student Supply List:

Scissors, sewing thread or other thin yarns of natural fibers (optional but encouraged)

small empty picture frames (optional but encouraged--can easily be obtained at thrift stores)

working turkey baster

small and thin objects for inclusions (fabric, paper cut outs, dried vegetation etc.)