Hand-made Corn Paper (3) - Processing the dry materials

Sorting, clipping, chopping, and soaking the dry materials:



Well, after a long break I decided to continue documenting this process. It took me some time to come back, and in between I made a couple of books and survived the flood of 2010. The corn field where I pick up the material for my paper was covered with water for a couple of weeks. My family and I had to stand in line to receive bottled drinking water from the local Red Cross. It seems like the flood was long time ago. O how well we recover. Thank God!!

Now, back to my story. I collect stalks, roots, and husks, and separate them into different bins. The husks produce softer and more pliable sheets, and they are easier to cut up with just about any kitchen scissors. Roots and stalks give more texture and are hard to cut up. They also take more time soaking and degrading. Sometimes stalks are loaded with splinters, so I recommend the use of gloves when handling roots and stalks.

When I find a good rhythm during my paper-making I combine different proportions of stalks, roots, and husks. Sometimes I like to add other fibers to the pulp such as cotton lint, recycled paper pulp, but that comes later. So, gather some friend in your backyard, serve some tapas and mojitos, and clip you heart out!

Cooking the materials (husks and stalks) after fermentation:



After the clipping and sorting is done, I place the raw materials in large plastic garden containers. Then, I rinse the dry stalks, roots, and husks with clean water. Rinsing ensures that no dirt or mud goes into the final pulp. I cover the containers with lids and the soaked clippings stay in my garden fermenting and braking down into small particles for about two weeks. I mix the clipping every other day using a strong stick or paddle. By the end of the second week the clipping are VERY stinky. So, use a mask or cover your nose with a bandana. Yes! You need to be a "bandido" a this point.

I believe the cellulose that is contained in the clippings (and what really makes the paper) is now released. Then, I rinse the fermented clippings, and cooking is next. I used to cook the pulp in my kitchen, but it is so stinky that after hearing so many complaints from my family, I decided to use a small burner and do the cooking outside.  As seen in the picture, in a five-gallon pot filled with water, I combine about 5 lbs. of pulp with 1/4 cup of ARM & HAMMER™ Super Washing Soda (100% sodium carbonate) and let the pulp boil for about two hours.

Note: Thanks to Guy for lending me your camping gear to do my paper-making.

Art Walk 2008

This is a picture of the poster designed by the Octagon Center in Ames, IA to promote my show in July 2008.

Cross Structure Bookmaking II

I finally managed to make another Cross Structure Book. It is also green!

Flooded Corn Field

The South Skunk River has been cresting for the last two weeks. Last night we had a big storm that contributed to flood large portions of Ames (Iowa) my hometown. The corn has been growing very strong in the fields where I get the materials to make corn paper. I was looking forward for the corn to mature and dry before it was time to see the big machinery collecting the corn during harvest time.


This afternoon I went to see how the flood had affected the corn and this is what I found: The river was running thorough the corn field. All "my corn" will be ruined! I hope the farmers who own the field have flood insurance. After I finished shooting this video, I found out that the town water plant was shut down. We were advised to boil the residual water before drinking it. A trip to the supermarket to get bottled water made me see how we act during emergencies.

There was no water left over to buy, and the lines of hoarders with their supermarket carts loaded with bottled water went to the back of the store. It was very busy and I got to think about people in other cities during an emergency (New Orleans, New York, the Florida Keys). I found an abandoned 12-pack of flavored water and I grabbed it along with two cases of seltzer water, the only water I found to buy. I will continue reporting about my corn paper project, hopefully not under this case of emergency. I still have two ears of corn left over to eat for dinner.

Hand-made Corn Paper (2) - Collecting dry materials from the field

This is an early spring activity. I prefer to collect corn stalks, husks, and roots after they have gone through the process of decomposition in the fall and they have been covered with snow for the entire winter. Once the snow has melted, just about the same time the crocus and tulips begin to sprout, I go out to the field with my oldest son, and I carry a black plastic garden bag.



The fields can be very dry and dusty, and we need to wear leather gloves to avoid getting splinters in our hands. Last year I was very ambitious and collected four bags full of dry material. This is when the fun begins.

Evolution of Corn: A Mural in Ames (Iowa, USA)

This mural titled "Evolution of Corn" is located at the city of Ames's post office. Lowell Houser, an artist from Ames known for his wood blocks and black and white drawings, painted the mural in 1935 as a commission from the Treasury Department Art Project.

The "Evolution of Corn" mural gives context to my hand-made corn paper project: The Aztec and industrial motifs; the Amerindian and European farmers; the green, red, gold, and silver colors of the palette are all my inspirations.

Photo by Eduardo García & Susan A. Vega García

Hand-made Corn Paper (1) - Beginning

Winter, spring, summer, and fall. The life cycle needed to process hand-made corn paper. From planting to harvesting, and a long dormant period, the raw materials are ready to be collected.










This is the beginning of a series of blogs about the process of making hand-made corn paper. The place is Iowa (USA), and the inspiration comes from the "culture" of corn found throughout the Americas.

A Visit to Hatch Show Print

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I have been filing my "old" non-digital pictures and I found some good shots with memories of my tour to the Hatch Show Print in Nashville, TN in November 2006.


It was such a treat to be able to get inside the print shop and see so many cool prints, shelves loaded with type, and the presses being used. The staff at the shop was very welcoming, they let me crank the press, gave me tips on how to make lino-cut reduction prints, and the manager even bought breakfast for me! Definitely Southern hospitality.


I cherish these fun memories of my trip to Nashville. There I also had the opportunity to see, at the Nashville Public Library, a special collection of Artists Books by the Sobota family. That incredible show sparked my interest to pursue an apprenticeship in book binding at the Jan & Jarmila Sobota Book Arts Studio in Loket, Czech Republic in the summer of 2007.

ArtWalk - 2010

Celebrating 100 Years of
Main Street in Ames, Iowa

It was nice to see so many people asking questions and admiring my 2010 collection of books made out of handmade corn paper.

I was pleased to show the following pieces:



1. CENTLI (Corn in the Nahuatl language) - A limited edition of two
Long stitch variation, amate, marble, itajime, and corn papers

2. DEER CORN - Long stitch und kettenstitch

3. GREEN CORN - Long stitch und kettenstitch

4. MISS LILLIAN PICKETT’S ALBUM - Expandable crossed structure

5. PERGAMINO - 16th Century limp binding, and postal ephemera

6. ROAD TO PELLA - Japanese stab binding, and map

7. USUDA-SAN - Japanese stab binding, rice, and washi paper

8. SUMI-E FORTUNE - Raised-cord binding, Chinese Joss, and sumi-e paper

9. CORN PAPER SHEETS

2010 Ames ArtWalk

Visit Ed García's newest
book show at
"It’s All About Me!"
209 Main Street, Ames, Iowa

June 4th at 5 pm

Seek: A gift for my niece

Seek
A poem in Spanish titled "De néctar de mango en la garganta", and a collection of randomly found objects arranged in an attempt to organize chaos.
My "unofficial shrink" tells me that I have "a compulsion for saving unnecessary things." True! I use that junk to make my handmade books. I am going to need more therapy.

Cross Structure Bookmaking Workshop

Hooray!
I made another beautiful and elegant book! Thanks to Dr. Peggy Johnston for teaching, guiding, and helping us.
I made this book hoping to use it as an album to keep Miss Lillian Pickett's 1930's archival notes on flower arrangement. After I finished the book, I decided to use it as a sample and make another one that is larger and can better accommodate Miss Pickett's collection.