Guest Post: Marie Kelzer

It's not a secret that I love painting paste papers. I create the designs from a plethora of images unconsciously swirling around my head. I notice patterns on fabrics, in architecture, and at the ocean or amongst the shades of green on trees. I pay attention to the detail. What lies beneath and what comes to the surface. Just as I develop a rhythm for delving into images, the same movements sustain me while painting. While I love the finger painting aspect of making paste papers, I also find solace in the repetitive task of drawing a comb through the paste mixture to create a pattern.

As a bookbinder I fell in love with paste papers from the first class that I took. I was free to paint whatever appeared from the brush or comb I was using. I did not consider myself creative or an artist at that time. But I was after the inks dried. I could miraculously create something. That is why I fell in love and that is why I like to keep the techniques involved in making paste papers alive. In workshops I share these techniques which allow my fellow painters to create whatever comes out in the moment.

The fun doesn't stop when I've finished painting. The finished papers often look better after they have dried. I plan a book to bind with the patterned paper often before it has dried. I have always believed you can tell a book by its cover.

So join me at my painting table in one of the paper making workshops to have fun, be creative, and to come away with a stack of future projects to make. To preview what kind of designs you could make, visit my website at www.mariekelzerdesigns.com.