Revisiting the Painted Page

Recently I met up with my book friend Regula for a show and tell over coffee. I got to reexamine her newest and she was very interested in my painted books from Penland. She has a new book in development and the technique seemed to be exactly what she was searching for. The day after we saw each other, I got a call from her ready to set up a painting afternoon.
Yesterday was sunny and dry and perfect for letting our pages dry on the deck. Regula is Swiss-born and has a charming accent. Bella "sat" beautifully for her and drank in her praise ("I'm so proud of you! You're such a smart dog!" sounds much more enthusiastic with European phrasing.) And in truth, Regula is one of the most positive people I know. Her new book just won second prize at the Society of Bookbinders in England and I'm looking forward to sharing some images here in the next few days. She is one of the few book artists I know who really bring literature, art and book structure together in a highly-satisfying way. (More on that soon.)
I had purchased the wheat paste (Wheat Paste No. 301 from Talas) after my return from Penland, but hadn't tried the technique since then (much less taught it). In preparation for our work, I covered the dining room table with plastic, found enough plastic containers for us to mix paint and paste and brought out a few sheets of Rives BFK which is what we used in class. The heavy paper is sprayed lightly with water and then you just paint (mixing a very small amount of acrylic with the made-up paste). In the intense work space of Penland, it's not always possible to truly internalize what you're learning, you just keep doing. Yesterday I realized that what is so unique and wonderful about this technique is the ability to build up layers of color, image or texture without compromising the paper. (Laura probably told us this several times at Penland, but sometimes I'm just slow ;-) The first layer of paint paste gives you a pastel version of your color....very dissatisfying, and one of the reasons I had never been a fan of paste papers in the past. BUT, when you bring out another color (or even the same one) and add a second layer, things really start to happen! You can continue to add layers of paint...the paper seems to only get stronger for it...or you can add stencils, acrylic ink drawings or writing, or my favorite Neocolor II pastels. Because you're using paste, the paint does not get "plasticky" like pure acrylics, and because you're using acrylics in the paste, each layer is no longer water soluble after it dries.
Regula is a letterpress printer and teacher and she was eager to go home and try underprinting the paper on her press before painting images with the paste-paint. She had also brought a lighter weight paper to try, Rives Heavyweight, and we found that it stood up just as well as the heavier cover paper. That means that the eventual book signatures will not be as thick..the paper is also considerably less expensive.
This is the second time I've been able to share a technique I've learned elsewhere with her and I find that it's incredibly satisfying to pass along what you know. You really do get so much back from your "student" and it's wonderful to see how they make the technique their own.