Yupo, etc.

There has been a lot going on here. Someone I really care about is going through a horrible time, and that is really difficult. It's hard not being able to help.

I'm a fan of keeping busy when there's something on your mind, and we've definitely been doing that. I had a week off between the spring semester and the beginning of my summer semester, and we really hit the ground running with our summer chores. Christian actually made a list at the beginning of the week with tasks for each day (adorable), and we did everything on it! One big step was finding homes for a ton of stretcher bars for art canvases that I had already disassembled. This is a big step in me realizing that sometimes the space is more valuable than the stuff in the space. Also a big step in getting ready for the press.

I had a Blick gift card from my birthday, so I ordered some of my favorite (and pricey!) papers--Rives BFK and Hosho. I also ordered something new--Yupo, a synthetic paper. When I first heard about this stuff, it sounded like a bad idea--the world does not need more plastic. I was still really curious though, so I went to the company's website and learned that the material is completely recyclable and of course it has the advantage of not killing any trees to make it. Fascinating! This paper has a mat finish and it's completely non-absorbent. It's actually sold as watercolor paper, though I imagine painting on it would feel very different from painting on traditional watercolor paper. Until now, I've used cardstock or cut up plastic folders (like mylar) to make stencils for my gelatin monotypes. Now I'm going to try Yupo stencils. The material is lovely to draw on as well. I've only used pencil so far, but I also want to try water soluble crayons, maybe even to color the stencils before I print. I have a feeling that I will go through this pad of Yupo really quickly!