Forest Book Metal Mesh

Metals and metal mesh in various forms are the basis for this page in my giant Forest Book.  This page measures 4 feet heigh and 2 feet wide.  It starts with a piece of plywood, sanded, varnished and used for a base for riveting all the metals.  Tracy Moore taught me this technique at a workshop in his studio on forged metal journals.

As the page begins, I start to cut up some of the metal to start riveting pieces to the pages.  These are digital prints on recycled printers plates.

Digitally printed metals include: beverage cans, recycled printer plates, fine copper mesh, aluminum and copper screen. Most of the metals are riveted, some of the pieces are attached with waxed polyester thread.  Cord of waxed polyester thread are cut and attached to use with 3D collage.

All the surfaces have been digitally printed, most using a Clear Matte Precoat from inkAID.  Some of the mesh and metals have been cut and strung together with beads.

This detail shows recycled printers plates attached in strands and also riveted right to the page.  For more detail pictures of this page see my Kathyanne White Texture Blog.

Forest Book Amate Bark Page

This page is 48" x 24" and is several prints on paper made with the Amate Bark Process.  This is a several day process, but the results are always beautiful and full of texture.  I used Kozo Fiber from Japan.  The picture below are the 2 full panel used, you can see one has more holes in the surface then the other.

The prints are attached to a piece of wood.  Dyed cheesecloth is attached to the surface of the wood with gel medium.  The 2 larger prints are stacked and attached together with waxed linen with a large bead strung in between the panel layers.  This keeps the layers separate. The print with more holes is on top.  The edges are extended by using the smaller pieces with large beads and waxed linen

A cursory look at the process goes like this: soak the fibers overnight.  Boil the fiber and transfer it to a crock pot to simmer between 8 to 12 hours.  Layer the bark horizonally and vertically and again, depending on the thickness wanted.  Then pound together with a smooth rock and let it dry.  Coat with the inkAID precoat of choice.  Let dry again and print from a carrier sheet.

Detail pictures appear on my kathyannewhite texture blog.

A New Idea About Digitally Printed Alternative Surfaces

For a month I have been printing surfaces to be used in my Forest Book series.  The work for the series will push my idea and imagination on new alternative surfaces, the way these surfaces can be created and assembled.

For now I am working on studies to create large size books with the smallest page size of the smallest book to be 48"x 24". These Forest Books are based on my photography taken in the Waipoua Forest in Northern New Zealand and Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park.

I have finished 6 pages and have 3 more in pieces all over my studio. As I work through this idea, I will be posting images. My plan is to create a digital journal on what happens along the way, but that will evolve as this goes along. I will also be following up with details of the textures in the book on my KathyAnne White blog, where I post on texture.

This is the front of the first book with 6 pages. In the next few days, I will follow up this post with details of the pages.

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