Canada Artist Grant

I received a Canada artist grant with th Ontario Arts Council last year and worked on a project that Canada artist grant. I was awarded a grant of $2000 for emerging artists to learn a new skill or for professional development including the purchase of new art supplies. You can learn more about this Canada artist grant in this post!

Canada artist grant/OAC artist grant proposal

For my Canada artist grant I chose to focus on papermaking in my application. I proposed learning how to make paper out of plants and learning how to use the letterpress machine. I wanted to letterpress some of my Patched poems on handmade pieces of map paper I made. I also proposed to purchase some mould and deckles to help me with papermaking some abaca and cotton pulp, a vat and other paper making supplies. 

Canada artist grant/OAC artist grant 

I chose to work with a local paper making company the Papertrail to be able to learn about paper making easier. The Papertrail is based out of New Dundee, Ontario. That’s also where I attended workshops, completed my letterpress poetry project and ordered my papermaking supplies. 

I attended 5 paper making workshops in total with the grant money. A basic beginner paper making workshop, two workshops on making paper with plants and two on using the letterpress. 

About the Paper making Workshops 

The Beginner Papermaking Workshop 

This workshop took place in August of 2022 and in this workshop I learned basic skills and refined my paper making skills. We also learned how to use pigments in paper and got to experiment with the sheets of paper we made. 

Letterpress Workshop #1 

I did this workshop in November, during this workshop I learned how to use the letterpress and the history of the letterpress. I also did some test prints of some text with the letterpress. 

Paper Making with Plants Workshop

This workshop was a two day back to back workshop in December. In these workshops I learned how to make paper from plants. I made paper from the stems and pods of milkweed as well as from flax. I got to use their hollander beater and beat the pulp by hand. 

Letterpress Workshop #2 

This workshop happened in December. I got to complete my Patched poem project and letterpress 5 different poems I wrote onto handmade map paper. 

All of these workshops were full day workshops. I am grateful for the Canada artist grant with OAC and being able to develop my paper making skills as an artist as well as being able to complete a project and purchase new paper making supplies.  

You can purchase my book Patched that has more poems here!

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How are Paper Made with Plants

How are paper made with plants? Paper can be made with natural fibres whether it is plants or a material that comes from plants like 100% cotton fabric. Learn how are paper made with plants below!

How are paper made with plants - the process 

When making paper with plants the fibres of the plants need to be weakened. Naturally a plant has strong fibres and has a lot of strength. 

The paper above is made with milkweed seeds as part of my OAC grant in 2022.

How are paper made with plants 

How are paper made with plants - Harvesting

There are a lot of books and online resources to explain how to make paper with plants. First of all, you need to decide what plants you want to use to make paper. You can begin by harvesting or collecting those plants. Different parts of the plant will make different kinds of paper like different types of plants will make different types of paper. 

For example, you can make paper with leaves, stems, seeds, or buds/flowers of the plant and they will all form different types of paper. 

The paper above is made with flax as part of my OAC grant in 2022.

It’s always good to collect lots of plants. You want to collect at least ¾ of a pound of that same part of the plant. You don’t want to mix different parts of the plant together because they are all going to take different times to weaken. For instance, a stem is stronger than a leaf so it is going to take longer for that fibre to weaken so it will be soft enough to make a sheet of paper. 

How are paper made with plants - Cooking

Next you will want to begin researching to determine how long you will want to cook/boil the plant so that you can weaken the plant fibres. You will need a large pot and you will want to use a different pot then the one you use to cook your meals. You can find lots of large pots at the thrift store.

You will also need a long spoon to stir the plant. You can keep checking it every 20-30 minutes to see if the plant is getting softer. You want the plant to begin to break apart. 

The paper above is made with stems from milkweed as part of my OAC grant in 2022.

How are paper made with plants - Blending/Beating the Pulp

After the plant has been cooking and is soft you can transfer the mixture to be able to blend it or beat the pulp. Certain pulp could be mixed in a blender, a hollander beater or with a Jiffy Mixer. Some pulp-like stems that are a bit tougher or woody could be beaten with a hand paddle to create the pulp. You want to mix/blend/chop the pulp into small pieces so that they can come together like puzzle pieces when you form your sheet of paper. 

How are paper made with plants - Forming the Sheet

Once you have your plant pulp ready to go you can pour it into a vat which is a large container of water. You will also need a mould and deckle to make your paper. Begin pouring in about 250mL of the pulp into your vat. Stir the pulp so that it floats and doesn’t settle at the bottom of the vat. Scoop your mould and deckle by skimming the surface of the water and collecting the pulp. You will have to practice with this.

Then remove the frame and press the pulp off the screen and onto some sheets of felt. Separate each sheet of paper with a sheet of felt and repeat the process. 

How are paper made with plants - Pressing and Drying

Once you have your stack of papers you will need to press the water out of the pages. You can use a paper press or squeeze the water out with pressure. 

You can then place the paper in a drying rack by carefully peeling the paper off the felt. The paper will need to dry for 24 hours.

Now you know how are paper made with plants and you can begin harvesting and experiments with different types of plants to make your own paper! 

You can see more of my handmade paper here!

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OAC Grant for Paper Making

OAC Grants

Early this year I was given one of the OAC grants for emerging artists. This OAC grant is a $2000 grant that gives funding to purchase art supplies and to participate in educational skill development. 

I started applying for OAC grants this past fall and I was excited to have received one. OAC stands for Ontario Arts Council. The OAC grants are a lengthy process to set up an account and submit your application online but they are worth it. 

By receiving OAC grants or other grants, artists can receive funding to make projects possible. $2000 is a lot of money and I am grateful to have received this grant as this project would not be financially possible without it. 

There are many different OAC grants available. You can learn more by clicking here!

It’s important to note that OAC grants are only for residents in Ontario. However, depending on where you live, the province or state, try Googling grants with your location to find other grants to apply to. 

OAC Grants- the OAC Grant Proposal

I will be using the money from the OAC grant to purchase paper making supplies including different types of pulp, mould and deckles and other paper making supplies. I will also be registering for some paper making and letterpress classes to be able to enhance my skills as a paper maker. Lastly, I will use some of the money to rent out a paper making studio place near where I live. I have until 2023 to complete this project. I started purchasing supplies and signing up for workshops this summer of 2022. 

I plan on making sheets of map paper using recycled maps and using the letter press to write some of my poems on the paper. I also want to make more large sheets of the map paper to be able to do large installations of my work Patched. You can read more about the Patched project here! 

Jackie Partridge, Patched Project

If you are interested in applying to OAC grants you can click here to check their deadlines. 

I appreciate the financial support of OAC grants for funding my art practice! 

To find out more about the project check out my instagram @jackiepartridge_    and search the #patchedproject

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