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. 


handmade map paper part of oac grants

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

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





Related Articles: 

10 Lessons I Learned in Art School

How to Get an Artist Grant

OAC Website 

OAC Grant Deadlines 

Patched Project



All About the Women’s Studio Workshop in NY

In March 2018, I attended the Women's Studio Workshop Residency in NY. (The small town of Rosendale to be exact).  I stayed for 5 weeks at the Women’s Studio Workshop. I got to experience part of the winter and part of the spring at the Women’s Studio Workshop. The Women’s Studio Workshop in NY was founded in 1974. I was in the paper making studio at the Women’s Studio Workshop in NY.

Coming from a small town, I really enjoyed the small community of Rosendale. I felt very safe and welcomed while at the residency, in town or on the Rail Trail nearby.  Read more to figure out if attending the Women’s Studio Workshop in NY as your next artist residency is right for you!

About Women’s Studio Workshop in NY

Women’s Studio Workshop in NY was founded in 1974 by Ann Kalmbach, Tatana Kellner, Anita Wetzel, and Barbara Leoff Burge. Their goals were to develop a studio workspace for artists to create new work and collaborate. Programs were centered on the artistic process. The first studios were in a two-story single-family home. Etching was in the living room, paper making was in the attic, and screen printing was in the basement.

This passage is from their website - To read more- click here


The Rail Trail at the Women’s Studio Workshop

I was working in the paper making studio while I was there. I really enjoyed hiking in the area, especially on the Rail Trail. While on the Rail Trail I did numerous Patched installations using my handmade map paper. The Rail Trail is very close to the residency and is a great source of inspiration to artists there including myself! 

Patched is an ongoing installation since 2017 by artist Jackie Partridge that uses handmade map paper pulp on trees where the bark has naturally peeled away.

Patched is an ongoing installation since 2017 by artist Jackie Partridge that uses handmade map paper pulp on trees where the bark has naturally peeled away.

At the Women’s Studio Workshop residency when I was there I made a lot of paper working with maps and blue jeans. I took advantage of the hollander beater and worked on my piece Sediment. You can learn more about the project here! 


I got to try the vacuum table for the first time which was very exciting for my practice. I worked on creating large sheets of map paper on the vacuum table which I used in my Patched video. See the installation of this large sheet of handmade map paper below:

Highlights of the Women’s Studio Workshop in NY

I loved the Women’s Studio Workshop because the staff are very helpful and kind whether it is showing you how to use equipment or giving you a ride into to town to get groceries. I liked how every lunch we had a potluck so we could really get to know one another.

What I Love About Artist Residencies

I am always highly focused and productive while on an artist residency. It is nice to be in a new place and see how that relationship directly impacts my work. Since my work is directly related to the land and environment there is always new inspiration, ideas, and projects when I am in a new place. This is always exciting for me! Residencies give you time, space and materials to explore and practice with. New ideas always form when I am away from home!

What I Did at the Women’s Studio Workshop in NY

  • I had an opportunity to present my art in an artist talk while I was there to people at the residency and locals in the Rosendale area

  • I submitted a piece of art I made as part of their alumni collection

  • I met other artists and learned new techniques like the vacuum table

  • I explored the local scene and enjoyed the Rail Trail 

Patched installation made on the Rail Trail at the Women’s Studio Workshop in NY

Patched installation made on the Rail Trail at the Women’s Studio Workshop in NY

Accommodations at the Women’s Studio Workshop

I stayed with another person and we shared a bathroom and kitchen but had separate bedrooms. Bedding was included. Kitchen utensils and equipment were included. The price for the residency is highly affordable and their are options for grants from the residency or to apply for funding externally. 

I would definitely go back to this artist residency again! 


How You Can Go to the Women’s Studio Workshop in NY

Check out their calendar on dates of when you can apply to their upcoming programs and classes! https://wsworkshop.org/opportunity-calendar/


I would highly recommend this residency to all the artists out there!

Related Articles

 Read about my artist profile on their webpage

Read my interview about my residency here!

Learn about the Patched Project Here!

Purchase my Patched Book -here!

Learn about the Women’s Studio Workshop Here!

Here is another great website to help you find the right artist residency for you! https://resartis.org/covid-19-updates/

Read about my artist residency at the Vermont Studio Center!

Connect with me on social media by clicking on one of the icons below!

Clouds Installation

Clouds is an installation of 150 found  doilies by Jackie Partridge that have been embedded with poured abaca pulp. This installation was created in 2016 while I was studying my Master of Fine Arts at Concordia University in Montreal.

I experimented with this installation by testing out different lighting and playing with different perspectives and camera angles when documenting this installation. This installation took over 4 hours to complete. 

Next time I would present this work I would create pillows on the floor to invite viewers to lay down and look up at the clouds. 

I created this work with found doilies and I poured on abace pulp. I placed the doilies in the paper press to squeeze out the extra water. Then I let them dry flat for 24 hours. I hung the doilies with different lengths of thread attached to rods on the ceiling. I would love to continue to create thousands of these and hang them in a larger venue. 

Doilies are a symbol of history and domesticity. I see them as floating ghosts of all the grandmothers I grew up with when I was younger. When I was born I had 8 grandmothers including great-grandmothers and great-great grandmothers. Each doily is special and unique. Some are colourful and others are plain. Some are intricate and detailed and some are simple and plain.


The floating doilies were hung with thread cut at various lengths to look like floating clouds in the sky.



These are made with vintage doilies collected from thrift stores, garage sales and my grandmothers.



There are still pieces available from this installation in my art shop - you can check them out here! 


These vintage crochet doilies look beautiful framed in a white or wooden frame! 

Daffodil
Daffodil
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Check out my shop to purchase any doilies!

To see my current artwork- click here!

Be sure to follow me on social media by clicking any of the icons

Fields -Mirror Installation by Jackie Partridge

Fields is made from colourful sewn thread and flax handmade paper. It measures 18’x 3.5.’ I made this work in 2015 while completing my MFA at Concordia university in Montreal, QC. 

I created this artwork by sewing on a dissolvable fabric and layering different colours of thread. Sometimes, I would have a different colour in the bobbin and a different colour in the tread. I sewed in a back and forth manner to resemble the repetitive motion of planting and harvesting crops in fields. After sewing, I dissolved the fabric and took the pieces to the paper making studio where I squeezed flax pulp through a tube in patches of the sewing. Once I was done applying the pulp I put the artwork through the paper press to squeeze out excess water as part of the paper making process. Then I let the artwork dry flat; it took about 24 hours to dry. There are about 10 separate panels of this artwork in total. 

The pieces of this art installation are quite delicate and fragile. I suspended them with thread that tied onto the individual pieces. 

Usually this installation is hung against the wall but in this installation from 2017, I got to hang this textile artwork in front of the mirror. I loved how the thread was reflected and looked like a long continuous line drawing. When the artwork hangs against the wall it does create some really beautiful shadows.I would love to add to this piece and make it larger in the future. 

You can see the original installation of this piece - here!

Jackie Partridge and Fields thread with handmade paper installation
Detail of Fields installation

Detail of Fields installation

To see current artwork - click here!

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To see some of my current art please follow me on social media - by clicking on one of the links below!

Paper Making with Recycled Blue Jeans

Paper making with recycled blue jeans is a time consuming process but it also a rewarding process. I love being sustainable in my art practice and using recycled blue jeans to make paper is exciting! I will show you how to make paper with recycled blue jeans in this post! I started paper making in 2015, where I was working as a teaching assistant in a paper making class during my MFA. See some behind the scenes about the process of paper making below!

How to Make Paper Out of Recycled Blue Jeans -What You Need

  • a hollander beater

  • water

  • a vat (plastic tub that is shallow)

  • mould and deckle

  • felts

  • sponge

  • jeans that are 100% cotton (they must be 100%)

  • Check out this article for other paper making supplies you need!

How to make paper out of jeans, denim pulp by Jackie Partridge

The Process for Making Paper out of Recycled Denim

Denim Doily -Medium
Denim Doily -Medium
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You can make paper with found denim as long as the fibres are 100% cotton. In order to make paper out of fabric the fibres need to be natural and not include synthetic fibres. Now a days it can be hard to find blue jeans like that!

Above is an image from the paper making process —> turning denim —> tiny strands of thread —> to pulp —> to paper


Steps for Paper Making with Recycled Blue Jeans:

In order to make the denim paper the blue jeans must be collected rinsed with water (this removes the laundry detergent so the pulp isn’t foamy) and cut into tiny 1cmx 1cm squares. I sort my denim by shade of blue jeans this will get you different blues in your paper. You will have to rinse the jeans in the washing machine with no detergent for a couple cycles to remove any soap residue. If you don’t properly wash the denim you will get lots of foam and bubbles when you run them through the hollander beater. After the squares are cut they are put into a beater that grinds the natural fibres into tiny blue threads.

After the pulp is beaten down to tiny threads (taking around 4 hours or longer). The longer you beat the denim pulp the less threads appear in the paper. The pulp is added into a vat of water and a mould and deckle are used to create sheets of paper. You will scoop the recycled blue jean denim pulp with a mould and deckle in the vat of water and pull a sheet. Then remove the top mould and press the screen on sheets of felt squeezing out excess water. You can also press down with a dry sponge. Layer a felt of the wet sheets of paper. Then place the stack of felts and blue jean paper in a press to squeeze out extra water. Remove sheets of paper and dry them by hanging or in a flat dryer. It will take over 24 hours to dry.

A handful of denim pulp

A handful of denim pulp

Here is abaca paper mixed with denim pulp in a mould and deckle (this forms the shape of the paper)

Here is abaca paper mixed with denim pulp in a mould and deckle (this forms the shape of the paper)

Leftover pulp dries and water can be added to make it pulp again!

Leftover pulp dries and water can be added to make it pulp again!

Denim Paper-Light and Dark Blue
Denim Paper-Light and Dark Blue
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Marbled Denim Paper
Marbled Denim Paper
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Sediment -Art Installation by Jackie Partridge

Sediment art installation by Jackie Partridge was started in 2017. I started paper making in 2015 where I was working as a teaching assistant in a paper making class during my MFA. See some behind the scenes look at a current project and learn about the process of paper making below!

Sediment is an ongoing art installation since 2017 where I form sheets of handmade paper with blue jeans from my grandfather. Currently there are about 300 pieces of handmade paper.

Sediment art installation with blue denim handmade paper by Jackie Partridge

My grandfather is a retired farmer who sold the family owned century farm in 2012.

The paper acts as a memory and are stacked on the floor like waves in the water.

This piece is inspired by the artwork Remnants that also used old farming clothes belonging to my grandfather.

Learn how to make paper out of denim here! This explains the process for making this artwork.

Sediment art installation by Jackie Partridge made of 300 sheets of handmade denim paper

In order to make the denim paper the blue jeans must be collected rinsed with water and cut into tiny 1”x1” squares. After the squares are cut they are put into a beater that grinds the natural fibres into tiny blue threads.

The paper making process- denim pulp

The paper making process- denim pulp

After the pulp is beaten down to tiny threads (taking around 4 hours or longer) The pulp is added into a vat of water and a mould and deckle are used to create sheets of paper.

This is the mould and deckle used to create the circle sheets of paper

This is the mould and deckle used to create the circle sheets of paper

Marbled Denim Paper
Marbled Denim Paper
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I invite you to take a look at the handmade paper I sell in my shop. Check out my beautiful handmade paper art here!

Don’t forget to enter your email at the bottom of the post to save 15% off artwork!

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Pocket Full of Sunshine
Pocket Full of Sunshine
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Group Exhibition at the O Gallery, 2020


Check out a group exhibition for artist Jackie Partridge. To see my textile artwork and handmade paper art.

Rainbow Field 6
Rainbow Field 6
CA$110.00


I am excited to announce that I am a part of a group of two other artists showing exhibitions at the O Gallery on 44 Gaukel St. in Kitchener, ON, Canada.

Brown Field 5
Brown Field 5
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I will be showing work I have curated for a theme of Fields. This work includes past work of my hand dyed, hand embroidered dish cloths that are beautifully framed and work of my sewn thread line drawings embedded in abaca sheets of handmade paper that are for sale.

Fields is an abstract representation of aerial views of farmlands. I have grown up close to farming and fields and have visually seen the landscape change over time and become more developed.

The exhibition is on view from January 15-March 6, 2020.

See a related artwork inspired from the exhibition here!

hand embroidered and hand dyed dish cloth by Jackie Partridge

To stay connected and learn about upcoming art exhibitions -please follow me on Facebook or Instagram. You can click the icons below!

 

Red and Yellow Field
Red and Yellow Field
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