White Leaf Paper: Refined Artisanal Papers From Local Plants
Donna Lilborn, of White Leaf Paper, has been making paper for a decade. After meeting a paper maker at an art show whose website needed some updating, the two of them negotiated a deal; in exchange for a new website, Lilborn would learn the craft of paper making. While her history with the craft goes back many years, Lilborn says that it has only been over the past year or two that she has been selling to the public, previously gifting them to artists in exchange for feedback.
Grounded in an ecological ethic, as well as her knowledge of chemistry, landscape architecture, soil science, plants, and gardening, Lilborn creates sophisticated paper from hyper local sources.
"I ask myself, how do I make paper that connects me to my community? she said. "I try to collect on my block in Northampton, limiting myself to invasive plants on the prohibited plant list or to agricultural byproducts, like corn husks,” Lilborn said.
Beyond her block, Lilborn puts out a call for materials on neighborhood Facebook groups. In response, she has received cannabis stalks, which similar to hemp stems have excellent fibers, and even a mulberry tree which had fallen during a storm. Abstracting forms from nature, Lilborn considers her process to be fluid and creative.
“If you think for a minute about how artists work, an artist will tend to just make what they feel like making, what they’ve been thinking a lot about lately...That’s how my process is with paper making. I’m doing manufacturing, but I’m doing it like an artist,” she said.
White Leaf Paper will have an inventory of papers suitable for artists, decorative paper, handmade books, cards, and lanterns at the Northampton Book Fair in the Community Arts Trust on the 22nd and 23rd of November located at 33 Hawley Street.
Written by Cassandra Mayer - October 17, 2024
Comments