Quotes
“I am a papermaker because it is a discipline where you can fully get engaged with all the steps of the making of something. And every single step of the process can be important in relation to what you want to say with your needs of expression.”
Roberto Mannino
Coming up on July 14th, An Introduction to Papermaking with Plants. This is a little taste of the wonderfully engaging process of papermaking and will be held in conjunction with the show “Botany Bound” in Ellsworth, Maine. Details at link in bio.
This book, “Words Cannot Heal” is one of a collection of three, two of which will be shown at the Heart of Ellsworth.
#maineartclasses #papermaking #wildtending
I will often set aside weeks out of the year for creative play. No agenda, no need to produce anything meaningful, just pure fun. I give myself permission to explore, discover, and make the funkiest thing that my body is calling for. The “thinking” brain is allowed to shut down and the “sensing brain” is allowing to come forward for an extended period of time.
#creativeprocess #sensoryexperience #arttherapy #cultivatingtheheartsense
Plant trials have begun. Looking for new options along the wild edges of my back yard for papermaking. Today’s plant is goldenrod. Promising. Not too difficult to harvest and dried quickly overnight.
#papermaking #papermakingwithplants #wildtending
Two back to back to back mini classes coming up in Maine.
Introduction to Papermaking with Plants and Dyed and Stab Bound Journals
In the papermaking class, participants will learn how to use plants from the landscape to make paper. You will have ample opportunity to make at least five sheets of handmade paper. The process will be thoroughly explained allowing you to continue to make paper from the plants you have in your own garden and surrounding area. A garden walk will be included to introduce you to several sustainable possibilities.
A dyed and stab bound journal is a wonderful way to use our handmade papers. You will learn a simple dyeing technique using kakisubu (Japanese persimmon juice extract) and dye extracts to decorate your papers to use as covers. You will learn to stitch them together in the Japanese style with a tortoise shell stab bound technique.
July 14, 2025
Heart of Ellsworth 16 State Street, Ellsworth, Maine Visit this link to register:
https://www.karenolsonphotography.com/maine-classes
#maineartclasses #papermaking #papermakingwithplants
A piece I call “Out of the Box.”
Handmade and dyed abaca paper, Himalayan balsam paper, ink, photo transfer, beeswax, hemp yarn
#photosculpture #karenolsonphotography #papermaking #papersculpture #bookarts
Join me for a delightful sensory experience on the trails of Merryspring Nature Center. This is a low impact walk suitable for most. It is a slow walk that does not require physical stamina. Forest therapy helps people reconnect and form meaningful relationships with themselves, their communities, and nature through guided experiences. It is a relational practice characterized by a heart centered approach. This approach awakens our understanding of the inherent ability to be present in our bodies and connect with our intuition and imagination. Sensory experiences facilitate a heart-centered connection where we realize that we are intrinsically a part of the life all around us.
“The forest is the therapist, the guide opens the door.”
For more information visit my website under the “more” tab.
Monday, June 23, 5-7 pm or Thursday, June 26, 3-5 pm
Free for Merryspring members, $15 for non-members, please register in advance by calling 207-236-2239
#anft #foresttherapyguide #merryspringnaturecenter
Selections of the series “Cultivating the Heart Sense” are now available @mmpagallery
Pigment print on Japanese Kozo paper, 20”x30” on 24”x34” sheet
#karenolsonphotography #mainemuseumofphotographicarts
The three books are complete. Shown here is the one titled “Words Cannot See.”
The concept for these books have been rolling around in my artist brain for many months and months. I am happy to finally have been able to complete them.
I am grateful to Joelle Weber, Mermaid Bindery, Westport, Maine for the inspiration and instruction for the hinge binding. The books fold open and closed in any direction or configuration.
Monoprint and photo transfer on Hanji paper, kitakama paper, Himayalan balsam and abaca paper, hand
dyed hanji paper, gold watercolor, green board.
#artistbook #karenolsonphotography #bookarts
Work in progress. Preparing photo transfers for the final layer on these accordion book pages. The structure for each of three books will mimic Japanese folding screens.
#wip #bookarts #karenolsonphotography
Last dat to view the work @localcolorgallerymaine
Heart to Heart - Wall Sculpture, Pigment print on kozo paper, abaca, beeswax, kozo fibers, fire
#maineartgallery #maineartist #karenolsonphotography
Symphonia
The heart sense is not a metaphor, nor is it elusive or theoretical. We feel it tangibly in our bodies and understand it in our deepest core. It is music and rhythm—the very essence of existence. It is our capacity to feel, connect, learn from, and understand beings beyond ourselves.
Pigment print on kozo paper
#cultivatingtheheartsense #karenolsonphotography
Inter-being
Photo transfer on hanji paper, Akua ink, Himalayan Balsam lace paper, wheat paste, beeswax
Currently available @localcolorgallerymaine
Excited for my live interview with Jo Wright from Fibre Arts Take Two! Happening tonight at 7 pm EST on the Fibre Arts Take Two YouTube channel. Other time zones shown above. I will be talking about Focus and Flow, my latest work, and my Forest Therapy Guide certification.
If you can’t make it tonight, the interview will be available immediately afterward on the channel.
Live link in my story.
#fridayfeatureartist @fiberartstaketwo
#karenolsonphotography
Tomorrow evening, at about 5 pm, I will be giving a short artist talk about my Himalayan Balsam lace paper and how it connects with the concept of wild tending.
I am honored to be a guest artist at Local Color Gallery in Belfast, Maine again until May 18th.
Come on out and say hi! It’s finally feeling like spring in Maine!!
@localcolorgallerymaine #papersculpture #wildtending #photoasobject #karenolsonphotography
Popping in to show you these wonderful papers from Washi Arts.
I was delighted to receive several deliveries of sample washi papers from @washiarts this past week. Beautifully crafted papers from Japan for digital printing, calligraphy, all sorts of other types of printing, painting and paper sculpture were included for me to test and review.
Washi Arts is now offering a sample pack specifically for my online class with Fibre Arts Take Two, Focus and Flow. The pack includes samples of konnyaku and jin shofu. This is fabulous and I am so appreciative of the time and attention Linda has dedicated to this purpose.
Focus and Flow is open for enrollment until May 4th. Hope to see you in class!
https://www.fibreartstaketwo.com/courses/karenolson
#washiarts #washipaper #japanesepaper #papersculpture #fineartphotography
The artist proof for the book “Cultivating the Heart Sense” is complete. Needs a little tweaking but overall I am happy with it. I will definitely be changing the closure. The idea of a gift wrap aesthetic sounded good in theory but is not so fabulous in reality.
One of the artists in the Midcoast Maine Book Arts group suggested a magnetic flap closure. I plan to do that type of closure on the next iteration. I will come back to it in a bit. Time to take a breather.
Hand painted hanji paper, digital print on kozo blend paper, hanji ribbon
#bookart #cultivatingtheheartsense #karenolsonphotography #artistbook
Work in progress – update. After literally days of trial with some successes and some failures I came to the realization that an inkjet printer cannot print a double sided document with precision both horizontally and vertically. Thanks to Helga’s suggestion I was able to align the paper vertically consistently every time. But the horizontal alignment was inconsistent. Sometimes it worked sometimes it didn’t. It was off by 1/8th to 1/4 inch. So I decided to leave the this type of project to the commercial professionals and change my design.
Note: I have tried this before with no success but I just had try again. Crazy me 😜
I actually like the new design even more. It’s coming out good and I’m almost finished. 😅
#bookarts #workinprogress #cultivatingtheheartsense #karenolsonphotography
Work in progress. Testing out accordion book structures for “Cultivating the Heart Sense.”
Hoping to be able to print double sided. What do you think? Will I be able to pull it off? Anyone have any suggestions??
#karenolsonphotography #cultivatingtheheartsense #artistbook
Cultivating the Heart Sense - Contiguity
Impressions, emotional
Information encoded in systems not yet understood
Open, interactions
Altered points of view
#cultivatingtheheartsense
#fineartphotography #foresttherapyguide #karenolsonphotography
Deep Awareness
The resulting sculpture using the photo transfer and Himalayan balsam lace paper.
@inkaid1
Using Inkaid’s photo transfer process.
#karenolsonphotography #papermaking #papersculpture
