16 | January | 2015 | MY Doramac

B Dock

Netsel Marina

Marmaris, Turkey

Iyi Geceler,

Jill Wolfe on Two Oars taught art for many years and is happy to share her knowledge with our Wednesday morning group. This past session saw folks making ‘paste papers.’ I missed the Wednesday session but was lucky to catch the following Thursday morning follow-up.

DoraMac

“Paste paper is one of the oldest decorated papers used by bookbinders, and can be found in books that are centuries old. Going back hundreds of years (and continuing today), sometimes bookbinders would use up their leftover bookbinding paste by throwing some pigment into the paste and brushing it out on some paper to make decorative papers to then use in bookbinding. They would then make strokes or stipple patterns with a brush in the paste, or use a tools to draw or comb designs in the paper and let it dry. One of the distinctive qualities of paste paper is the rich 3-dimensional patterns and designs. This is achieved because when the paste is first applied to the paper and a pattern made in the paste, it is thick, with peaks and valleys. As the paper dries, the paste is sucked flat into the paper, leaving a 3-dimensional pattern on a 2-dimensional surface. “

https://lilbookbinder.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/paste-paper-tutorial/

https://www.library.cornell.edu/preservation/bookarts/documents/cbac_pastepaper.pdf is a good ‘how-to’

Jill had made up some of the ‘paste paint.’ You mix paste and color.

Green paper was thoroughly wet down to pre-shrink the paper.

While still wet, paste paint was applied; a design squeegeed, and then allowed to dry

The paper was re-wet and then a second color was applied : This was Jill’s work You can keep adding layers as long as the paste paint doesn’t dry out in the container.

You can see why this process was used to make the decorative end pages in books

My first attempt where the hand is quicker than the eye of the camera.

I chose a blue paste paint

I wanted to avoid straight lines for some reason so did ‘finger painting.’ Actually you remove some of the paint to make the design.

Definitely no straight lines…. Sort of Kokopelli-ish

This one is Hannah’s I believe

Jill had cut the design into the squeegee to make the lines in the paste paint

Also Hannah’s

Hannah and Jill laying them out to dry.

Jill working

I made a second one, guess which one it is.

Wednesday, while we were ‘sea trialing’ DoraMac, was the first paste paper session. Thursday was a short follow-up which I went to though had to race away as our friend Wyn Jones was arriving and I’d promised to be back to the boat for his arrival. I’ll have to collect the dry pieces another time. Jill heroically got everything ready and organized the cleaning up too. So fun to have an art teacher among us!

Walking back to B-Dock on Thursday after the paste paper class.

We have had the ‘winter rains’ here for several days but Thursday night’s sunset was beautiful!

B Dock

Netsel Marina

Marmaris, Turkey

Merhaba

Clase and Bertha are looking for a boat. They have been sailors for years but now are thinking a trawler would be the best option. They came to Marmaris with their boat builder friend Folke to spend some time on DoraMac. The weather did not cooperate! They arrived at DoraMac on Monday in the rain and it rained and rained. We’d planned to do a ‘sea trial’ Tuesday but the Marinaros didn’t feel it was wise to remove all of the lines crisscrossing the marina holding all of the boats safely in place. There is no path through the water to leave the marina when the lines are tied from the bow of one boat to the bow of boats across the way. We were told that if conditions improved, early Wednesday morning the lines would be removed and we could leave the marina. Thankfully that happened and we were able to go out for a 90 minute cruise in the somewhat bouncy waters. We returned, docked DoraMac, retied the lines and got everyone to the taxi for the short trip to the Marmaris bus terminal for the noon bus to Izmir where they would catch their flight back to Sweden.

Whatever their decision will be, we really enjoyed our time with Claes, Bertha and Folke and wish them a wonderful cruising life.

Women have much in common no matter where they’re from or the lives they lead. I really enjoyed my time speaking with Bertha and wish we’d had more time.