Ray Bliss Rich... hand crafted paper
Hand Made PaperRay Bliss Rich creates hand made paper he presents as paper jewelry, vessels, and wall hangings. Most of his paper is made by recycling cotton fabric including old denim blue jeans. Ray also uses locally growing plants like invasive Japanese knotweed and abundant self sustaining cattail plants. He embellishes some of his papers with hand ground sumi inks through brushwork and nature printing. Many people think his degrees in sociology and counseling are evident in a feeling of peacefulness that pervades his work. |
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Collages and Pulp PaintingsSome of Ray's wall pieces are embellished with sumi brushwork; while with others the paper stands on it's own, with little or no brushwork. Ray's dimensional relief pieces are framed behind glass while some of his 2 dimensional pieces are presented on raised clayboard panels.
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Paper VesselsMany of Ray's bowls and vases are made by recycling cotton fabric scraps or old clothing. To do this he first cuts the fabric into small square pieces; which he feeds into a Hollander beater and beats to pulp. Once he has the cotton pulp, he either hand forms the pulp into a vase or bowl form, or disperses the pulp in a tub of water and hand pulls sheets of paper which he forms into vases or bowls. |
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Paper JewelryRay's hand crafted pins include hand painted and printed designs as well as collaged or pulp painted designs. In most cases he mounts his paper to small pieces of archival mat board left over from matting his framed work. Ray applies several coats of lacquer to his pins; including lacquering all around the edges to completely seal them. |
Paintings & Nature PrintsAll of Ray's sumi-e paintings and botanical nature prints are done on his own hand made paper. Most of these papers have a base fiber of manila hemp with various inclusions such as ground bits of mica, gold leaf, mylar threads, and contrasting plant fiber. Many of these are mated to reveal the natural deckled edges of the paper. |
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Classes & Demonstrations & ShowsRay has demonstrated his work for numerous organizations including the Hood Museum at Dartmouth College and the Martha Stewart Living TV show. He now demonstrates at the two open studio events he does each year. You can find him at the League of NH Craftsmen's Annual Mt. Sunapee Craftsmen's Fair the first week of August and other shows. |
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Galleries & ExhibitionsRay’s work is available in several of the League of NH Craftsmen galleries and elsewhere. For a complete list of galleries and exhibitions check out the "more info" link below. |
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Studio VisitsVisiting an artist's studio is a unique opportunity to step into the world of the artist, see where and how they do their work, and touch the tools and materials they use. Ray's studio is always open by appointment and during scheduled studio tours. |
Visit my studio by appointment…or during a scheduled open studio event.
Ray Bliss Rich, artist/artisan
Meditations on Paper
P.O. Box 1167 - Hillsboro, NH 03244
TEL: 603-464-4456
Contact the Artist
Studio open by appointment. Just call ahead to be sure I'll be there.
© 2010 All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced without permission.
