The Art of Handmade Paper: A Studio Tour with Stephanie Hare

As I step into Share Studios in beautiful Ellsworth, Maine, I'm immediately struck by the serene atmosphere and the sense of artistic expression that permeates every corner of this studio space. Stephanie Hare, the creator behind this haven, welcomes me with a warm smile as she begins to share her passion for handmade paper. "Handmade paper itself is its own art form," she says, "almost like a sculpture." With a flick of her wrist, she gestures towards the various samples on display, each one showcasing a unique texture and design.

Stephanie's journey into the world of handmade paper began many years ago, when she first discovered the medium. "Most people, when they start handmade paper, make their own tools," she explains, "which is what I did." With determination and creativity, Stephanie set out to craft her own unique tools, including mold and decal systems that have become a hallmark of her work. Her attention to detail and dedication to perfection are evident in every aspect of the process, from the careful selection of materials to the precise application of texture and pattern.

One of the most impressive aspects of Stephanie's studio is the array of molds and decals on display. "There aren't that many mold makers out there," she notes with a smile, "so I've had to develop my own." With her magnetic mold tools, she can create intricate designs and patterns with ease, allowing her to push the boundaries of what is possible in handmade paper production. The fact that she also sells these tools to other paper makers speaks to her generosity and willingness to share her expertise.

As we make our way through the studio, Stephanie shares stories about her experiences as a paper maker. She talks about the challenges she's faced, from figuring out how to use everyday materials in creative ways to experimenting with new techniques and technologies. Her husband, who is also a woodworker, has been instrumental in helping her develop some of these tools, including the simple yet effective epoxy-coated frames that have become a signature element of her work.

For Stephanie, the real magic happens when she begins the final step in the handmade paper process: drying. "Final step in handmade paper really is to dry it," she explains, "and it can be a long process." To achieve this, she has developed a unique system using layers of cardboard, polyester felt, and window screen, which allows her to control the drying process and maintain the integrity of each sheet. This attention to detail is what sets Stephanie's handmade paper apart from others in the industry.

As I prepare to leave the studio, I feel grateful for the opportunity to have witnessed Stephanie's creative process firsthand. Her passion for handmade paper is contagious, and I'm left with a newfound appreciation for the artistry and craftsmanship that goes into each sheet of paper. "It's really it's really kind of special coming here," she says with a smile, "the real draw was that we had the basement space that could finally separate from my paper from all of the dusty epoxy work." With her own studio now a reality, Stephanie is poised to take her artistry to new heights, and I have no doubt that she will continue to inspire and delight audiences with her beautiful handmade paper creations.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enI feel like most people, when they think ofpaper, they think of like copy paper comingout of your printer at home.Handmade paper itself is I mean, it is itsown art form.It's almost like a sculpture.I'm Stephanie Hare. This is Share Studios inbeautiful Ellsworth, Maine.Let me show you around.It's primarily a studio space for us.I do a lot of work in the back, but it'snice to have a few samples here.A wide variety of people buy my paper.A lot of times it's an artist who knowsexactly what they want.They'll tell me, I want 50 sheets of this.And sometimes it's a wedding, stationery ora bride.I make a lot of stationery.My introduction to handmade paper wasworking at a little gallery in Brooklin,Maine. It was a gallery manager and learnedhow to make custom lampshades.That's really where it all started for me,was the beauty of handmade paper as it'silluminated. When I was making theLampshades, it was mostly white, sheer kindof things, so I was focusing more on doingstationery, smaller things, playing aroundwith color and paper.I love the blues and greens, little pops ofreds kind of things that remind me of Maine.As you can see, this one has feathersembedded in there.Each sheet is actually made on its own, soit's called a deckled edge.So it's this rough edge.And each fiber actually has a different kindof decal style.But this is more tight.More of your straight edge, but still hasenough of that rough texture to it.I think I'm really all about the texture withpaper.A lot of my work is online.It was on Instagram and I do the best that Ican, taking dynamic images so that people canreally see all the little details.But there's nothing like picking up a sheetof paper and really being able to feel all ofthe certain qualities. And sometimes thoseimperfections is what really makes a sheetbeautiful. It's been a really fun to finallyhave a space where I can show people inperson. As an artist, kind of when you'refirst starting, I really wanted a nicestudio. I was just dying for a space that Icould spread out and make exactly as Iwanted. We actually moved to an oldfarmhouse on the coast of Maine to renovateit and to live there for free.So that really was the key to keeping thestudio going and being able to focus on myart, move to the back of the studio.This is where I spend most of my timeactually making the paper.I'm actually using what's called half stuff,so they're taking the raw fiber, they'repartially processing it so it's halfprocessed and they're making it into thesesheet forms. So all of these are sheet formkind of things which I will take, soak andturn it into a pulp later on when I'mthinking about what I'm going to make, I'llchoose the fiber first, knowing what kind ofcolor I want to make.That's really what it's all about.How the pigment sticks to the fiber and howit shows up on that raw fiber.So I have a variety of fibers laid out hereunbleached abaca, which is probably what Iuse the most often.It holds color really well when I want anice, rich, dark color, I'll use this.If you're doing like a letter press, youwant a little more weight to it?I add the cotton to my abaca over to a Kozo.This is like the raw fiber.So when I get the Kozo, it comes in a bigbale and I separate them into smaller piecesso that I can cook it down.So that's actually cooking it in a causticsoda, doing the whole process, beating itinto a pulp. Whereas this is kind of savesme a little bit of work where it's halfprocessed, which is really nice.So this is also Kozo, this is a blue, but ithas been dried in my dry box system.So really smooth and restraint, whereas thiswas air dried.So it has a really nice texture to it.When I first started, I actually reallyliked all of the the imperfections.You know, you want each sheet to look alittle bit different.It has a little character.So this is my beta room.Got my £2 beta here.The main job of the beta is really toprocess the half stuff that you're using intowhatever kind of pulp and qualities thatyou're looking for.From there it goes into my trash can systemhere.So I've got a whole can full of pulp inhere.Here I have a lot of my pigments andadditives.All the different colors.We also have sizing and we have inclusions.It's actually really a treat to have aseparate room for your betas because they canbe very loud.So close the doors kind of block that offand hope I'm not bothering the neighbors toomuch. But this is really where I am most ofthe days, standing right here at my feet.I've got a vat full of water.Pulp is added from my big trash cans full ofpulp.And you can see I have a wide variety ofmold and decals around me.There aren't that many mold makers outthere.I can only think of 1 or 2 off the top of myhead.Most people, when they start handmade paper,they make their own tools, which is what Idid. I added my little magic to it wherethey're actually magnetic.Each piece kind of comes together reallyswiftly and nicely.But I also make all of these tools myselfand sell them to other paper makers so thatyou can try these out too.And they really work so well.So they're really fun to share with people.When you get started and you don't have asmuch stuff, you kind of make do with what youhave and you get scrappy and you figure outhow to recycle things and use what you haveand build it up. And a lot of the thingsthat I still use in my studio are the sameold things that I managed to figure out howto make it work.So this is where we make all of the mold andknuckles.It is one of the more important paper makingtools.It's essentially a bottom screen and thedecal fits on the top, which kind of containsthe pulp within there.It's kind of a difficult tool to get yourhands on.So I started making my own back in the day.They've come a long way since then frommakeshift like window screens and likestaples and not knowing how to doeverything.But then I enlisted the help of my husband,who who is a woodworker.He helped me design these simple framedesigns.We figured out how to use epoxy in a reallyeffective way because as you can imagine,wood in water is not a good thing.So this epoxy gives a nice thick coating onthere, encapsulates all of the wood, keeps itnice and flat. Wood also likes to shift alittle bit.So these are really amazing tools, if I dosay so myself.My nice little contribution to paper makingworld, I think.And then to make the beautiful art with it.It's really it's really kind of specialcoming here.The real draw was that we had the basementspace that could finally separate from mypaper from all of the dusty epoxy work.So now that I have separate space foreverything and room for everything, it's beenincredible. Final step in handmade paperreally is to dry it and it can be a longprocess. This is one that I've developedwith a few tutorials online, whichessentially they call them dry boxes, butit's layers of cardboard layered withpolyester felt and window screen.So in between the polyester felt are thesheets of paper.So I lay each sheet in there and so thefelts soak up the water slowly and then thecardboard essentially soaks it up and thenthe fan in the back is blowing through thecardboard and that's slowing drying, butalso keeping it really flat when you keepnice weight on top.So you're restricting the the shrinkage ofthe paper.Most paper wants to shrink when it driesthat I can have this space of my own that Icontrol all of it.And I'm a little nitpicky about where thingsgo and I'm very specific in what I like.And even as a kid, I always wanted to havelike a space of my own to create.I didn't even know what I wanted to create.It was just all about having my own space.It's mind blowing and it's exciting and Idon't know where it'll bring me in thefuture, but that's kind of the beauty of itthat you don't know, and you can you'llfigure it out. 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