Swoop Sgraffito bowl. Photo: Katherine Pittman / SOON Paper Studio.
For one of her Swoop Sgraffito bowls, Katherine Pittman darkened the surface with an ink wash, then used a Dremel to cut light lines through it. The marks reveal the original color of the paper pulp underneath.
“I am constantly testing my surfaces by touch,” Pittman wrote in answers for Tingles. “If I like touching it, it’s good.”
Pittman makes papier-mâché vessels as SOON Paper Studio. Her process begins with large sheets of packing paper, torn or cut into smaller pieces and left to soak for a day or so.
She blends the softened paper with plenty of water, then strains and squeezes it in small batches. The result is a pile of damp pulp that she compares to crumbly cookie dough, which still needs to be broken down further before she adds glue.
“This is also done by hand, especially working it between my fingertips to break down all the lumps and bumps. It is a slow, potentially tedious, process but I find it slightly meditative,” she wrote.
Once the glue is mixed in, she looks for a consistent, workable texture. Pittman judges the mix by feel: “I don’t measure anymore, I just know by feel when it’s just right and ready to use.”
Her forms often start over a found mold wrapped in plastic. Drying can take days or weeks, depending on weather and humidity; after removing the mold, she can add more pulp to change the silhouette, raise a rim or add handles.
The paper also brings its own color and texture to the work. Pittman describes cool-toned or pinkish batches and different results from office paper or brown paper bags.
“Along the way, these characteristics suggest whether I want to scratch into it or polish it, leave it raw or wash it with ink,” she wrote.
Sandpaper removes small crumbs from the surface and refines the rims and edges. A light coat of varnish finishes the piece, with a limit Pittman makes clear.
“A paper-based vessel is obviously not waterproof so the varnish is not meant to seal it, but to help the vessel tolerate what I hope will be a lifetime of handling.”
She describes people expecting something heavy or delicate and being surprised by the lightness or strength when they pick up a piece. The finished surface is meant to reward more than that first encounter.
“Then, as they explore the surface, I want them to enjoy the pleasant, organic ridges of the sgraffito as well as the contrast of the smooth, swooping rim,” she wrote. “I love to see a person run their fingers around it like a slow track and I hope that gesture will be repeated again and again in my vessel’s lifetime in their home.”
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