In a way to be more environmentally friendly in the way I work, and to become aware of the amount of leftover paper off-cuts that go to waste after each project, I decided to experiment with different ways of recycling my unused paper.
Going back to the traditional roots of paper and the main reason I started working with this medium all those years ago: to create something truly bespoke and handmade.
I started testing out ways of making my own recycled paper, using only offcuts from paper that was leftover from previous projects, adding no more waste to the process, but simply giving it a new life. The aim was to create something beautiful and organic, that celebrates the craft of traditional hand-made art.
After my first little test piece in blue as a simple start, I decided to push the boundaries a bit and made a bigger piece with a multitude of hand-mixed colours, almost ‘painting’ a landscape scene with the paper pulp. White and orange papers became baby pink – green, yellow and gold flakes became guacamole (?) – orange, neon yellow and green became mustard – and brown, purple, green, blue and red became forest green! No dyes or colouring was used, just paper and water.
The third Mondrian-esque one is made up of the left over colours of the landscape piece, playing with composition and abstract colourful shapes a bit more. The blue piece was the initial little experiment to test out the process. This one is made up of over 7 different shades of blue paper, creating a completely new shade.
Close Ups:
Work in progress, making the recycled landscape piece:
Part 2 : January 2019
Recycled paper – Internal Organs
Work in progress:
Part 3 : August 2019
Recycled Paper – experimenting with Pulp Painting
“Red Square, Blue Circle, Yellow Triangle” : June 2021
Size: 29 cm by 40 cm
Artwork is for sale
“Stacked Toy Blocks” : July 2021
Size: 29 cm by 40 cm
Artwork is for sale
“Speel-Goed” : August 2021
Size: 60 cm by 90 cm, by 5 cm deep
Self-supporting recycled-paper artwork on a stretched canvas base.
Not for sale.
All pieces are for sale and open to negotiation, please email for more info.
I’m planning on making a piece of the leftovers from every paper project I do, so this will be an ongoing series.
I am open to doing commissions for bespoke pieces too.
All rights reserved – Annemarieke Kloosterhof
Annemarieke Kloosterhof 