Workshop Description:
In this workshop we will use quick-cure silicone putty to make a mold of a cherished object that you bring to the studio. After it cures and you remove the object, we'll pack paper into our molds to infuse this new sculpture with deeper meaning. Bring your own papers, journal pages, photos and old documents to turn into pulp. The process of breaking down old notes and letters and transforming them into something new can be magical. Because the fibers have the potential to hold so much history, the medium works on its own to tell stories, disrupt or establish an archive, and ask questions about origin. Each student will leave with a paper replica of the original object as well as a silicone mold for future use.
Participants will learn to mix and use silicone putty to pick up texture, mass, and shape using a 1-part mold making technique. The mold can then be used to make multiples of the same object over time. Weather permitting, we can go outside and pull some textures from the building. Attendees will have the opportunity to do detail mold-packing with the cotton pulp in reverse - using tweezers to place colored pulp details into the mold first, followed by larger applications of a "base color".
Saturday August 22, 2026 from 11:00am – 4:00pm
All skill levels, beginners to advanced. Ages 14 and up.
Teaching Artist Information:
e ainsley learned papermaking in 2018 at Pulp & Deckle residency in Portland, Oregon. It felt like the missing link in their mixed-media making and quickly folded into their studio practice. Later that year, e ainsley relocated to Urbana, IL for their Masters of Fine Arts degree at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Remaining in Urbana post-grad has offered unique opportunities to enrich e’s artwork and way of seeing the world. Working as an herbalist on a flower farm, leading workshops, and launching an artist residency as Studio Manager at Fresh Press are among the experiences e has gained from this agricultural pocket of the Midwest. In autumn of 2025 e ainsley attended two residencies, In-Situ Polyculture Commons in Vermont and Atelier Retailles in Montréal. e currently serves as Co-Vice President of Annual Meetings for the North American Hand Papermakers organization.
Website: www.eainsley.com
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/it_e_what_it_be/
Workshop Description:
In this workshop we will use quick-cure silicone putty to make a mold of a cherished object that you bring to the studio. After it cures and you remove the object, we'll pack paper into our molds to infuse this new sculpture with deeper meaning. Bring your own papers, journal pages, photos and old documents to turn into pulp. The process of breaking down old notes and letters and transforming them into something new can be magical. Because the fibers have the potential to hold so much history, the medium works on its own to tell stories, disrupt or establish an archive, and ask questions about origin. Each student will leave with a paper replica of the original object as well as a silicone mold for future use.
Participants will learn to mix and use silicone putty to pick up texture, mass, and shape using a 1-part mold making technique. The mold can then be used to make multiples of the same object over time. Weather permitting, we can go outside and pull some textures from the building. Attendees will have the opportunity to do detail mold-packing with the cotton pulp in reverse - using tweezers to place colored pulp details into the mold first, followed by larger applications of a "base color".
Saturday August 22, 2026 from 11:00am – 4:00pm
All skill levels, beginners to advanced. Ages 14 and up.
Teaching Artist Information:
e ainsley learned papermaking in 2018 at Pulp & Deckle residency in Portland, Oregon. It felt like the missing link in their mixed-media making and quickly folded into their studio practice. Later that year, e ainsley relocated to Urbana, IL for their Masters of Fine Arts degree at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Remaining in Urbana post-grad has offered unique opportunities to enrich e’s artwork and way of seeing the world. Working as an herbalist on a flower farm, leading workshops, and launching an artist residency as Studio Manager at Fresh Press are among the experiences e has gained from this agricultural pocket of the Midwest. In autumn of 2025 e ainsley attended two residencies, In-Situ Polyculture Commons in Vermont and Atelier Retailles in Montréal. e currently serves as Co-Vice President of Annual Meetings for the North American Hand Papermakers organization.
Website: www.eainsley.com
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/it_e_what_it_be/
