About the Paper
History of Paper
Paper was invented thousands of years ago by the Chinese using the fiber from Chinese mulberry. In the case of mulberry, it was the inner bark that was used. Years later papermaking spread across Asia and to Europe.
Plant Fiber
All plants yield the basic building block of paper - cellulose. The prairie region has plants that yield fiber that was historically used by Native Americans for making fishing line and rope. Many of these same plants can be used to make paper.
My Prairie Paper
All of my paper is handmade in Kansas from native plant fibers. I gather the plant material in autumn and winter on the prairies of Kansas. The plants are cut up by hand and cooked in an alkali solution. The fiber is extracted, cut up again, and blended. The resulting prairie paper pulp is added to a vat of water. Each sheet is hand pulled from the vat of pulp. The final work is pressed and dried. It's an involved process but the end result is worth it. See examples of my paper.