WHAT’S THE BUZZ? [explorations in handmade paper]: Dawn Wohlford

Artist Statement:

I could be the Poster Child for the slogan “Reuse, Reduce, Recycle.” Handmade paper is the basis for the majority of my artwork, but I often incorporate, weave or build using other found materials. I use old clothes, dead plants, shredded money, and items such as old doormats (made of natural fibers) to make paper pulp. I cast or incorporate pieces of rusty metal, vintage glass, bicycle inner tubes, leather and anything else that catches my eye. Pieces are often finished with pigment to achieve the appearance of metal. 

My approach to art making is methodical. Each piece is carefully planned and goes through several time intensive processes before reaching its final state. Each stage informs and alters the finished piece. The finished piece aspires to be both a beautiful object and a thought provoking or humorous reflection.

Most recently, the plight of bees, as well as the construction of their hives (which is a form of papermaking) has captured my interest. Recent pieces reflect thoughts about the structure of beehives and how they are similar to human homes as not only a supposedly safe haven, but a place to work and create.

About the Artist:

Sculptural paper artist Dawn Wohlford discovered handmade paper during a National Art Educators conference in 1983, while she was a junior at Truman State University. She returned to college and read everything she could find about making paper, then began experimenting with handmade screens, an old blender and recycled paper, using her bathtub as a vat. Using these crude supplies, she was able to create art for her Senior Show and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. Still obsessed with creating art with paper pulp, she chose to attend Arizona State University to learn hands on from one of the authors whose book she had studied. With her new skills, she moved to Colorado and became an apprentice to Raymond Tomasso, an internationally known artist. She gave workshops in Vail and Leadville and produced 150 sheets of nearly identical denim papers for a limited-edition book, Strange Papers, that was assembled and bound in Germany. At the same time, she attended the University of Colorado and earned an MFA in sculpture in 1988. She moved back to her hometown in Iowa in 1998 and she became the Visual Arts Director for Quad City Arts, a nonprofit organization. She oversees two art galleries and a public sculpture program. Additionally, she serves on the Acquisitions Committee for the Figge Art Museum and teaches papermaking at Gilda’s Club. After caring for her home & family, she creates art in the wee hours of the night. She consistently exhibits her work in regional exhibitions.