Winter Chat

Tree, Leaves & Snow 2024

At the moment here in western Vermont at just after 7 PM EDT, it is snowing at a good clip. The ground has about two inches of snow cover. Earlier, it felt like rain that changed to snow. The weather forecast is rain after 10 PM EDT. A warm font is moving in to wash winter away.

In the morning, with a 40ºF temperature forecast, road conditions might not be all that good as there may be spots where it is colder and icy. 

Please Drive Safely

The winter landscapes today were beautiful. Tomorow I expect things will resemble early spring. Winter being winter. 

This morning my tea got cold too fast after I took a too early sip, and burned part of my lower lip. I tend to try tea faster than I do a hot cup of coffee. I don't know why that is. It was so freezing cold this morning, I think it settled in my mind to warm up.

The Arches watercolor paper order from Dick Blick.com arrived today. It awaits measuring and cutting. I buy full 22 inch by 30 inch sheets because I can cut them to the sizes I want. 

That all means the puttering pace will rev up tomorrow for the painting area to be organized. Right now there are clothes sorted and piled around. 

I am anxious to paint watercolors most of this winter to ease out cabin fever. In years past I've created projects specfically for the purpose of not falling too far into a winter depression. Projects work only when I put effort into them. 

How is your winter going?

 

Handmade Paper: First Slurry

From bowl soaking overnight, I squeezed out a small bunch cut cotton to pound into slurry. Otherwise, the excess water will splash each time the cotton is pounded with the pestle.

 

In addition to pounding, I moved/grinded the pestle in a swirling motion inside to mortar. 

After pounding the small amount, it is obvious to me that the process will pound the fibers small enough to become slurry when water is added.

Inside the mortar after adding some water, the slurry is seen in the middle. The amount in the mortar is about 1 tablespoon. of rough cotton fiber slurry.

Conclusion for This Process:  

The amount of pounding required is too high to make creating cotton fiber slurry this way practical, for me. At the rate of 1 tablespoon per pounding session, about 5 to 10 minutes, the process is better used as a muscle building technique than making  paper slurry. 

However, I will finish the batch I started. At a consistency that will not drip through a drying screen, I'm guessing there may be enough for one small greeting card. 

The Arches watercolor paper that I use is made from 100% cotton, and, is acid free. All the old watercolors I've saved for reference will be reused. I can also buy sheets to make slurry.

For comparison to scale, the tiny white area is the slurry poured back into the soaking bowl (upper right).