Val Bembenek

paperlady5@icloud.com

A treehugger since childhood and now on the other side of a career as newspaper journalist and corporate communications manager, I’ve been channeling my energies into paper arts since retirement. My basic goal is creation of innovative pieces that connect people (myself included) to nature and environmental awareness.

Gathering.
     This “paper trail” started with hikes through wild places where, under guidance from textbooks and teachers, I collected fibrous plant materials like cattail fluff, fallen bird-nests, seed pods, flowers, grasses, thistledown, and all variety of leaves to soak, cook, steam, and beat in order to make richly textured botanical papers. My Botanical Stationeries are finished with leaf-shape cutouts and include plain-paper pages inside for personal messages.

     Similarly, button-closure envelopes of rustic denim-rag fiber with ocotillo flowers are gift-card size and include message papers​.

Books.
     Handmade botanical papers are at the heart of my artists’ books, too. Each unique Wm. Shakespeare In Love With The Great American West book features ten vintage post cards of iconic landmarks captioned with the Bard’s artful words.

     Meteor Crater aerial view..... Some have greatness thrust upon them.
     Grand Canyon overview.....​They say miracles are past.
     Coyote in the desert….. Boldness be my friend.

     Another limited-edition book showcases my unusual handmade papers. Pineapple leaf, banana skin, corn husk, and onion skin sheets are bound into a dos-a-dos style for my “foodie” book of humorous quotations about eating desserts vs. eating vegetables. 

New.
     Treehuggers, a limited edition of 12, was completed during the pandemic shut down, but is more a response to year-around wildfires, melting polar ice, and severe weather events. Fifty-one environmental-awareness quotations and slogans from around the world and across the centuries are presented on the sturdy pages of repurposed childrens’
cardboard books in a fanciful A-Z alphabetical style.

     Our planet earth produces enough to satisfy every person’s need, but not every person’s greed. — Mahatma Gandhi
     Natural world: it’s a package deal. You don’t get to select which facts you like and which you don’t. — Bill Nye
     “It’s just a plastic drinking straw,” said 8 billion people.