Striving to make a work of art in which materials, process, and image are harmoniously combined, Ilse has developed the techniques required to make fine papers. Since 1992, she has refined her paper-making methods in the belief that the paper she prints on is an integral part of her creative process. To make the paper, Ilse uses the inner bark of the Mulberry tree, which is imported from Thailand. She soaks the bark overnight to soften it, then cooks it in sodium carbonate for up to two hours, depending on the degree of softness required. Next, to blend the fibers, Ilse beats the softened bark with a wooden or rawhide hammer on a stone surface. To create the paper pulp, she mixes this material in a large vat containing several gallons of water combined with a gelatinous agent. A deckle-framed, nylon-screened mold is immersed in the vat of pulp. When Ilse removes the mold from the vat, the water drains through it leaving the pulp behind. She then takes off the deckle to expose the formed sheet lying on the screen.

Figure 1: Mashing the bark Figure 2: The deckle frame Figure 3:: Lifting the frame Figure 4 Lifting the sheet