Each of my handmade paper vessels is a one-of-a-kind creation. These vessels are meant to be not so much containers as matter of spirit. From beginning to end they are filled with the energies of plants.

I gather vines, roots, branches and bark from the creek, fields, and woods around the small farm where I live. sometimes friends from distant places find leaves, stalks, and other plants unique to their regions and send them to me to use in my work. To ready these natural materials for my art-making, they must be pruned, peeled, sorted, soaked, simmered, or split, according to their particular properties.

I make all of the paper for my pieces, one sheet at a time. Many of these papers are formed partially or entirely from plants grown in my garden, such as okra stalks, hollyhocks stems, garlic leaves and onion skins. Others I harvest from the wild, like cattails, yucca leaves, and various grasses.

My vessels are molded, layer by layer, from this handmade paper. Forms that convey simplicity and grace of the line appeal to me most. My focus is on the nuances of the natural materials themselves --the contrasting testurews, subtle colors, and organic shapes of nature. The 2-dimensional paper shapes and the 3-dimensional linear elements of vines, roots, etc., must harmonize in my pieces.

In all of my work I try to achieve a balance between human intention and natural forms, with new dominating. My hope is that the vessels I make will be used as objects of contemplation within the settings of everyday life.

Jenna Weston
Rt. 5 Box 934
Ava, Missouri 65608

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