Fisher College of Business

Interweaving Pattern Lies
higher resolution 77Kb

Pulp painting, wood intaglio on
custom paper, 36" x 36"
Executive Education Programs
Reception 110

Cynthia Alderdice, a graduate of the University of Texas, works in a variety of media, including painting, printmaking, and papermaking. Interweaving Pattern Lies uses those techniques to create a rich and varied surface. Alderdice's work can be found in collections including those of the Musee d' Art Contemporain, Chamalieres, France; Robert C. Williams American Museum of Papermaking, Atlanta; and Baltimore Museum of Art.

Some of the symbols and iconic language in my work have African origins; however, the more underlying messages come from a mystical Tibetan heritage. Fifteen years ago, I traveled to "the roof of the world." At that time, only 1,500 visitors had made the grueling trek.

It is important for me to convey this work on handmade paper. An exciting new development is pulp-painting the color as an underpainting for the carved wood block on freshly made Kozo base sheet, thus creating a more dimensional and painterly look for the wood intaglio print. This is achieved by beating cotton rag pulp for four hours in a large paper beater, then adding artist pigments to color the beaten cotton pulp. This colored pulp is then "painted" on the wet Kozo base sheet to provide the background colors. When the paper has dried, the wood block is inked and printed through an etching press.