Inspired by the beauty of paper during a class with Timothy Barrett at the University of Iowa, I decided to explore papermaking. I was elated and intrigued by the idea of the pulp sprayer and began investigating its potential for making sculpture. I have explored several mould-making and armature techniques for everything from small, three-dimensional forms to a large theater set. I am continually adding to this research and experience; what follows is a brief description of a technique I have begun to develop.   I have been using a Goldblatt Pattern pistol, available through papermaking supply houses and from building supply stores. This device was originally designed for spraying plaster or concrete onto ceilings and walls. It consists of a gun-type pneumatic sprayer with a 1� gallon plastic hopper. It has adjustable orifices, a wing-nut stop to set the flow rate on the trigger, and a notch to set the trigger for continuous flow. I have added a valve at the air-intake connection to regulate the flow of air through the sprayer, a feature well worth having.   In addition to different holes in the orifice plate, the pulp sprayer comes with both 1/8" and 3/32" orifices, which can almost double (or halve) the range of spray pattern and pressure. I use the 1/8" exclusively. The 3/32" orifice is too small for my purposes.   The sprayer needs a 1.5 to 2.0 hp (minimum) compressor to operate. I use a 5 hp portable Craftsman. The compressor must be able to maintain a minimum of 60 psi for smooth operation, so a holding tank is necessary for small compressors.   I have had success spraying all of the Hollander beaten fibers I have tried. Longer, hand beaten bast fibers, however, tend to clog the sprayer; the air continues to flow out, but the pulp stops. The subsequent release of a clog may deposit a stringy clump of pulp on the work. Long Japanese fibers are especially problematic; I avoid them with regret, since I find them beautiful and love the quality of light as it filters through thin gampi paper. Most of my experience has been with abaca, Cheney cotton half-stuff, and both raw and cooked flax. Formation aid, normally used to disperse pulp so that it is suspended evenly in water, facilitates flow through the sprayer and permits the use of longer fibers. But large amounts of formation aid and water can complicate the layering process by increasing the number of applications needed, since the pulp is so thin and diluted. It also increases the likelihood of pulp-slides on three-dimensional works.   I select my pulp based on the properties I desire in the finished paper. As a general rule, more highly beaten fibers tend to be more translucent and crisp, and have higher shrinkage. Shrinkage is more pronounced with any pulp in thicker applications. The shape and construction of the mould or armature determine its tolerance to shrinkage. The more highly beaten the pulp is, the more it will try to pop up from concave surfaces as it dries, so the material on the mould surface is important. Screening or open weave fabrics provide good textures for the pulp to adhere to but make separating the work from the mould after drying more difficult. On a fully three-dimensional mould, the shrinking paper forms an envelope that draws down on the mould, and no popping is possible unless the paper itself splits open due to stress. I have found that the mould or armature is more apt to collapse (even steel or layers of bronze screening) than the paper is to split, with as little as �" thickness of wet flax pulp.    I have combined different types of pulp in the same piece by layering, so that the inside of a form is a different color or fiber than the outside. This worked best when shrinkage was roughly comparable.    I found that testing pulps and combinations is always a good idea. In order to estimate the amount of fiber needed for a particular project, I make a test piece of the desired finished thickness on the mould or screening material I plan to use. I cut the dried test piece to size (one square foot, for instance) and weigh it. If I cannot separate the paper from the screen, I subtract the weight of the screen material. From the weight of the test piece I calculate the total weight of the entire project. This is well worth the time, especially on a large piece with highly beaten pulp.    I use a Valley beater with a 24 liter capacity for most of my pulp. For raw flax, I use 300 grams of dry fiber per load; for Cheney half-stuff, I use 350 grams of dry fiber. With both I use a 5,000 gram weight. When choosing pulp and beating time, I decide what texture and opacity I want for the concept and aesthetic of a piece, cook (if necessary) and beat the fiber the appropriate amount, and try it in the sprayer. If it clogs, I add formation aid (I use PNS, since I rarely use other additives) in small increments, trying samples as I go. For three-hour�beaten Cheney half-stuff, I use one cup of formation aid per four gallons prepared pulp.    The pulp I like best for spraying is raw flax beaten for eight hours. It has the consistency of overcooked, finely strained applesauce, and it requires no formation aid. It is highly translucent and, though it shrinks considerably in heavy applications, it does not when applied thinly. I sometimes use CMC (sodium carboxymethylcellulose) as an internal stiffener. It strengthens the paper and enhances its translucency and adhesion. I add one or two tablespoons of CMC per hundred grams of dry flax in the final few minutes of beating.    When I have made the armature or mould, I anchor it in such a way that I can either turn it or move around it to spray all sides, touching it as little as possible. The air from the sprayer can blow a mould significantly so, when I can, I also anchor the mould to the floor. Strong swivel hooks attached to the ceiling and the floor work well. I sometimes set my mould or armature on a frame, then secure it on a lazy susan. I also use a long hose between the sprayer and the air compressor, so that I can easily maneuver around my entire work area.   Because this process uses so much water, I always consider drainage both in the work area and within the mould and its supports. I also seal any wooden parts to prevent warping. I now have a 10' x 14' spray booth, with heavy plastic fastened to wall studs and a one-piece linoleum floor with a drain, but I started out by simply covering my entire work area with plastic.    Pulp spraying may be harmful, especially to those with preexisting respiratory conditions. While I have never had a problem, some people at my workshop demonstrations have started to wheeze and cough within seconds of my beginning to spray, and have had to leave the room. Therefore, I recommend using a mask when spraying.   I begin by adjusting the orifice, rotating the orifice plate to the desired size. The length and consistency of the fiber will dictate the orifice plate hole size, which will determine the diameter of the spray. A highly beaten short fiber will flow more easily through the smaller orifice hole than a longer, coarser fiber.    Before connecting the sprayer and the compressor with the air hose, I make sure the sprayer air valve is closed. I also make sure that the trigger of the sprayer is not stuck in the "on" position, then fill the hopper with pulp. Both the weight of the pulp and the angle at which I will be spraying determine how much pulp I put into the hopper.    With the sprayer aimed away from the work, I open the sprayer air valve to the desired air flow volume, which I judge by the sound produced. If the air flow is too low, the pulp will come out of the sprayer intermittently or weakly, and I get neither the volume nor the evenness I desire. If the air flow is too high, it will blow the pulp off the mould surface. The air flows through the center of the orifice continually when the air valve is open and can displace wet pulp that has already been sprayed, so I am careful not to aim the gun at the work with the trigger off.   As I pull back the trigger, the air orifice retracts from inside the orifice plate hole. The pulp comes out between the orifice and the perimeter of the hole. The further the air orifice is retracted, the wider the gap becomes and the more pulp is released. Therefore, pressure on the trigger determines the rate of pulp flow. To get predictable results I had to find the right balance between air flow and pulp flow.   Applying pulp with the sprayer can be difficult, but spraying a horizontal surface is fairly simple. This is easier to do from a fairly high angle (aiming down, as close to perpendicular as possible without spilling pulp from the hopper) in order to obtain a fairly even dispersion. I spray steadily, either in a zigzag motion or using a circular spray pattern, keeping the sprayer far enough away from the mould to prevent the air pressure from disturbing the previously deposited pulp.   Spraying from a tighter angle (closer to horizontal, more parallel to the surface) creates an interesting uneven build-up of pulp. The pulp forms ridges that block the area behind them. These ridges block more area as they increase in height, forming a wavelike variation of pulp density and opacity.    Application of pulp to a vertical surface or form is much more tedious. Gravity is the enemy here, since applying even a little more pulp than needed can cause a major pulp-slide. Also, draining water can form rivulets that wash away pulp. I allow each layer to evaporate and dry just enough so that the next layer will adhere and not wash away the previous one. Large vertical forms are especially difficult to keep consistent in thickness, since the top will inevitably dry faster than the bottom, and will appear to need a new layer considerably sooner than the lower portion. To prevent the surface from totally drying and sealing, I sometimes spray the top layer lightly with water (but not enough to drip down). If areas do dry, I find that subsequent layers can still be applied to a 3-dimensional form. However, I end up with a piece made from several individual layers, and removing the piece from the mould sometimes causes the first layers to delaminate considerably or even adhere to the mould itself.   Spraying on a three-dimensional hollow form (made of open screen, for example) requires care that the water sprayed through the form does not displace the pulp on the opposite side of the form. I try to prevent this by spraying light layers from further away than usual, allowing each layer to drain enough before applying the next. This problem occurs most often in open mesh armatures. In this case, the mesh is usually open enough to allow some pulp to be deposited on the inside of the opposite side of the armature. This pulp can bond to the layer on the outside, which is fine if I want the armature to remain inside the piece.    I find layering necessary in almost all of my pulp-sprayed projects. Often I need many layers. (Consider how thick your pulp looks before drainage is complete when you are sheet forming from a vat, compared with how thin the sheet ends up after drying.) I have made a large vertical piece to which I applied a layer every two to four hours for five days. I had to rig up a plastic tent to retard drying overnight so I could sleep.   I discovered the underside of my three-dimensional pieces the most difficult place to spray and retain the pulp layer. I now turn the down-side up, spray a few light layers (with appropriate draining and evaporation intervals in between), then flip the entire piece and spray it in even layers. I try to prevent the edges of the first layers from drying out, or they will shrivel and shrink, and be easily seen in the final piece. The edges will be on the lower edge (when the piece is inverted) so gravity will initially aid in preventing their premature drying, but I sometimes find it necessary to wrap the edges in strips of plastic.   I like to incorporate inclusions (flowers, fibers, etc.) between layers. Dried organic matter works much better than fresh, because living flower petals and leaves are amazingly water repellent. Fibers can strengthen a piece and inclusions can aid in deterring pulp-slides on vertical pieces; they act a bit like terracing on hillsides. If applied close to the surface layer, their detail can be seen beautifully, especially beneath a fine pulp. I have to be careful when spraying the layer on top of the inclusions, since the compressed air can easily blow them away. I gently tap them into one pulp layer before spraying another.   I dry sprayed pieces slowly and naturally (out of the sun and without a direct heat source) to avoid puckering and tearing, which occur especially if a wet area is adjacent to a dry one. Room temperature of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit works well. The pulp takes too long to dry and may develop mold in cooler air. In warmer air the pulp may dry unevenly. The most shrinkage takes place in the final stages of drying, and wet pulp is very weak, so a dry area can easily pull a wet one apart. I sometimes use a fan on a low setting aimed at a wall (not at the piece) to keep air generally circulating.    I have developed several methods to make three-dimensional paper sculptures using the pulp sprayer. For some I carefully plan moulds that I remove after the pieces dry. For others I use armatures that remain inside the sculptures and add to their strength and stability.   In a recent piece, Symbiosis, I began with a welded steel armature. I used 1/8" diameter cold rolled steel. (I found I had to use strong steel, as the drying and shrinking paper can bend weak steel significantly, but the steel also needs to be thin and unobtrusive.) I sealed the steel with a tough paint to keep it from oxidizing during spraying. I covered the armature with four layers of cheesecloth (two on the inside and two on the outside) and stitched them together through all layers, making an openwork design.
In a recent piece, Symbiosis, I began with a welded steel armature. I used 1/8" diameter cold rolled steel. (I found I had to use strong steel, as the drying and shrinking paper can bend weak steel significantly, but the steel also needs to be thin and unobtrusive.) I sealed the steel with a tough paint to keep it from oxidizing during spraying. I covered the armature with four layers of cheesecloth (two on the inside and two on the outside) and stitched them together through all layers, making an openwork design.  
 Before spraying, I placed the mould on a waterproofed wooden frame. I had cut slots in the top edge of the frame to accommodate the contours of the mould with the concave side either up or down. I sprayed, in sequence: one layer with the concave side up; one layer with the concave side down; two layers with the concave side up (the last inside layers); and, finally, four layers with the concave side down, with inclusions of thistles, grass, and rice hulls between layers. I did not turn the mould over again, since my inclusions might have sloughed off. I waited two to four hours between layers. I used eight-hour beaten raw flax, which drains very slowly.
I allowed the piece to dry on the frame. I had prepared the top edges of the frame by covering them with plastic tape so the pulp would not adhere to the frame at the points of contact, and wiped the pulp from the plastic around the edge of the piece after spraying was complete. This worked well.  
 I lined the dry piece with hundreds of road-killed Monarch butterfly wings and countless milkweed seeds. A piece of ebony, steam bent and shaped like a Monarch antennae, is the milkweed pod's placenta. Milkweed silk "sprouts" from tiny holes drilled into the tip.

 In another project, for a theater production (Lenz by Mike Stott, directed by Carol MacVey and staged by the University of Iowa Theater Department in December 1996), I designed and made a set out of sprayed paper and different types of stone. The paper portion of the set consisted of eight overlapping mountain shapes that comprised a mountain range seventy-five feet wide and thirty-five feet tall. Each mountain weighed less than five pounds.
In another project, for a theater production (Lenz by Mike Stott, directed by Carol MacVey and staged by the University of Iowa Theater Department in December 1996), I designed and made a set out of sprayed paper and different types of stone. The paper portion of the set consisted of eight overlapping mountain shapes that comprised a mountain range seventy-five feet wide and thirty-five feet tall. Each mountain weighed less than five pounds.  
 For this project I decided to spray the pulp directly onto nylon net fabric. I used 170 yards of open net with one-eighth inch holes, and cut and hand stitched each eighteen foot high mountain. I placed these, two at a time, directly on a large, plastic-covered floor. I knew the pulp would spray through the holes in the net if I had suspended it in any way. This would waste pulp and the wet pulp would be too heavy for the relatively fragile netting. By spraying onto a horizontal plane, the net would become encased by the pulp, and when dry, it would be very light and strong.
Spraying directly onto the plastic-covered floor enabled me to lay down all of the pulp at once; without layering. I could also vary the density of the pulp by spraying, splattering, and pouring water onto the surface, creating patterns of light and dark. I kept a fairly dense layer of pulp at the top edge of each mountain. I used approximately two hundred gallons of wet pulp (Cheney half-stuff, beaten for three hours). Each group of two mountains took five hours to spray. I set up two box fans to reflect air off the walls and each pair of mountains took four days to dry.  
 It was almost impossible to see the black net on the black plastic, so, before spraying, I used masking tape to fasten the edges down; this gave me a dotted line of tape outlining each mountain. The tape also helped keep the netting from blowing from the force of the sprayer. I removed the tape immediately after spraying to keep the pulp from drying and sticking to the tape.
To hang the mountains, I used strapping tape (a three inch piece every fifteen inches) to attach a continuous wire to the back of the top edges, where I had purposely made the pulp thicker. To the wires I attached thin monofilament lines and suspended the mountains from the ceiling grid forty feet above the floor. The play was performed in a "black box" theater, with black walls and no backdrop, so the nylon net simply disappeared. The white Cheney paper was a wonderful "canvas" for the lighting artist to play with and the mountains were easily rolled up when the production was over.  
 Sprayed paper has many beautiful qualities that can be used in sculpture. I have described here two of the many armatures I have made, but none of the moulds.1 Sprayed paper offers as many challenges as possibilities, and I learn and brainstorm with every project. I hope this description will both inform and inspire you to explore its potential in your work.

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