It's the beginning of the month and that means a new header! (Note to self: you have to come up with a better intro for these posts...you say the same thing every time.)

This header was created with a pattern I was practicing in the studio a few weeks ago--the New Jersey Ripple. The full sheet looks like this:

It's probably hard to tell in a photograph, but the New Jersey Ripple (and its parent pattern, the Spanish Moire) has an illusional affect on the viewer. It looks as if the paper, indeed, has ripples--like when a pebble is dropped into a pond of water.

I've practiced the Spanish Moire many, many times and can't get it down but I had no problems nailing the New Jersey Ripple. This kind of stuff drives me up the wall about marbling (in a good way!) and speaks to the subtly of the craft. The two patterns aren't that different from one another. With the Spanish Moire, you gently rock the paper corner to corner as you lay it down on the bath. That's it. You do the same rocking motion with the New Jersey Ripple, but with the Ripple, the paper is folded horizontally and vertically a few times before laying it down. I'm not sure how that affects the making of the pattern but obviously it does.

Given the history of the Spanish Moire, you'd think this would be my specialty. The story goes that after a night of heavy drinking, a marbler came into work and started laying down paper but because of his hangover, his hands were shaking. Thus, the Spanish Moire was born. Like I said, this should be up my alley, but alas, it alludes me. I'm tempted to leave the Moire behind and just stick with the Ripple but I don't like the folds that are left behind on the paper. You can get them out by ironing the paper or giving it a couple extra squirts of water and putting it under boards for a few days but that's such a pain. So I guess I'll continue my quest to produce at least ONE good Spanish Moire sometime in my life...even if it means many nights of heavy drinking! It's a sacrifice I'll have to make for the greater good of the profession.

Cheers!