Ash Ghosts

The Ash ghosts came to me in a dream.

I went into the Phumani paper making mill the following day and worked with Dumi to prepare a very translucent kozo and milkweed fibre. I brough in my granny’s very solid brass pestle and mortar and we ground the ash from the fire into a pigment.  We floated the ash inthe vat, using retention and formation aid (used in Eastern style papermaking) and cast fine sheets. Following the steps that appeared in my half-dreaming state, I pounded the ash pigment with a water-soluble ink base and rubbed it in the plates that I brought. We layered the semi wet pulp sheets onto the plate, pressed it with heavy boards and gently lifted it in panels. The results were mixed and clumsy, (hanging panels 2 and 4) but gave me the steps for repeating it with glued together sheets through my etching press at home (hanging panels 1 and 3).

They are ghostlike and evocative…and will be part of the exhibition installation, but the process gave me the technique for making the  artists books: Grandpa Richards Ghost, Carbide Ash and Tracks and Traces revisited.

Ash Ghosts, 2025, Handground ash pigment on handmade translucent kozo and milkweed fibre paper with ash

Two large, old and weathered curtains or fabric coverings hanging on a wall with some printing or design, partially covering a brick wall. There is a wooden floor in front.
Studio workspace with large fabric prints hanging on the wall, a large roller paper, and printing or fabric art equipment.
An elderly woman with gray hair, wearing a light green shirt and white apron, is cleaning or polishing a large black surface outdoors. She is using a cloth and wearing gloves, with a paved area and some buildings in the background.
Two young men wearing face masks, one wearing a white and grey shirt and cap, and the other wearing a navy blue shirt, apron, and wide-brimmed hat, are holding and stretching a white sheet outdoors on a paved walkway with grass and plants. Trees and
Person wearing gloves and an apron working on a large, dark, textured canvas outdoors, with tubs and boxes of supplies in the background.
Two people working outdoors on a pavement, with large panels of material spread out on the ground, surrounded by trees and urban buildings.
A piece of stone or concrete with a cross shape inscribed or colored on it, laid on a white cloth with yellow and brown patterned borders, on a brick surface.
A faded sketch of a mythical creature with a lion's face, a flowing mane, and a human-like body, surrounded by trees and nature elements.
Ancient wall painting of flowers and shells featuring brownish lines and faded details on a beige background.
Close-up of a scratched and weathered metal surface.
Hand wearing blue gloves is cleaning a dark, textured concrete surface with a scrubber.
Two sheets of art paper on a cobblestone ground, one darker with a landscape of trees and mountains, the other lighter with abstract blue and white patterns.