Season's Greetings from everyone at St Cuthberts Mill.

We wish all our customers a wonderful holiday!

The mill will be closed for the holiday period from Wednesday 23 December, 

re-opening on Monday 4 January 2016. 

(Image - Merrivale by Jill Griffin painted on Bockingford paper - Thanks Jill)

https://www.facebook.com/people/Jill-Griffin-Artist/100008277781861

Apprenticeship award nomination

Nicola Dobson and Steve Gardner of St Cuthberts Mill

St Cuthberts Mill, based in Haybridge, picks up another apprenticeship award nomination with their Quality & Technical Apprentice Nicola Dobson. 

From over 1500 students currently being mentored by Bridgwater College, Nicola was nominated for the ‘Intermediate Apprentice of the Year’ award, in the Arts and Technology section, and she was awarded with the Runner Up position.

Previously St Cuthberts Mill was nominated for the Business Newcomer of the Year, and has successfully had 5 apprentices complete their qualifications, they currently have one working towards her Business Administration qualification and a further two apprentices starting in January 2016.

”The apprenticeship scheme has been amazing for St Cuthberts Mill. We’ve used the programme successfully to recruit the next generation of papermakers with the craft of making the high quality artists paper made at the mill” commented Catherine Frood, Marketing Executive.

Since completing her apprenticeship Nicola has been given the full time position of ‘Quality & Technical Technician’ at St Cuthberts Mill.

Discerning Eye Exhibition 2015 - Mall Galleries, London

The Discerning Eye annual exhibition is a show of small works independently selected by six prominent figures from different areas of the art world: two artists, two collectors and two critics.

Artist Alison Lumb with her winning painting

Alison Lumb's winning work!

St Cuthberts Mill was invited to provide a prize for a selected piece of artwork. The prize being £250 worth of St Cuthberts Mill paper. Artist Alison Lumb was the chosen winner of the St Cuthberts Mill/ ING Discerning Eye Prize. Congratulations Alison!

Artist Lorna Holdcroft

The fabulous artist Lorna Holdcorft also kindly accepted our invitation to demonstrate different mediums on our papers. All in all a fantastic evening and amazing exhibition - Go check it out for yourselves!

Demo work by Lorna Holdcroft on Bockingford Rough paper

The 2015  Discerning Eye Exhibition is now open daily from 10am to 5pm until Sunday 22 November at the Mall Galleries, The Mall, London SW1. Admission is free and there are over 450 works on show by nearly 200 artists which are all for sale.

http://www.discerningeye.org/

http://www.lornaholdcroft.co.uk/about

http://alisonlumbfineart.co.uk/

Mr. Penfold Solo Exhibition

Station Gallery is pleased to have London based artist & illustrator MR. PENFOLD in the house for a solo exhibition. His first visit to the mile high city!

Mr. Penfold has been captivating audiences worldwide with his "Bold" approach to art & style across various mediums. Penfold has been hard at work in 2015 with several large gallery shows across the UK. Join us for this rare & intimate show! Tell a friend & come hang out. Artist will be in attendance!

"Paintings on paper" sponsored by St Cuthberts Mill with Somerset paper, will focus on minimal concept with bright color amongst flawless execution. All works will be created using a variety of techniques on high grade archival museum quality papers. 

Exhibition opens 5th November 2015 at Station Gallery, Denver, USA.

http://on.fb.me/1jOKXav

http://www.mrpenfold.com/

http://www.stcuthbertsmill.com/st-cuthberts-mill-paper/somerset-printmaking/

More New Sizes!

We are pleased to announce that we have added more new sizes to our Saunders Waterford and Bockingford block, pad and spiral range!

Saunders Waterford HP, CP(NOT) & Rough

Blocks - White shade only

20”x14” (510x360mm)

Bockingford CP(NOT)

Pads & Spirals

20”x15” (510x380mm)

For further details:

http://bit.ly/1jRnWDE

http://rkburt.com/

http://www.stcuthbertsmill.com/

Millford Paper Review by Barry Herniman

Millford Paper Review 

by Barry Herniman

MILLFORD PAPER : Whatman rises again !  by Barry Herniman

Many years ago, more than I care to remember, when I first started exploring the wonders of watercolour one of my favourite papers was Whatman. A very white and hard sized paper which I really enjoyed painting on. Then  it was discontinued and disappeared from the art scene. A while ago I was using a piece of paper from a St Cuthberts Mill Sample pack called 'MILLFORD' which handled in a completely different way to most other papers. So imagine my delight when I rang Cathy at St Cuthberts to ask for some information on it and told it is made to the original Whatman recipe!! So I just had to put it through it's paces and here is what I found...!

Pic 1  Just doodling about with this paper is great fun as the paint sits beautifully on the surface. Because it is a hard sized paper the amount of paint absorbed  is less than that of other softer sized papers and I find that leaves the pigments retain more of their glow when dry.

Pic 2 Lifting out can also be a problem on some 'softer' papers especially with the highly staining pigments. Here I have used Helio Turquoise and Madder red dark, my two most staining colours, let them dry, flicked clean water on them and then blotted out these marks with a tissue.

Pic3  Here I have lifted out a passage from a wash of Helio Turquoise using only a sable brush and a tissue! You can see that I am able to almost return to the white of the paper without having to 'scrub' the paper to do so. The amount of lift out is quite remarkable considering the pigment.

Pic 4  Using masking fluid can also be a problem. I use Schmincke Masking fluid which doesn't contain ammonia and is a lot kinder on the paper. Even so,  lifting off masking fluid from some papers can be fraught with danger as it can sometimes lift the surface of the paper with it. Not with Millford! These masks came away crisp and clean with very little rubbing. ( You might  get the idea I rather like this paper??)

So the logical conclusion to all this was to do an actual painting !

Demo 2  I have masked out some of the main white areas and then laid down some wet 'sea' washes letting the colours merge together on the paper.

Demo 3  Next I start to establish some of the main Areas in the rocks and cliffs and the texture of the paper is great for scumbling colour onto them.

Demo 4  I now lay unifying washes over the rocks and cliffs. The colour sits beautifully on the paper.

Demo 5  I have lifted off all the mask and modified some of the sharper edges. Plus I have given  a stronger wash over the foreground cliff.

Demo 6 Finished painting 'Sea swells' Orkneys   15" x 22"

All that remains is to add the finishing touches, some cracks and fault lines in the cliffs, some shadows on the sea and we're done.

A huge THANK YOU to Barry Herniman for this wonderful article!

http://www.barryherniman.com/

For samples of our MILLFORD paper - Email: klintern@stcuthbertsmill.com

http://www.stcuthbertsmill.com/st-cuthberts-mill-paper/millford-watercolour/

Sponsorship: Kim Lintern

St Cuthberts Mill is proud to sponsor our resident artist Kim Lintern for ‘Somerset Arts Week’ at The Red Brick Building in Glastonbury.

The Red Brick Building has a strong community ethos focusing on Arts, Enterprise and Education. Each year they are a part of Somerset Arts Week. This year Red Brick have an exhibition titled ‘Festival of Arts’ which is a collaboration of 24 artists, and runs till 18^th Oct, 2015.

Kim uses a wide range of mediums, styles and content, and has done so for many years. She likes to experiment with a variety of techniques and create her own interpretations of different subjects. Kim has been producing compositions with a variety of papers made by St Cuthberts Mill. The four pieces of work at the ‘Festival of Arts’ exhibition were produced on Saunders Waterford paper.

Two pieces of work by Kim Lintern
on Saunders Waterford paper

If you're in the area the exhibition is a must! See the link provided for further info!

www.stcuthbertsmill.com

http://www.redbrickglastonbury.co.uk/festival-of-arts/

http://somersetartworks.org.uk/artweeks15/venues/

www.kimlintern.com

Mould-Made Paper

The earliest papers were hand-made by dipping a rigid wooden frame with a fine wire mesh into a vat of ground up cellulose (cotton or wood) fibres and water. The fibres in the resulting sheet would be arranged in a random fashion. This would mean there were no significant differences in properties of the sheet, in the long or short direction, and the sheet would be very strong and stable.

At St Cuthberts Mill our cylinder mould machine is one of only six producing artists paper, and the second widest in the world. It replicates the hand-made process but in a continuous operation. The resultant sheet has only slight differences between the long and short direction. This means exceptional sheet stability.

We have a cylinder around which there are 3-joined wire mesh frames. These lift the fibres from the vat to form a sheet that is joined to the next sheet and therefore continues down the machine. This strip of paper then passes through natural woolen felts that both add surface texture and remove water from the sheet.

The paper passes through a number of cylinders full of steam that dry the sheet. This dry paper then passes through a bath where any surface sizing (e.g. Gelatine) can be added. If it is going to be a smooth paper it will pass through the calendars (hot press) after final drying. The paper then proceeds to the reel up where it rolls up on a cardboard core.

In the case of four deckled edged sheets this reel of paper is then split and inspected by hand, in a department called the 'Salle'. We have photos dating from the Edwardian era that show very little has changed!

Mould-made paper machines produce paper very slowly and that is why it is often more expensive, but it is a far superior product. Machine-made or Fourdrinier machines produce larger quantities of cheaper paper at high speed using lower quality pulp, which show marked differences in properties between the long and short direction of the sheet. 

You can see our paper being made at www.stcuthbertsmill.com or at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK1L8jLkRKc

Postcards from the 'National Stationery Show' in the USA

These brilliant letterpress cards from ‘Smudge Ink’ were printed on Somerset Textured Radiant White 500gsm paper. 

‘The scavenger hunt’ card list was sponsored by our distributors Legion Paper and they kindly sent these ones on our papers. Thanks Legion, and thanks to Smudge Ink for using our papers!

http://smudgeink.com/

http://www.legionpaper.com/

St Cuthberts Mill - Inkjet (Giclée) Papers

Bockingford Inkjet Paper

Bockingford Inkjet is the answer for artists who wish to create their own limited edition prints. Fantastic prints can be reproduced to look like the original, when using a good inkjet printer.

Artists familiar with the original Bockingford watercolour paper will recognise the same beautiful surface on Bockingford Inkjet. It is made in the same time-honoured fashion as Bockingford watercolour paper using a traditional mould machine.

Unlike other artist inkjet papers, Bockingford Inkjet has an ink receptive coating on both sides of the sheet, allowing limited edition books and portfolios to be created.

Somerset Photo Paper

Somerset Photo is made from 100% cotton linters. Linters contain a very high percentage of alpha cellulose, the purest form of cellulose. It is made on a traditional mould machine, using natural woollen felts to impart a delicate texture to the surface of the sheet.

The resultant sheet has a high whiteness value, without resorting to excessive use of optical brightening agents.

Somerset Photo is a 300gsm bright white, genuine mould made paper designed for use in the photographic and fine art markets. It is only available in a satin finish, this is a subtly textured smooth finish that will reveal the finest detail while retaining the look and feel of a photographic or fine art paper. The paper is buffered with calcium carbonate, giving the sheet archival properties that will aid in combating acid attack from airborne pollutants, this means the paper colour is stable and will not fade. 

Somerset Enhanced Paper

This paper is 100% rag (cotton), acid free, coated on one side & radiant white. Feels like uncoated cotton paper, yet prints like coated paper. It is specially formulated for inkjet printers such as Iris, Colourspan and Epson. Check suitability for your printer model. Somerset Enhanced is available in 225gsm and 255gsm weights, and is available in 3 surfaces, Textured, Velvet or Satin.

http://www.stcuthbertsmill.com/st-cuthberts-mill-stockists/

Giveaway Winners

Thanks to everyone who entered our Giveaway!

Congratulations to our latest Giveaway winners! 

They are:

Jonathan Blackmore

John Harrison

Shauna Forrister

 Kit Marti

 Edo Hannema

Your prize will be with you shortly!

The addition of a ‘High White’ shade to our Saunders Waterford range has complemented the original range of ‘White’ papers, with a new whiter shade that’s much brighter.

The ‘High White’ shade was introduced after requests from professional artists who were searching for a whiter shade of watercolour paper, without compromising on quality that only a professional grade watercolour paper like Saunders Waterford can offer.

The base colour of the paper shows through the transparent washes of watercolour, and the original ‘White’ shade of Saunders Waterford could affect the paints.  With the new ‘High White’ shade the paint pigments will appear more vivid, with a bolder tone, giving the whole painting a more contemporary appearance.

With watercolour, the purist will only achieve the lightest highlights by using the papers original colour (either by colour lifting or with masking fluid).  The ‘High White’ paper will now give these highlights a cleaner, fresher glow, enhancing the contrast between the lightest and darkest points of the composition.

A whiter sheet will make finished paintings more contemporary looking, as artists have commented that they felt the original white colour created a more antique look to their finished compositions.

Whiteness Values

The original Saunders Waterford White

Tappi 77% (in the area of)

Saunders Waterford High White

Tappi 90%

http://www.stcuthbertsmill.com/st-cuthberts-mill-paper/saunders-waterford-watercolour/

All you have to do to enter is email: competitions@stcuthbertsmill.com stating ‘Competition’ in the header. Please make sure to include your full name and address. 

The 5 lucky winners of this competition will each receive one of the following: Bockingford White CP(NOT) spiral (12 sheets), 300gsm(140lb), 180mm x 130mm (7’’ x 5’’). (RRP £5.64)

Deadline to enter Friday 14^th August 2015, at 12 midday.

The winners will be contacted via email after this date.

You are providing your information to St Cuthberts Mill Ltd.

Mill Photos

A few shots from around the mill!

http://www.stcuthbertsmill.com/index.asp

Chinese Scholarship Winners

St Cuthberts Mill recently sponsored a scholarship in China. Two Universities held the competition and each chose a winning artist who would win a visit to England, and to St Cuthberts Mill. Our distributor Qingdao Oulor Culture were also involved, and Eric from Qingdao joined the students on their visit. Below are the winning pieces of artwork by Yongqi Hu and Yongzhe Guo.

'Passing Landscape' by Yongqi Hu

'The Memory of Distance' by Yongzhe Guo

On their trip to England the guys were shown the local area to St Cuthberts Mill and paid a visit to The University of the West of England in Bristol. A tour of the mill gave them an exciting insight into the world of St Cuthberts Mill's papermaking too! 

 

Thanks for coming to see us guys and we hope you enjoyed your time with us!