Local Artist

Jim Meilander - Mixed Media,
including Handmade Paper

Jim Meilander works with many diverse materials using a wide range of techniques: hand-papermaking, collage, printmaking, painting, drawing and sculpture. His artwork is inspired in part by his natural and manmade physical surroundings and in part by objects used in work and play, which he combines with a large measure of fantasy to produce an imaginative abstract personal vocabulary of images.

In his recent series of mixed media work, Jim has been enjoying the challenge of limiting his color palette to black and white. The individual works range from multi-layered painted collages with encaustic, to handmade paper pieces. He often draws upon a number of different techniques in the same artwork.

His process is very interesting, especially in his handmade paper works. He begins making with black and white or color sketches. Then, he creates a painting using a palette of pigment colored abaca and cotton paper pulps, and paper made from plants growing in Mendocino County, and embeds collage elements into the paper. After the paper has dried, he continues to develop his planned design using acrylics, print media, Prismacolor, pastels and other drawing materials, and collage. As he works on the pieces, he also allows for spontaneous images to develop.

Jim, with the collaboration of Joan Rhine, opened their papermaking studio Submarine Paperworks in San Francisco twenty-three years ago, and relocated it to Gualala in 2000. Jim's commitment to the medium of hand papermaking is reflected in his association with the international organization "Friends of Dard Hunter" and the Northern California based group "The Deckle Edge." His background includes formal art education and many years of personal research and experimentation.

Jim shows his work in juried exhibits locally in the North Coast area, winning Judge's Awards at both "Art in the Redwoods" at Gualala Arts, and the Beaux Esprits show at Point Arena CityArt Gallery in 2006. He also shows in competitive national exhibits such as The American Craft Council's Baltimore and San Francisco Craft Shows, and in galleries across the country.

In 2006, he was accepted to become a Journeyman member of the Baulines Craft Guild, and was invited to participate in "Inspired by Marin: The Spirit of Baulines Craft Guild," at the Marin Community Foundation in Novato, and "North Coast Mastery" at the Gualala Arts Center. In 2007 his work was exhibited at the Morris Graves Museum in Eureka, California in "Expressions in Handmade Paper 3: The Deckle Edge." His work is represented locally by SK Gallery, Gualala.

Contact Information: Jim Meilander PO Box 1295 Gualala, CA 95445 Email: subpaper@mcn.org Phone: 707-884-4564

© copyright 2008 - all rights to the images are retained by the artist