Mandy Hillson

Handmade paper & Mixed Media
Mandy is a contemporary paper artist who works in 2D and 3D. Through her artwork, Mandy explores the concept of place. She uses the papermaking process to reflect a collective, personal or historical narrative of a specific place. She harvests the plants from that place, cuts, cooks, and sometimes dyes the fibre and then makes a pulp. Sometimes she adds photographic images or other inclusions and using the unique characteristics of the paper fibre she reveals a story intrinsic to that place. She paints with paper pulp and manipulates the fibre to achieve different qualities in her artwork.  She often applies watercolour, photo media or printed images to create further character and storylines.

Mandy has been making paper by hand for many years.  She has exhibited and conducted workshops in Canberra and the south coast of NSW where she lives. Mandy was the inaugural Artist in Residence at the Eurobodalla Botanic Gardens and has exhibited in its first Sculpture Exhibition.   Mandy studied papermaking through Studio One (now Megalo Print Studio) in Canberra, the Women’s Art Studio in New York, and Sitka Artists’ Centre Oregon and has been mentored by internationally recognised papermaker Kathy Nix.