Finding art in pulp

Ellen Chase McCord sees beauty in paper – its pulp, anyway. The local artist’s paper pulp paintings are on display beginning Nov. 11 at the Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum Gallery, 7910 Park Ave. in Houma.

“As a Louisiana native, I am very familiar with Southern traditions and the regional culture,” McCord said. “Conceptually, I see Louisiana in terms of modest and unassuming residences, the lush vegetation and wildlife of the bayous and the makeshift, weather beaten, ramshackle camps and cottages. Winding roads, shotgun houses, mysterious doorways and elevated camps and houses are true to what we call home.”

Indeed, McCord’s paintings reflect common scenes from local bayous to the streets of the Big Easy.

To create paper pulp for her art, McCord overbeats cotton linters so that the pulp is painted on a base sheet of paper using squeeze bottles. Once the water is vacuumed out of the paper and set to dry, torn paper, string and other natural materials are used to add texture.

The resulting three-dimensional quality is easily detected in McCord’s final work.

“The unique nature of the medium attracts the viewer to visually experience the ingredients as well as seek the inspiration behind the imagery,” she said.

The museum will host an opening reception with McCord on Nov. 11 from 4 to 6 p.m. The public is welcome to attend.