Page 23 - CA 2019 Final(3)

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Lampshades are made
from paper that is actually
thinner than watercolor
paper. Gigi irons on wall-
paper liner in order to pro-
vide a reflective surface
that helps the lightbulb do
its job. She emphasized
she does not use styrene.
“Styrene’s that ugly
plastic stuff and I hate it,”
she said.
She then cuts the paper,
allowing an extra length be- Textures of the many different papers add interest and dimension
yond the wallpaper lining to the handmade shades. Photo courtesy of Handmade Papers
that is used to wrap around Gallery.
the wire lampshade frame.
Gigi said paper making Gigi irons paper that will become a
lampshade. Photo by Johanna S
is quite different from com- Billings.
puter programming. She
described it as “left brain versus right brain,” saying that, to
her, paper making is playing where programming is more
like work.
“The bigger challenge is working with individuals,” in- The true beauty of the hand-
cluding custom orders. “Some people find me and they made papers comes to life
send me what looks like a batch of corn flakes because the when illuminated. Photo
paper has gone south,” she said. “I get so jazzed up getting courtesy of Handmade Papers

to work on somebody else’s project that is that old.” Gallery.
Custom orders require several weeks. However, com-

pleted shades, paired with antique lamp bases, are available

Shades are carefully assembled piece by piece. Photo courtesy
of Handmade Papers Gallery.

in her shop at 113 Reach Road, Brooklin. Her gallery also offers
journals featuring her handmade papers and wooden works by
Louis Charlett. During the summer, her shop is open noon-5 p.m.
Wednesday through Sunday. The rest of the year, she is open by
chance or appointment. For more information, call (207) 359-8345.

Lamps with Gigi’s handmade shades are displayed in the window of
14
her studio. Photo courtesy of Handmade Papers Gallery. 21