Process

Zembrod House papers are made using a large scale version of the traditional Italian water marbling process. 

In our sunny studio in an old house -the Zembrod House- in Lexington, Kentucky, we fill a long tray table with a water bath made from carrageenan, a powdered seaweed. The carrageenan is almost gelatinous (it is also used as a food additive), and its high viscosity allows very dilute paint to float on the surface. We use high quality acrylic artist paints with concentrated fine pigments, which we drip in controlled amounts into the tray. This is a time consuming process as the paint will sink if applied too heavily, and must be evenly and methodically distributed in order for every piece to be alike. Colors flow at different rates because of the weights of their pigments, and they react and push each other in somewhat unpredictable ways. It takes many hours of experimentation to find a combination that is balanced and creates a desirable pattern, but once we’ve found the formula, we can reproduce it consistently. Of course every piece will have variations- that is the nature and the charm of a handmade product. 

Using custom tools, we rake and comb the bath to create the pattern. The rakes allow the paint to swirl and flow, and due to the magic of surface tension, the colors never mix. We then carefully lay the paper on top of the bath. The paint adheres to the paper instantly and makes a one of a kind print. We lift the paper out of the water and very gently wash the carrageenan off the surface. Once the sheets are dry, the paint is permanently fixed and will not wash off, even if the paper gets wet again.