Here’s my first attempt at Shifu. Shifu is a Japanese technique for making thread or twine out of paper. The thread is surprisingly strong. At one time Japanese people used to make clothes out of this paper thread, and they would survive laundering and the normal wear and tear that clothes go through.

This Shifu is dyed with soil that I collected in Broome, Western Australia. The colour is beautiful.

The second and third photographs are of some paper prepared for Shifu, also died with Broome red soil. I thought the form was rather beautiful, so I waxed it instead. There are lovely shadows cast by the cut paper.