Melissa Harshman

89 Years (2022)

Media: relief prints on handmade paper

Statement: "89 Years" was made in honor of my dad's life. Each circle represents a year of his life. A white chrysanthemum is printed on each paper, acknowledging his death and the grieving process, as well as the beauty of a life well lived.

Between the Spaces (2022)

Media: handmade paper

Statement: This work was made in response to thinking of the time of our last breath; a metaphor for that fragile line between life and death, fragility and strength, and the moment in between where time seems to stop.

White Chrysanthemum (2022)

Media: pulp painting on cotton

Statement: This work was made while experimenting with using linen fiber in pulp painting. The white chrysanthemum is often displayed at funerals and can represent mourning and grief while in other places they represent purity and innocence. For me they symbolize the beauty as well as the fragility of life.

Melissa Harshman received her MFA from the University of Wisconsin- Madison in 1992. She has taught at the Lamar Dodd School of Art since 1993. Harshman has exhibited widely throughout the United States and abroad. She was awarded a UGA Senior Faculty Research Grant in 2019 titled “Explorations in Papermaking”. Her work was on display at the Hunderton Art Museum in Clinton, NJ in “Press +”. Upcoming exhibitions include “When Print meets Paper” at the Robert C. Williams Museum of papermaking in Atlanta, GA. Her work can be seen at melissaharshman.com.

Become an NAHP Member

Join our vibrant hand papermaking community and access your membership benefits.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

Follow us on Instagram

Gallery Block
This is an example. To display your Instagram posts, double-click here to add an account or select an existing connected account. Learn more