BEHIND THE BRAND: TWO RIVERS
THE ART OF MAKING TRADITIONAL HANDMADE PAPER
Fourth-generation papermaker Jim Patterson and his small team are dedicated to keeping the tradition of commercial handmade papermaking alive. The company specialises in the centuries-old tradition of making handmade rag paper. Founded in 1976, Two Rivers has been run and located at Pitt Mill since 1988, an old watermill deep in the Somerset countryside, and produces beautiful handmade rag papers for artists and designers. Among the papers made at the mill is Jackson’s Two Rivers, a 100% cotton and linen rag watercolour paper made exclusively for Jackson’s.
The craft of handmade papermaking is classified as ‘critically endangered’ according to the Heritage Crafts Association, and the paper mill is only one of a handful of commercial hand mills still operating in Europe. Over time, Jim and his team have adapted their techniques and recipes to improve their quality and process, while not sacrificing anything along the way. To sustain this traditional practice for the future, Jim relocated the papermaking production to the new East Quay Art Centre in the coastal town of Watchet in September 2021.
ON LOCATION AT TWO RIVERS
The Two Rivers Paper Company have been making paper at Pitt Mill since 1988, though the mill itself is over 400 years old. The watermill powers a Hollander beater, a machine used to break down cotton and linen rag. We visited the Two Rivers paper mill, at their original site before they relocated to Watchet, to see how they make their paper, and find out what makes handmade rag paper different from machine-made papers.
Located on a riverbank among the beautiful rolling hills of West Somerset, the mill is split over three levels and has a ramshackle feel to it. It is a place of intensive often highly physical work, a riverside hive of activity filled with the pulpy traces of decades of papermaking. The ground floor is where the majority of the work is done, from preparing and sieving the pulp and forming the sheets, through to pressing and sizing the paper. Water and slurry are everywhere, along with the roar of the mill’s turning wheel. Via the first-floor office, well-worn wooden steps lead to the paper-strung drying racks in the airy loft where the finished sheets are sorted and packed.
What is Rag Paper?
Cotton rag is recycled cotton textiles, which are made using the longest fibres from the cotton plant. Linen rag has long, thin fibres which interlock with the cotton fibres, increasing the paper’s strength. This makes the paper particularly robust and resistant to repeated reworking of paint on the surface. The rag is fed by hand into the Hollander beater which, diluted with water from the river, breaks down the weave of the textile. This process makes the fibres more flexible, increasing their surface area, and ultimately increasing the internal strength of the paper.
Most 100% cotton watercolour papers are made using cotton linters, the fluffy fibres that are left on the cotton plant after the longer staple fibres have been removed for the production of textiles. Jackson’s Two Rivers paper contains cotton and linen rag, which sets it apart from most watercolour papers and creates its uniquely robust characteristics. Cotton rag is recycled cotton textiles, which are made using the longest fibres from the cotton plant. Linen rag has long, thin fibres which interlock with the cotton fibres, increasing the paper’s strength. This makes the paper particularly robust and resistant to repeated reworking of paint on the surface.
The rag is fed by hand into the Hollander beater which, diluted with water from the river, breaks down the weave of the textile. This process makes the fibres more flexible, increasing their surface area, and ultimately increasing the internal strength of the paper.
Forming the Paper
A handheld paper mould is made of two separate parts – the mould and the deckle. The mould is covered in a metal mesh (at Two Rivers they use a bronze mesh, which is flexible and non-tarnishing), while the deckle is a removable wooden frame which sits on top of the mould and creates the edge of the paper.
A deckle edge is an irregular edge which occurs when the paper stock goes between the mould and the deckle. Because handmade sheets are individually formed, they are the only papers that have four genuine deckle edges, one of the most beautiful characteristics of handmade paper.
Each sheet is formed by dipping the mould and deckle into a vat of the paper stock. The stock is mostly water and contains around 1.5% cotton and linen fibre, as well as calcium carbonate and AKD (alkyl ketene dimer), a synthetic internal sizing agent. As water drains through the mesh it leaves a mat of fibres on the face of the mould.
The sheet, while still in the mould and deckle, is lifted onto a vacuum bed which removes some of the excess water. The sheets are then couched between wet woollen felts and pressed with a hydraulic press to remove more water. After couching and pressing, the sheets still contain around 50% water and they are hung to dry before they are externally sized.
Sizing
Size is a key ingredient in the production of artist paper, and watercolour paper is no exception. Paper is a naturally highly absorbent material, and the addition of a sizing agent makes the paper partially water-resistant. As well as containing an internal synthetic size, Jackson’s Two Rivers watercolour paper is sized externally by pulling sheets by hand through a tub of hot gelatine. This allows wet paint to be moved around on the surface and remain vibrant and crisp when dry. It makes Jackson’s Two Rivers ideal for lifting techniques because the colour does not saturate the fibres of the paper and is more easily removed.
External sizing also increases the surface strength of the paper, allowing it to withstand more vigorous painting techniques, like scrubbing and reworking of the paint. After tub sizing, the paper is pressed again with the hydraulic press, before being taken upstairs to the drying loft to air dry.
Jackson’s Two Rivers paper has a uniquely random surface texture which is rougher than most cold-pressed watercolour papers. It is excellent for granulating watercolours and expressive painting. However, it is not only a watercolour paper; it can provide a characterful support for many different kinds of media including acrylic paint, graphite, charcoal, pastel, and - when primed - oil paint.
IN CONVERSATION WITH JIM PATTERSON, FOUNDER OF TWO RIVERS
“We’re not a working museum, we’re not trying to produce paper exactly in the way it was made 200 hundred years ago, we’re just trying to produce as good a product as we can.”
We invited Jim Patterson, founder of Two Rivers to join us in the Jackson’s Studio as part of our In Conversation series.
IN CONVERSATION WITH JIM PATTERSON - PART ONE
Jim Patterson visited the Jackson’s Studio to share his expert knowledge from 50 years in the paper industry. In part one, he shares his journey to becoming a papermaker, the history of Two Rivers, and the tradition and process of making handmade paper the ‘old way’.
IN CONVERSATION WITH JIM PATTERSON - PART TWO
In part two, Jim Patterson describes the characteristics of handmade paper including the benefits of using a cotton and linen rag mix in watercolour papers, the importance of sizing paper, colour lifting, and deckled edges.
TWO RIVERS PAPER
Made exclusively for Jackson's, this paper is conservation quality, made with 100% cotton and linen rag. The surface is incredibly durable and resistant to the most rigorous of painting styles.
The hard sizing prevents paint from being absorbed so that it maintains its clarity and vibrancy, allowing the artist to work the surface for much longer than with more absorbent artists' papers.
Because paint is not drawn into the paper the pigment dries to a sharp and brilliant finish. The inclusion of linen in its formulation results in an unusually tough surface which will resist intensive scrubbing, lifting out, and re-working.
The sheets are formed individually using traditional English hand moulds and deckles giving each sheet characteristic ragged edges and a strength that is a hallmark of European hand-made paper.
Jackson’s Two Rivers paper is a cold pressed paper which comes in three weights of 300gsm, 425gsm, and 640gsm, and is available in individual sheets, packs, and a choice of sizes.
Customer Reviews
“Wonderful watercolour paper to work with. Colours stay luminous and it's very easy to work in layers because the paper dries rapidly.” M. Chihade
“Really fantastic paper. Completely bombproof with a very interesting surface texture.” E. Cormode
“The best watercolour paper you can get, my favorite paper. Hard sized so it's easy to lift paint. I work quite loose and not to detailed. The NOT surface are wonderful. And it's so nice just to get painting on the paper and no need to stretch and wait.” T. Edetun
