Ted Ramsay

Statement:

After receiving his M.F.A. degree, Ted Ramsay taught at the University of Iowa as an instructor and later as an assistant professor. On his return from England in the fall of 1965, Ramsay joined the faculty of the University of Michigan. In 1976, he began his study of papermaking in California at the Institute of Experimental Printmaking. Returning to Ann Arbor, he set up his Huron River Studio paper mill and began to produce handmade papers for use in his work. Subsequent tutorial experiences at Twinrocker, Inc. have broadened his interest in both classical and contemporary applications of handmade paper.

Teaching experiences in Europe at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie and Laurence Barker’s studio in Barcelona, Spain, combined with travel to paper mills in Holland and England have further shaped his approaches to hand papermaking. In 1986, after a two-year leave of absence from the University of Michigan, Professor Ramsay completed an M.F.A. at Cranbrook Academy of Art where he continued his studies in handmade paper. Traveling with paper historians and conservators in 1997, and 1998, Ramsay was able to visit ancient papermaking villages in China, Thailand, and Myanmar, and study, document, and make paper with village craftsman. His current studio work combines wall and floor installations, utilizing painted relief images in handmade paper, and mixed media.

My intent as an artist is to compel the viewer to go beyond the associational information contained within the subject matter, and explore the questions raised by the juxtaposition of the images and their context. The pseudo-realistic images make no effort to substitute for real copies of nature, thus allowing the viewers to suspend their beliefs and probe for a more poignant meaning in the forms. Much of Ramsay’s work and its narrative content focuses on rethinking our contemporary role in controlling nature; moving from a position of domination and exploitation, to one of stewardship and fulfillment in an existence as a part of nature.