How the Discovery of "Pergamano" Parchment Art Changed My Artistic Life

How the Discovery of
"Pergamano" Parchment Art
Changed My Artistic Life

by Joyce Roark

Detail work is my passion. With art and design a major in college, I got involved in acrylic painting, working first in two dimensions, and then in three. In 1995, before going on an expedition to Antarctica, I needed something small and lightweight to take along that would allow me to occupy my time when not exploring. I bought a starter kit for Pergamano (lace making) Parchment that I had seen advertised on television, and that little kit changed my artistic life forever.

In Antarctica we had two days that allowed me to try this new art, and I was soon hooked on it. When I got home from the expedition I continued to work on the techniques, perfecting the basics, then moving on to the advanced techniques. After years of work, I was given the opportunity to have my work examined by the president of the International Parchment Craft Academy (IPCA).

I was assigned 10 specific projects to do. In December 2000, I received word that I had passed and been certified by the IPCA and was registered as an instructor in Pergamano Parchment Art. This was a tremendous honor since I was the first registered instructor in the United States that had been entirely self taught. I now attend classes given each year by the president of the IPCA for advanced training for registered instructors only. This allows me to stay current on the newest techniques developed for Pergamano parchment art.

The History of Parchment Art

In 105 A.D. in the Chinese emperor's court, an imperial guard, Ts'ai Lun, made the first paper from plant fibers. Paper made from plants was soon to replace parchment as a less costly and more accessible source of writing material in the East. Until the advent of papermaking during the twelfth century in Europe, man wrote on papyrus made from dried plant leaves, and later parchment.

Like many things born of necessity, parchment was invented in the Turkish city of Bergama (Pergamum in Latin) when people were forced to look for an alternative to papyrus as local wars prevented the importation of its raw materials. They found that specially prepared pig and antelope skins were the perfect solution to their papyrus shortage. This new material was named particaminum--from which we derive the word "parchment."

During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, parchment was gradually replaced by paper in Europe as papermaking became more widespread. The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1438 changed the industry forever. Parchment was then used for small devotional pictures. As demand for these pictures grew, parchment was replaced by paper.

Parchment art has reappeared and is now enjoying a huge popularity worldwide. Modern-day parchment paper is not made from skin, but is wood-based like any other type of paper. It is specially treated to give it its fine texture and appearance. It is unique since water will damage it but it is strong enough to be embossed and cut into lacy designs. The lace-making parchment art that I do comes from South America and is called Pergamano. There are other types of parchment art, but Pergamano is the only one that looks like lace.

About Joyce Roark

Joyce is Event Coordinator at the Michaels Art and Craft store in San Luis Obispo, California, where she teaches many different crafts, including Pergamano parchment art--beginner through advanced. She is the first and apparently the only person in the United States who is 100 percent self-taught and is certified and registered by the International Parchment Craft Academy to teach Pergamano.

Editor's note: Joyce welcomes e-mail from other artists interested or involved in this type of artwork. (For more information on this art, type "Pergamano parchment art" in Google's search bar to turn up hundreds of pages.)