Interview with Bettina Pauly, SFCB Instructor

Bettina lives in San Francisco as a book artist and works as a letterpress printer with Kim Vanderheiden at Painted Tongue Studios in Oakland, California. She loves books and boxes both as physical objects and as containers of meaning. She is interested in a variety of folded, sewn and woven structures in which she can incorporate her printing. Bettina teaches many different book arts and letterpress workshops at SFCB, including Introduction to Letterpress, Introduction to Bookbinding, Tunnel Books, Puzzle Boxes, and a variety of other structures. She also teaches online workshops and is a friendly and knowledgable class monitor for other instructors. On top of all that, she's also our go-to instructor for kids' field trips and school groups. It's safe to say we love Bettina! You can follow her on Instagram @bpbookartandletterpress.

 

How would you define your main area(s) of artistic interest?

Book Arts and Letterpress printing - as well as other forms of printmaking.

 

How did you first learn about / get interested in your field? 

When I 'found' the SFCB and started to take classes in early 2000. Around the same time I enrolled at the Academy of Art, where I was in the fine art department with a major in printmaking. Taking book arts classes under Chris Rolik and later letterpress classes under Macy Chadwick (when the Letterpress shop was acquired). I moved from Germany to SF in 1998 and worked full time in hospitality, figuring that I could spend my time off studying art.

 

Do you have a favorite class or workshop you’ve ever taken?

I took a paste paper class in Germany and learned how to make 'Spachtelpapier'.

 

What do you like best about teaching? What’s the most challenging or rewarding part of teaching?

To share knowledge with students and see students finishing a piece by the end of class. Sometimes it is challenging to teach a familiar structure and to realize that it is not familiar to the students (of course not, that's why they are taking a class!!) It’s always rewarding to see different outcomes when teaching a class that has the freedom to create your 'own' piece: like a puzzle box and its contents; a tunnel book or a print. And learning from the students. There is never a class where I do NOT learn something from them.

 

If you could, is there anything you’d do differently in your past pursuit of art / creative life?

I started my art career late: back in Germany I went through two apprenticeships, one to become a chef and the second to learn the front of the house (general hospitality). I worked in Hotels in several European countries, then went to a hotel management school to get my degree in economics before coming to SF. Once I was here I figured I could finally pursue art studies and I did - while working at the hotel I also studied at the Academy. I always was interested in art and I always loved to create.

 

Do you have a favorite tip or trick that you like to share with students?

There are many - one I like and realized really late is to use the grid of your self healing cutting mat for measuring and cutting... just align your paper and use a ruler and knife, why did I never realize that that works really well...?!?

 

What's the piece or project you're most proud of / have fondest memories of working on?

The Academy of Art does a spring show every year. The pieces are judged and a monetary prize is given to the “best in show”. There are quite a few categories, however, back in the day there was not one in book arts. I created a piece that had 24 etchings bound in two books, housed in a full clamshell box. I submitted the piece in 2005 under printmaking and was honored to receive first place for it. After this, book-arts became its own category at the spring show.

 

If you had a one-time use time machine, who would you go visit? 

I would like to go back in time to visit a member of my family I never met and who was a talented artist.