Marie Jeanne Bude (An artist & Founder of Paperworld Nepal)
(Published on Newsletter of Papermakers of Victoria Inc, January/February 2004)

In 1992, Marie Jeanne Budé, a Belgian national, first came to Nepal. Involved with some social projects and traveling through remote mountain villages of Nepal, she realized that there was a lot of potential to create things from the raw materials found in the Himalayan region.

She was inspired by Nepalese handmade paper and the different fibers used to make it. Soon, she started to export back to Belgium handmade paper and the fibers from hemp and nettle plants, as well as the products made from them.

She also studied Nepalese paper, and different kinds of pulp and their qualities. Later, she opened her own handmade paper factory.

Together with me, her Nepali partner, Marie Jeanne founded Nepal Crafts Collection (P) LTD in 1993. Today, we produce many varieties of handmade paper in different textures, colors, and a wide range of paper products of superior quality.

With her knowledge of native plants, Marie Jeanne carried out experimental work on various types of fiber and pulp. She learned how to combine natural-fiber papers with different plant parts, resulting in a paper that is both a fine finished product and a beautiful work of art. She has also discovered how to combine existing methods of traditional hand papermaking.

Handmade paper products in Nepal had been limited mostly to simple lampshades, notebooks, and photo albums. Marie Jeanne expanded upon the then-existing paper products and created new designs with a new look. Now, she combines handmade paper and such other natural raw materials found in Nepal as stones, beads, and artistic glass, among other items.

Marie Jeanne organizes frequent workshops on hand papermaking, bookbinding, design, dying using vegetable dyes, and paper artwork. Many professional artists, as well as the general public, who are interested in hand papermaking, have participated in these workshops during the past few years.

If you have any queries about these workshops, about Nepalese hand papermaking, or about Himalayan fibers or paper pulp, do not hesitate to contact Marie Jeanne or me at: nepcraft@mos.com.np  Also, please feel free to visit our web site at www.paperworldnepal.com

At present, Marie Jeanne has many satisfied graduates of her workshop around the globe, who have helped make Nepal Crafts Collection very successful. Now, her goal is to open a research center in Nepal on hand papermaking and Himalayan fibers.

Marie Jeanne is truly an artist, creator, papermaker, designer . . . ..and a person dedicated to her work