Success on Paper - Sandra Freeman, Artist

Welcome to Success on Paper, our series highlighting businesses from around the country with at least one thing in common: Red River Paper. From architectural firms to printing retailers, companies that depend on impeccable paper quality and creative customer service are relying on RRP to help them present their work in beautiful, compelling ways.

Next up in the series: Artist Sandra Freeman.

Tiny Art, Big Imagination

Surrounded by art in her own home, Dallas native Sandra Freeman was ready to see if she had what it takes to be on the other end of the art continuum. She first studied photography (thanks to her commercial photography husband), then painting, then digital applications that allowed her to create fine art patterns — printing them with archival inks on heavy, archival stock paper.

“My pieces are small, requiring the viewer to engage closely,” Sandra says of her focus on “tiny art.” Once her art is printed, she often embroiders cotton thread onto the paper, and sometimes glues and stitches found items like rusty washers and rubber gaskets for dimensionality.

Enter Red River Paper

Not every paper can hold up to embroidery and heavy objects. However, Sandra found one that could. She tells us: “Your Aurora paper [Aurora Art White 300®] allows me push the envelope of abuse. I can experiment and go for it.” For example, she finds that the Aurora Art White 300 can take the weight of her found items, and also allows for very small stitches, very close together. Sandra knew about Red River Paper from her earlier traditional photography, and is fan of both the UltraPro Satin with its lightly textured surface and the pearlescent Polar Gloss Metallic 255.

Aurora Art White 300 was a perfect fit for Sandra’s stitchery and collage works because of its thickness and exceptional durability. At 300gsm weight and 18 mil thickness, Aurora Art White 300 and its counterpart, Aurora Art Natural 300, feel sturdy and professional and can easily handle heavy ink coverage and embellishments. Aurora Art papers also bring elegance and nuance to photography or art prints and work beautifully with mounting adhesives and protective coatings as Red River Paper customer, Cynthia Blair, explains, "Love this paper for Art Prints! I have used a print varnish both on the top of prints and as a mounting adhesive, as I wanted UV and surface protection without framing under glass. Aurora Art White 300 has stood up to the challenge perfectly.”

See More of Sandra’s Work

Sandra’s Instagram feed is awash in color and 3D artwork. There you’ll see not only her paper-based collages but unexpected mediums like blank doll forms featuring her embroidery in various patterns (see her 4/25/22 and 5/22/20 posts). If you’re in the Dallas area between September 30 and December 20, 2023, you can meet Sandra in person at her "One Woman Show” at the Box Gallery, located in the Royal Lane Baptist Church. For a deeper dive into her art process, scroll to our Q&A with Sandra below.

Enjoy our Q&A with Watercolor Artist Sandra Freeman…

What year was your business founded and how did you get started?
I have been seriously working on my photography and art since 2007.

Tell us a little about what product or service your business offers.
My area of concentration is Tiny Art. My pieces are small, requiring the viewer to engage closely.

What makes your business unique?
I specialize in enhancement. From the enhancement of the original image, to the addition of the stitchery, to the addition of found objects — I bring it all together through good design.

Where do you source your raw materials from?
Red River Paper Aurora Art White 300, Canon inks, cotton thread, and anything found that I can sew or glue to the image. I can tell you that I love my printer, a Canon Pixma Pro 100. I do have to hand feed the paper most of the time but that’s a small price to pay for quality results.

What has Red River Paper done for your business? Is there a particular challenge Red River Paper has helped you overcome or a goal they helped you meet?
Your Aurora paper [Aurora Art White 300] allows me push the envelope of abuse. I can experiment and go for it. I found Aurora paper early on in my progress. Because I have done traditional photography for years, I have been a fan of Red River Papers for a very long time. In the past I loved using UltraPro Satin for my “flower” pictures as well as the pearlescent Polar Gloss Metallic 225! Both are wonderful papers.

My process requires that I print my initial piece, then begin to glue on collage pieces. From there I often begin to stitch on washers, black o-rings, and other found objects. Some are quite heavy and the paper takes the weight. More importantly, I often stitch with extremely small stitches — that’s where the integrity of the paper is tested! Aurora allows me to punch a lot of holes very close together.

What do you appreciate most about Red River Paper's products/services?
Great customer service. Aurora paper allows me to experiment.

How can people purchase your products/service?
I’m on Instagram. I also have a rep in Washington State.

All artwork and/or photographs used in this post are subject to copyright held by the featured artist.

ARE YOU READY FOR THE SPOTLIGHT? Simply respond to the questionnaire here to apply to be included in an upcoming Success on Paper feature.

Last updated September 25, 2023

Original Publication Date: September 25, 2023

Article Last updated: October 16, 2023