Don’t despise paper — it’s a central pillar of civilisation

One need not be depressed by lugubrious calculations of how many trees are chopped down to produce one edition of a popular newspaper. The timber industry is so profitable that there are probably more usable trees than ever. Still, we should not take paper for granted. Considering that it is made of old rags and pulp and whatnot, it is a daily miracle.

In the artist’s household in which I grew up, where drawing, watercolour and etching were paramount, there was never any danger of us underestimating the importance of paper. As the headmaster of an art school, my father was sent endless samples by the big art-paper manufacturers, and I learned to recognise by sight the weight, absorption power, quality and resilience of all the different grades. My father quoted Turner’s famous dictum: ‘Always respect your paper.’ I still get a thrill from contemplating a sheet of it before my pencil, crayon or brush makes its first mark.