Hiromi Paper International

What can you say about a shop that features a catalog filled with informative essays about the history of Japanese paper and printmaking; photos and descriptions of cultivated plants such as kozo, gampi and mitsumata; a glossary; even a map that displays Awagami, the southwestern region of the Land of the Rising Sun, where much of the shop's product comes from?

How about saying this: The catalog, like the shop itself, is an educational experience and, thanks to a small gallery space up front, an artistic one, as well. It's also the sort of facility that working artists usually only dream about.

Hiromi is practically a shrine to hand- and machine-made fibers. Hues, some dyed brilliantly, others more subtlety, hang on the walls. In the back room, beyond the public space, it's even more of the same, with plenty of cardboard for packing (Hiromi does a big shipping business). Up front, meanwhile, is a gallery space for works on paper that is curated by notable L.A. artist Joe Goode, and all of the works here have been printed on one of the store's fine art papers. One recent show featured the equally renowned John Baldessari. Not bad for such a small space, especially one where finished art is far secondary to the main tool required for its production.

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