Expats in Paris: Elizabeth Briel and the Art of Paper-Making

Elizabeth Briel is an American expat and contemporary artist who has created art all over the world. She moved to Paris in summer 2024. Mostly working with paper in the art of printmaking, she set up her paper studio and project Chambre de Papier in France.

Elizabeth’s artistic journey

Elizabeth has been working with paper and other art media since university, where she received a BFA in painting. Throughout her studies, she learned how to work with art media such as paper and prints, sculpture, and various forms of painting. As a contemporary artist, her current focus is printmaking, though, as she says, “each medium is a language,” and she enjoys working with diverse art forms.

During her childhood, Elizabeth had always been passionate about paper and books. At university, she had the opportunity to turn her interest into a career as she studied printmaking and worked in an art store at the paper counter. Professional printmakers and artists would often come to the store to buy paper, and Elizabeth learned much about the paper-making industry through these encounters.

Elizabeth’s artistic journey has taken her all over the world. Though she was born in the U.S., she lived in Strasbourg as a toddler and returned there during university for a semester abroad. In addition, she participated in several internships and apprenticeships in Europe, gaining experience with different types of art media. After graduation, Elizabeth moved around the U.S. but ultimately wanted to move outside the Euro-American artistic context. She moved to Asia and lived in various places, including South Korea, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.

Establishing Chambre de Papier in Paris 

After several years in Hong Kong, Elizabeth considered moving back to Europe. While visiting Marseille, she discovered the artist visa, which was only available in two European cities: Paris and Berlin. Having lived in France before and knowing that there would be more opportunities for her work in Paris, Elizabeth chose to begin her project Chambre de Papier in the City of Light. 

Chambre de Papier’s main goal is to “bring paper closer to people” and to connect the past with the present, as well as art, life, and literature, through paper. The name was inspired by the chambres de bonne, small rooms usually located on the very top floors of Parisian apartment buildings. According to Elizabeth, these rooms “allow people from all backgrounds to access the opportunities that urban Paris has to offer,” just as Chambre de Papier allows artists and the public to explore the humble medium that is paper.

Elizabeth’s favorite part about living in Paris as an expat and artist is the diverse society and ease of integration. For her, settling into life in Paris was relatively easy, as she already had a strong grasp of the language and French society. She encourages expats who are struggling with the French language to keep working at it, as learning the language is a fundamental part of establishing a life and career in Paris.

How the paper-making process works

I had the pleasure of attending one of Elizabeth’s workshops in early February to learn how to make paper. During the atelier, we made rectangular sheets of paper using Mitsumata fibers from the inner bark of a tree. Elizabeth’s paper-making method is the modern version of traditional European paper making that has existed for hundreds of years, the main difference being that she uses an electrical machine instead of a river to mix fibers with water. The machine beats the fibers into a pulp that can be then transferred to a vat and mixed by hand.

I experienced firsthand the physical labor that goes into creating a single sheet of paper. I had to dip a paper screen made of two specialized frames into the pulp and then drain the water (it was heavy!). Once the water was shaken out and only the pulp remained, I flipped the screen onto absorbent felt and compressed it with a towel to dry. I removed the screen and voilà, my paper was ready to go!

As the final step, we covered the paper with interfacing, a special material to help absorb excess water. We pressed together all the sheets of paper we’d made throughout the workshop and left them to drain and dry, which can take up to a week.

A sustainable way to make paper

Elizabeth works only with natural, durable materials, such as the Mitsumata fibers we used in the workshop and fabrics like denim, linen, and jute. In particular, she uses clothes made from plant-based materials to create paper, which is a wonderful way to recycle old clothing and turn it into something new and practical. 

When papermakers like Elizabeth do use tree-based fibers, they come from responsibly managed forests and from trees that will quickly grow back, such as the paper mulberry tree. Furthermore, unlike with conventional paper, papermakers don’t use bleach to whiten their paper. Elizabeth’s paper-making techniques are not only an art form, but also a lesson in sustainable living.

Looking to the future

As Elizabeth settles into her paper studio in Vitry-sur-Seine and develops Chambre de Papier, visitors can look forward to participating in educational, hands-on workshops like the one I attended. Elizabeth will also begin offering mobile workshops, so she can bring materials to places like schools and business which may not be able to travel to her Vitry studio.

In addition to hosting workshops, Elizabeth expects to exhibit at shows, go on paper-related tours, give artist talks, and present a project in Macau in November 2025. At the moment, her main focus is preparing for the Macau project, which will be a two-story paper installation curated by the architecture and design studio Impromptu Projects in a cultural heritage space.

Businesses, artists, and individuals are welcome to contact Elizabeth for paper-making workshops via her website. She also posts regularly about events, workshops, and more on her Instagram account.