Fred Who?
Evan F. Johnson (Fred) is an artist and papermaker based in Lawrence, Kansas. He earned a BFA in printmaking from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, where he discovered a deep love for papermaking and process-driven craft. Fred has worked in studios, restaurants, and remote islands — including an internship in Micronesia, troubleshooting a laser cutter to shape handmade paper from banana trees for wallets.
In 2020, Fred founded Fred Paper Co., creating fine art paper and stationery from recycled and unconventional materials. A member of the Lawrence Art Guild, and the Kaw Point Fibershed, Fred has actively engaged with the local community, organizing events and teaching workshops in drawing and papermaking, sharing both the technical skills and personal lessons he’s learned along the way.
His work goes beyond the objects themselves — it’s about trusting your instincts, making space for growth, and showing up, even when it’s difficult. Through his craft, Fred hopes to remind people (including himself) that while it’s never easy, it’s never too late and always worth building something you can be proud of from scratch.
Fred Paper Co. makes fine art paper and stationery by hand, the hard way — with care, character, and a healthy disregard for mass production. Each sheet is made in Lawrence, Kansas, using recycled and natural materials (think: cornstalks, restaurant menus, prairie plants, unwanted clothing, and hostas from a friend’s mom’s yard). The results are tactile, raw, and unreasonably beautiful.
Housed in what used to be a bait shop-turned-co-op-turned-contemporary-concrete-cabin, Fred Paper Co. is equal parts studio, laboratory, and stubborn art project. Most of the equipment is designed and built in-house — because why buy it if you can spend three times as long building it?
Whether for painters, printmakers, writers, or paper nerds of any stripe, this is paper with a soul. Each sheet has lived a whole life before arriving at your studio ready to collaborate on whatever’s next. Fred Paper Co. also offers workshops — because this kind of craft should be shared, and because helping people make things may be the only thing better than making them.
Fred Paper Co. is about process, scowling passion, and saying “screw it” to the idea that anyone needs permission to do what they love.
