About us

Traditional Parchment Craft is an ancient artform dating back 500 years and earlier. The delicate lacework and intricate perforated detail that we admire and aspire to create is indeed beautiful, and requires much skill.

Back in the 1980’s, Martha Ospina and Tiemen Venema founded the company Pergamano, and became manufacturers of the tools and supplies needed for creating Parchment Art.

By not only developing many ingenious and varied embossing/multi-needle tools, but also building an international community of tutors, they were able to spread the parching word globally, and Pergamano became an international household name among crafters.

Over time however, traditional parchers began to dwindle in number, and there was fear that this beautiful artform would disappear altogether in this fast paced world that we live in. Until a group of forward thinking Brits developed what is known as the Groovi Parchment Method: an ingenious embossing system which facilitates the transfer of lineart images to parchment by means of precision etched acrylic plates.

Almost overnight, there was a huge resurgence of interest in parchment art. Why? The Groovi plates - developed and designed by Barbara Gray and Claritystamp in the UK made parchment art very achievable and instantly attainable. Traditional parching skills could then be applied, but the initial laying down of the art - which was what put so many aspiring parchers off pursuing the craft - became a cinch, a piece of cake, simple.

Clarity was and is a market leader in its own field of Stamping and Mixed Media. Their extensive library of wonderful and original lineart lent itself perfectly to Groovi Line Design.

It wasn’t long before renowned traditional parchers, like Linda Williams, and Tina Cox joined the Clarity team, and endorsed the new concept, which was breathing new life into their cherished artform.

In December 2016 the stars were certainly in perfect alignment...Pergamano contacted Clarity and asked Barbara if she would be interested in taking their brand on. The rest is history.

The two elements create perfect synergy: Groovi plates provide the lineart; Pergamano provides the tools for bring the lineart to life.

And actually, there is a vital third element here, which spans both: Clarity. Barbara’s many years of experience in the craft industry weaves so many arty friends and creative facets together, giving Pergamano Parchment Craft a perfect platform in the 21st century.