This Time it's Really a New Project

I recently found a book in the library about altered books. You find a book that you don't mind messing with (not a first edition of Shakespeare or something, although I suppose that would be an artistic statement in itself) and you paint, glue, cut add, take away- basically, use the book to collage pieces of art. Each page can be thematically linked, or the book can serve as a journal, each page different.

I've always been the type of person that considers books inviolable. I don't underline, I don't dog-ear, I even try to read paperbacks without breaking the spine. Even in university, I didn't want to highlight or underline in my own textbooks. A project like this is a personal challenge, one that forces me to cross lines that I've drawn for myself. Write in a book? Shiver. Rip pages out and render text unreadable? Blasphemy!

Nevertheless, I like the collage type of artwork that I saw in the altered books. The creators use different ephemera, bits of paper and string, beads, glitter, found items that may not have intrinsic value, but become imbued with meaning through context. This project is a personal challenge to myself.

I took myself to the Village yesterday and bought a book. I made sure it was cheap, one I'd already read and didn't really think I'd want to read again. (An Erma Bombeck Treasury, if anyone wants to know. Funny the first time through, then it sits on the shelf and eventually ends up at Value Village.)

And this morning, I steeled myself to ripping out some pages... the next thing I knew, I was really enjoying myself, with paint and glue, and paper.

"The Antique Dealer"
my first page in my first altered book*

Notice how I say my "first"? I really liked this. I like messy crafts with paint and glue. It felt freeing to fold and cut and rip. I liked finding a picture of a chicken in a vegetarian magazine and cutting it out and painting under and over it. I like how I can close this up (after it dries!) and put it on the shelf or the table, and I don't have to have somewhere to hang it. I can share this with my friends as a more interactive piece of art. This kind of thing is interesting and engaging, and wheeeeeee! I think I'll be doing this some more.

*I particularly like the lower left page: "Instructions/ give a little crooked smile/ Chew in small bites Put your sweater on./ Spend time idly / and have a good time".
Also, if you want to really see the book, you have to come visit me. Mwahahaha.