Altered Books

They are really about recycling and collage. It is such a creative outlet - with the added bonus of reusing and recycling a book that would otherwise end up in the trash.

Artists collect old books from garage sales, resale stores, and libraries. The title of a book, its shape or content could be what inspires the artist. The only limit is the artists’ imagination.

Words are very inspiring to me, so the altered books concept is a match made in heaven. Sometimes the title of the book will give me the theme, other times I insert my own concept.

In the The Four Agreements, shown above, I did a lot of texturing to the cover but the opening was part of the original book. The book shown below, Dance of the Tree Maidens, was inspired by that quote. If you look closely at the back cover you see my line drawings of said tree maidens.

The book pages are painted, cut, folded, stapled, glued, collaged onto, and/or sewn together to create a totally unique piece of art. Sometimes words on the page are saved and incorporated into the page spread; sometimes the page is entirely painted over. In my stash of found objects I have a bin full of old handles and drawer pulls. I especially like to attach a drawer pull to the cover of a book. Doesn't it just make you want to open it?

In the photos above and below, you see close-ups of an altered book called Timemade from a child's old board book. The circular hole you see was part of the original book. There are times when I will cut an opening into a book for design purposes - it creates a window that showcases a particular area on the page that comes after and the one that comes before it.

Altered books are part of a larger category called Art or Artist Books. Art book are represented in art galleries and museum exhibitions. I’ve seen them made from shoes, tree branches, and corsets. It’s a wonderful medium for pushing to the edge artistically.

A custom made art book can be an exceptionally meaningful gift
to parents or grandparents
who seem to have everything!
Much more personal than buying something at the mall.

I'd be happy to create a personalized, custom art work in the form of an altered book using your treasures.
Commemorate a wedding, anniversary, or loved one.
A wonderful creative gift idea.

Click here for details on custom altered books.