Killing a book

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Sometimes beautiful but damaged books come my way because people know I like to reuse them in various ways. Today a dear friend brought me one of Tricia Guild's gorgeous books which has seriously sunburnt page edges, and handwritten notes on the title page, so it ended up in an Op Shop bargain bin. Just leafing through it is a joy, so much colour and gorgeous imagery...

But it won't stop me. My scissors are salivating at the opportunity to cut and disembowel. This lovely thing will be reborn in a new form over coming days, or at least added to the stash of inspirational material.

Well, it is cheaper than buying more yarn.

[yousnoozeyoulose]

Poor book. Little does it know the horrors that await it over the next few days (is a book male or female? It has to be one of the two...)

"Shine on you crazy book."

[Oh_hunnihunni]

I suspect it is female, being more pretty than handsome, though that could be just me. It certainly has exceedingly high production values, must have been an expensive project to produce. Which is of course why it makes my visual artist fingers itch so much. First though I need to steal the typography I can reuse for found pomes and entries in my own books, then I think I will get out my round punch and take some circles to see what they can suggest to me. Maybe a few thin strips as well.
It is really intriguing to slice into a page or an image and disconnect a piece of it from its original context. It makes it into something completely new and I can see it with new eyes.

And pretend it isn't an act of outrageous theft.

[Outsider]

I suspect it is female, being more pretty than handsome, though that could be just me. It certainly has exceedingly high production values, must have been an expensive project to produce. Which is of course why it makes my visual artist fingers itch so much. First though I need to steal the typography I can reuse for found pomes and entries in my own books, then I think I will get out my round punch and take some circles to see what they can suggest to me. Maybe a few thin strips as well.
It is really intriguing to slice into a page or an image and disconnect a piece of it from its original context. It makes it into something completely new and I can see it with new eyes.

And pretend it isn't an act of outrageous theft.

Do you make 'Altered books', or do you just take pretty things from old books to make something completely different?

[Oh_hunnihunni]

I make single edition art books, large and small scale collages, and paper sculptures using raw and altered found images and typography.