Lorrainas Art Gallery: March 2012

Monday, March 19, 2012

An Altered Book - Favourite Things

This is an altered book that was a child’s discarded Bugs Bunny board book

AB’s are books that have been rescued from the fate of the landfill and recycled as artists canvas’s into pieces of art; a book that was, changed to what is, by me; art written, art undone, art created anew.

This book has been painted, papered, torn, collaged, rubber stamped, sewn, glued, added to and subtracted from to create an art object. Some AB’s might tell the story of the original book but can be whatever the artist feels like doing to it. Some are a play on the words in the title and others might be totally unrelated to the book. There’s no rules in creating altered books; some are deliberately made to look old, worn and tattered and definitely should not appear to be fine art or factory made. I personally can do only minimal vintage style, the rest is done the way I do. This particular book retains the original words Favourite Things on the front cover and an attempt has been made to follow that theme, however loosely. AB’s are usually dependent on whatever the artist happens to find in their stash of collected junk treasures first.

Front cover; buttons, baubles and beads, numbers, a fish and seashells.

Page 1 A few faces including a golden sun face

Page 2 Old lace and a dictionary definition of face

Page 3 Beethoven on sheet music, sun and moon face. Lift the insert to see your own face and read the quote by Routledge and Kegan Paul

“Understand that you are another world in miniature and that in you are the sun, the moon and the stars”

Page 4 Hearts and flowers and other favourite trinkets in a treasure bag

Page 5 Music, heart and flowers
Page 6 Lift the veil to see a delicate pressed botanical

Page 7 Greta Garbo with a similar faux earring

Page 8 A beautifully dressed vintage flower girl with movable arms and legs. She wears a flower in her hair and is tucked into a lacy bed of stars. She can be removed from her resting place.

Page 9 Several tags decorated on both sides, a bottle of treasures and an iridescent bookmark
Page 10 A sky full of dragonflies that can be lifted to reveal a home with your hostess awaiting nearby. The door to the house opens and happy people can be seen in the windows. The quote “Spring forward! It’s your time to blossom”