Altered Books

Since I can remember I have always had a love of books. Never did I imagine that I would do anything to a book but read it. When I learned about altered books, I experimented with an old book I found at Goodwill. As I started to tear and cut the pages (crosses self and says a prayer of protection to the god of books), I found myself excited at the possibilities that lay within those pages.

If you are not familiar with the term altered books is a form of mixed media artwork that changes a book from its original form into a different form. Altered books may be as simple as adding a drawing or text to a page, or as complex as creating an intricate book sculpture. Lately I have come across some great examples of altered books. The first is from Brian Kasstle who hosts a blog called A Paper Bear. Here he has made a cover for a book on his family history:

My favorite altered books are those that have a sculptural element to them. This one from Jennifter Khoshbin titled, You're A Liar and Cheat, which appeals to my love of whimsy:

The next two blow me away. They are by Guy Laramee from Canada. I've tried to research how he accomplishes this, but have only uncovered sandblasting as a possible hint to his technique. While I can image possibly creating the first two, I cannot begin to imagine how to create these:

Later in this blog I will show some examples of my own work in altered books. For any of you that are interested in the artwork shown above, here are some links to get you started.

http://apaperbear.wordpress.com/

http://www.jenkhoshbin.com/

http://www.guylaramee.com/