An altered book is a book (can be found, bought used, or new) that is taken and transformed through any myriad of processes, including but not limited to: painting, cutting, collaging, stitching, gluing, or adding 3-d objects to it. The idea is to use the beginning book as a springboard for creating a completely new and personal piece. The pre-existing art and text in the book can serve as inspiration and often leads to free association and greater creative possibilities and explorations.
Next week in my Art Materials class we will be creating our own “altered books” and so the hunt is on for a book that I can use! Although any style of book can be used, it was recommended that we look for hard cover books (for a stronger foundation) and think about using a children’s book for the first time, as they are rich in imagery and text that we can really play around with.
In the coming weeks I’ll be working on my altered book and will post images of the book as well as thoughts on the creative process involved in the creation of the book.
In the meantime, our teacher shared a wonderful site of an artist that makes altered books, among other multi-media pieces. I was very inspired by her work and encourage you to check out her website:
www.karenswhimsy.com
Above images
upper left: Karen Hatzigeorgiou
Patchwork
13″ x 19″
lower right: Karen Hatzigeorgiou
The King’s Garden
13″ x 16″
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