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Altered Book Art from the Heart

This beautiful piece is actually a vintage book transformed through the art of book folding and origami. No books were harmed. All of my altered book pieces begin with an unloved book found in a thrift store, at yard sales or books that have survived past their "expiration date and have subsequently been discarded. In fact, on most pieces, each page is meticulously and patiently folded and is neither cut nor glued to keep its form.  Please note that book colors may be different as each piece is a one of a kind original. 

All of my altered books are one-of-a-kind originals--no two pieces are exactly alike. This particular piece begins with the background on which the book is set. Note the vintage book pages and sheet music, as well as origami hearts made from discarded calendar pages. Background accents are made with tile grout creating a dimensional aspect to the design. The large flowers are formed again using discarded calenar pages that are folded into a modular origami form called the Kusdama Flower. Each of the flower petals are folded separately and then attached to each other to create the floral design. Other flower accents are created from book pages that are ink-dyed and rolled. Final accents on the piece include flower centers that are simply thumbtacks and discarded Scrabble pieces to create the uplifting message.

I love to "rescue" old, unwanted books and restyle them into unique keepsakes. Regretfully we live in a disposable world and paper bound books seem destined to become a thing of the past. The only thing worse than an unloved book gathering dust on a shelf is a discarded book in a landfill. And so, I see my work as a way of transforming these soon to be relics into wonderful pieces of art. Designs featuring symbols, words or patterns are meant to inspire and encourage and ultimately to make you look at a book and even art in a new light.