What is an altered book?
Altered books have been defined as "any book, old or new that has been recycled by creative means into a work of art." It is a form of mixed media artwork that changes a book from its original form into a different form, altering its meaning. Altered books may be as simple as adding a drawing or text to a page, or as complex as creating an intricate book sculpture. They can be ... rebound, painted, cut, burned, folded, added to, collaged in, gold-leafed, rubber stamped, drilled or otherwise adorned ...
Every year, the library withdraws dozens of books that are worn out, damaged, or that contain out-of-date information. Rather than having these books end up in a landfill, why not make them into art?
It didn't take me long to get over my anxiety over "defacing" a book. So many books are tossed into landfills, that I believe I'm actually saving a book by rescuing it from obscurity and using it to create a piece of art.
Creating altered books is something anyone can do because there are no rules and your only limitation is your own imagination.
So have a go….it’s great fun and the end result can be very satisfying!
My very first altered book, 'Green Shades' by Elizabeth Jane Howard, contained anecdotes and information about gardening of all styles and sizes from Italian statuary gardens to English cottage gardens. I used the theme of butterflies as the unifying icon and filled the book with paintings and images of my own.
Altered book Green Shades
My second altered book 'A glimpse into the world of Geisha'
was based on three books about the subject and the film
'Memoirs of a Geisha'
It is full of geisha imagery, my own paintings and original writings ofromantic prose based on the geisha's idea of love and duty.
'He was like a song I'd heard once in fragments..... but had been singing in my mind ever since'
'Then he turned his head, and for the first time I saw his broad face and the sharpness of his cheekbones ......And suddenly everything around me seemed to grow quiet, as if he were the wind that blew and I were just a cloud carried upon it .....'
'The Secrets of a Woman's Heart'
The Geisha world was a beautiful dream where everyone played at love. But for the women who spun that web of fantasy, the secret was always to remember that it was just a game. Real love was too dangerous.
The World of the Geisha
The third book is an old book re-utilised to make a diary of one year in my garden illustrated with the flowers and plants that grow there. Below is a small selection taken from a total of 52 images.
One year. Twelve months of comments and observations.