Collepilogue Part 1

Collepilogue: The final chapter of a collaboration

Question:

How does one go from this...



to this...



and this...

Answer:

Round up 6 artists...

and spend 1 year in an altered book collaboration...

One year ago I joined 5 other artists on an altered book adventure called Inner Works. This collaboration included Jill, Veronica, Rita, Roxanne, and our host Supria. We each chose our own book and our own theme. All 6 of us had the opportunity to work in each book once as we (the books, not the artists) rotated by mail. Our adventure has come to a close and over the next few weeks, each of us will be posting the results of the collaboration on our own blogs and on our group blog - Inner Works. My own experience with this project will unfold in a series of upcoming posts.

I chose Distressed Elements as my theme for this altered book project. I find that I gravitate toward art and art supplies that have their own history...that have a natural, weathered patina...that have the nicks of life that make them more interesting. Like people who have lived and taken risks and gone on their own personal journeys and adventures.

I am mesmerized by a distressed surface - marks, scratches, dents, chips, rust, frayed edges, layers and the like speak to me. For this project, though, I also wanted to explore the layers beneath the surface. The layers within. And maybe to use this project to tap into the awareness and expression of some deeper feelings. The book I altered lends itself quite well to this theme.

I chose to alter Oracle Night by Paul Auster. The book was the perfect size (8 1/2" x 6" + 3/4" thick) and its relatively new, crisp pages made a sturdy base for altering. More importantly, Paul Auster is a favorite author. Like me, he lives in NYC and the city plays a big role in his novels. His writing style is very distinct and there is a magical component to his work, which often focuses on coincidence and synchronicity. There is one section in this book that even describes the quest for a book, coincidentally much like my own search for the right book to alter.

When my book was returned to me after nearly a year, it was bursting at the seams --- just as every altered book should look.

The pages were not just filled. They were filled with extraordinary, unique, and meaningful art. Each artist interpreted the Distressed Elements theme very personally and very differently. I thank each and every one of them for the thought, care, and time they clearly put into my book and this project.

Join me in the coming days as I post images from both my own book as well as from the pages I completed in every other book. And follow along on our group blog, Inner Works, for additional images from both myself and the other artists. You can go there now for some page previews!