I just added Contemporary Wall Decor :: Stone Heart to my Wall Hangings Gallery. It’s very dark– makes me think of broken love or wearing your heart outside on your sleeve or looking inside a chest that’s been cracked open during surgery. Two very shiny paper hearts are suspended inside dark and silver niches.

Maybe I’m thinking dark thoughts because I’m listening to Bonnie Raitt’s great song “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” which has got to be one of the prettiest sad songs ever written. Bruce Hornsby is playing the piano; Bonnie’s singing in that smooth, sultry voice of hers. Just makes me want to have a shot of tequila or something.

Here’s a little poem I thought up while I was waiting for my son at the mall the other day.

Spilling Over
Everything is spilling over
The girl’s breasts are spilling out
of her too-tight bra
and low-scooped shirt.
The man’s gut is spilling over
his silver belt buckle
and low slung denims.
The goth girl’s thighs
are spilling out of the rips
in her black fishnet stockings.
The teenage boy’s striped boxers
and butt are spilling out
of his sagging bagging pants.
The top of that woman’s feet
are spilling out of her strappy
spikey little sandals.
The teenager’s belly is spilling
out from below her tanky top
and over hip hugger jeans.
And I just stand here, watching,
wanting to stuff everything
back in where it belongs.

Today I finally finished adding the new Wall Hangings Gallery to Karen’s Whimsy. I started making these book sculptures almost a year ago, and showed them for the first time at the Bay Area Book Arts Jam last October. I sold my first one there; it’s still one of my favorites. It was called Earth Source and was made from an old Reader’s Digest book. It was a gold green color and had all these paper strips spilling out from it. I was so excited when it sold because it validated my own feelings for that book, reassuring me that I wasn’t crazy, that it was something special. I never even got a chance to photograph it, but it’s still clear in my mind, and I hope to make another one like it soon.

I really enjoy making these book sculptures because I can just let my imagination go crazy. I just got a bunch of books at the library book sale to use for some of these, and one of them is almost finished. It’s called Stone Heart, and I’ll probably finish making it tonight.

I was happy with the way my latest one, Dream Weaver turned out. It’s really colorful and crisp looking. I had originally intended to have the colored strips weave across the page from left to right instead of from top to bottom. Somewhere along the way I changed my mind, but I think it turned out fine. Maybe I’ll do a second similar one with the weaving going the other way just to see how it turns out. However, I’ll have to wait for a book with the right title to float in my direction.