Author: Karen

Contemporary Wall Decor :: Stone Heart

Karen

Contemporary Wall Decor :: Stone Heart

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.

Wall Hangings Added to My Web Site

Karen

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.

How to Make Altered Books :: The Motor Girls on Crystal Bay

Karen

When I first started to make altered books, I had no idea how to do it. The Altered Books Yahoo Group was a big help, as were certain individual artists who shared their work online.

When I first decided to learn how to make an altered book, the first one I created was The Motor Girls on Crystal Bay.

In order to remember what I had done, after finishing a page, I would record the process and post it on my web site. This was before blogging became popular. I was really talking to other people who were interested in trying this art form. I shared my successes, and flub-ups, and all the things I learned along the way.

As I was updating these pages with CSS, I found that they still look good to me. They have a fresh, energetic style because although I contemplated every move, I wasn’t worried too much about how things looked. I knew people were waiting and watching for each new page, but I never really thought about that while I was working.

Everytime I uploaded a new page to my altered books page and announced it to the group, I was thrilled with the positive responses and encouragement I received.

There was a time when the only thing on my web site was Motor Girls; now it’s one of many altered books on Karen’s Whimsy. And I know there will be many more altered books to come.

First Open Studios Today

Karen

I participated in my first Open Studios today for Arts Benicia, here in Benicia, California. I didn’t show any of my collage art. I only had my altered books which worked out just fine because my space was limited.

Since my “studio” is a spare bedroom about the size of a postage stamp, my husband’s boss, who owns a contemporary furniture store, was nice enough to allow me to show my books in the store. It was perfect place for displaying my books because there are so many surfaces to place them on: coffee and end tables, dining room tables, etc. I even mangaged to get my hanging books on the walls, using nails and screws that were already in place.

Another nice thing about this location was that it is very close to a lot of other artist studios as well as the main gallery where many of the artists, including me, have a piece of their work on display, along with a tag indicating their studio location.

I was very excited that I sold two books and two calendars. Although it’s hard to part with my books, it’s also very exhilarating to find someone who’s willing to pay cash-money for my art work. To me it means that they really like what I’ve created, and that is very gratifying. I know some people create art just for the pure joy of it with no intention of selling. I even had a friend of mine say that she wasn’t interested in selling her art work because she thought that she would be “prostituting” herself and her art. She is an extremely talented and creative book artist, and thankfully has changed her atitude about that. But for me, part of the pleasure I derive from creating my altered books and collage art is sharing it with others. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that the kind gentleman who purchased St. Dymphna (one of my most recent Reliquaries) is going to have that sitting on a book shelf or his coffee table, and he’s going to look at it and smile.

Altered Book Pages :: A Cup of Sky

Karen

Water Poem

I recently updated my Altered Book Pages for A Cup of Sky.

I really love this book a lot. I have gotten so many wonderful responses from people who have read it that I have often wondered how I could publish it into its own little book. I’m afraid it wouldn’t be possible because of the copyright issues involved. However, I want the poems to reach more people, so I renamed the table of contents Nature Poems :: A Cup of Sky, hoping that will bring more people to read it.
Hummingbird Poem