The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.
Joseph Campbell
My painting adventures continues, from watercolor circles to painting triangles. I was going to say: let’s dive in, but it’s more like: let’s climb to the top, since my triangles turned into pyramids…
I find triangles harder to paint than circles, since the point (!) is to have them symmetrical and straight. Mine are not.
But the point of this watercolor exercise is to practice, so I did. If you let the tip of one triangle meet another triangle that is still wet, they bleed into each other. Love that.
I was doodling watercolor triangles on a loose white paper, and then noticed that this spread in the altered book was just begging for some triangles, so I painted some in.
The triangles became pyramids, since the theme of the book is Egypt.
I didn’t really like the bareness/simplicity of the page, even though I knew I wanted to keep the illustration of camels and pyramids that was in the book. A few days later, I started to doodle on top of the page, then added triangle-pyramid collage to both pages of the spread….
I feel finished with the spread, but I’m not sure why I’m keeping it as is… It’s not too pretty, if you ask me. Maybe I like it in all of its ugliness? Maybe it’s because it evokes memories.
It sure reminds me of the time when I visited the pyramids IRL, along with my Egypt Travel Journal. And that is a reason as good as any in an art journal. Thinking of past experiences, and memories. Going back in time, traveling to old, and new, places.
In actuality, when I think about it, maybe that is the whole point.
To go tripping, on your own, in your mind.
And it’s okay to let it be as is. It’s okay to see pyramids in the triangles, or see Christmas trees if you’re into those. It’s okay to move on. To just say yes to this little art adventure, no climbing pyramids involved. Just sitting at my desk, filling in the blank spaces (or covering up other spaces).
Triangles, pyramids, thoughts in my mind. What say you?
Oh boy, does it cut to my core to “damage” a book, but I do like the way the camel page turned out. Very interesting!
Hi Annie, thanks for leaving me a comment. I’m an avid reader too, but with the millions of books being published, bought and discarded to the paper trash every day I feel no shame when I “rescue” a few vintage ones to new life. ;-)
And I think I may have phrased my comment poorly. I’m glad you stretched my perspective to see a book as a potential artistic resource. :)
You are so clever! I know you had fun transforming a page from a book that might have ended up in the incinerator into an interesting piece of art!
Thanks Sandy, that’s how I think of altered books too, like a kind of transformation. We waste way too much paper in the world ever day, but as an artist at least I try to use as much old paper as I can and make it beautiful, or simply useful in my own life.
I say the spread looks awesome to me! Roughness and memories. I like to see pyramids in the triangles too as I don’t like X-mas trees much. And then: it’s a warm day (28 Celcius) and X-mas is not on my mind at all. Hope you have a great day too up North!