Altered Books

Welcome to my altered books page. Inside you’ll find a variety of altered books ranging from those that started as children’s board books, to other sewn-binding books that have been used as the basis for painting, collage work, and found poetry.

Altered books have been defined as “any book, old or new that has been recycled by creative means into a work of art.” The first time I saw an example of this intriguing art form, it immediately sparked my interest. Here was an opportunity to use the text of books, old and new, to inspire me.

Although I have loved and been surrounded by books all my life, 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. Now I use books as my canvas– to create altered books, reliquaries, or book sculptures that are personally meaningful and that spring from my own imagination or emanates from the spirit and words of the book’s original author.

Creating altered books is something anyone can do because there are no rules and your only limitation is your own imagination. In these pages you will find many suggestions on how to create your own altered books as I share what I’ve learned– my successes as well as my failures.