dear ada

the infinite library.

What is it about altered books that moves me so much? I don't know why but the very idea of it, of taking an existing book, one made for a particular purpose and then changing it, adding to it, removing from it, deconstructing it and then reconstructing it, in a different order or with another book, all of it just makes my heart sing. Which is why I'm so very beside myself with joy about the the infinite library project. Not only is it all the things I described above, but the results are so stunningly beautiful that it brings tears to my eyes. It just doesn't get better than this as far as I'm concerned.

Original link via i heart photograph.

michael brennand-wood.

A few weeks back I posted about michael brennand-wood who's layered assemblages and 3 dimensional forms make the heart sing. Well since then he's launched his own site where there's plenty more where that comes from. Enjoy!

mary o'malley.

I'm loving these mixed media pieces by mary o'malley. Loving I say! There's a wonderful tension between the simplicity of a very open ground and the richly embellished bird motif. And what about those luscious, rich colors? Hot pink, gold, brown, olive green. Oh my, my, what a tasty treat!

jaime.

I love the collages of jaime at waterhalo. There's something about the simplicity of them, the smart editing and restrained hand that just gets me every time. Plus there's such a nice, long narrative now, post after post of tasty pieces, that I feel like I'm being taken on a great journey. I'm grateful for that in the hands of such a skilled artist and story teller.

thereza rowe.

I'm flipping over the work of thereza rowe. Fabulous collage, bold color, wonderful illustrations. Happy hello this morning!

inez storer.

I certainly wouldn't cry nights if I were to receive one of these amazing collage "letters" from inez storer in the mail. This is what the perfect letter would look like as far as I'm concerned.I love the layering of materials and the rich story they imply. And oh my, the color! Aren't these just lovely?

cathy mclaurin.

Have you seen the lovely mixed media work of cathy maclaurin? Oh my, am ever loving these layered, patterned pieces. The colors are amazing. Who knew that white and black could look so magical, painted so delicately on a common, wrinkled paper bag? And I'm intrigued and admittedly a bit uncomfortable with the beautifully rendered animal children throughout this series of work. Which is always a good thing. Beauty, tension, mystery and decoration, all qualities I love in a good piece of art.

jonas fechner.

Oh these collages from jonas fechner's glue book make very happy. Sparse, thoughtful, colorful and restrained. Yummy, yummy.

caravan style.

I'm liking these collaged graphics from the shop caravan oh so very much. Nostalgic and pretty, they nicely balance between art and commerce which isn't an easy feat to say the least. I certainly wouldn't cry nights if this little mobile shop pulled up in my neighborhood! So fun. Original happy link via emma cassi.

x**

I'm really liking the work I found by x** on flickr. Interesting architectural studies, collages and sketches plus explorations around graffiti and free form doodles. I can see the ideas formulating here and it's really fun to watch. Very cool work indeed.