Saturday, August 15, 2009

Altered Book Project - Paper, Paste and Stamps

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On Tuesday I received a book I'd been waiting to work on for a couple of months. It is a Danish tarot book - by Asta Erte: Tarotbogen and a project initiated by K. Frank Jensen. Asta Erte translated the Wait-Smith Tarot into Danish in 1983. This project celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the publication in December 1909 of the original Arthur Edward Waite's tarot deck, which was illustrated by Palmela Colman Smith. Denmark's Frank Jensen distributed 22 copies of Asta Erte's translation of the Wait Smith tarot to as many artists globally. In turn, they were invited by Mr. Jensen to either work on the book individually or collaborate with others. Michele Jackson, a tarot officiando invited me to contribute along with another artist, Abby Lazar. Pictured below are a series of progressions of the collage work as I went along this week.
You may be familiar with one of the prescribed ways to objectively view a piece of work is to hold it up in the mirror. What I've discovered as more useful is to scan and look at my work in progress on a computer. This explains, (if you are wondering ?) the reason I end up with several scans of each collage as I am working on it. Apart from that, there is no other method to my collage creating. It becomes largely a non-verbal intuitive process that I term 'musing.' I stayed away from using any paint because I didn't want to compromise the strength of the paper. So, I resorted to Dover images, some from my own stash, a few stamps, and lots of PVA glue! In this altered book, I did respond to Pamela Colman Smith's images and attempt to interprete some of the Tarot cards. Color and composition are sometimes cognitive decisions based on the little color theory and lessons I've picked up throughout various classes throughout the years. Thanks Michele. This was perhaps one of the most enjoyable collage processes I've done.

3 comments:

Bea said...

Isn't it funny how you can have all the equiptment and NOT think about using them for a different purpose? What a great idea to scan your work in progress. You've got some great digital images to work with down the road, you really do get to see the project in a different light and it was facinating to see the development of your pieces. Thanks for the tip. :)Bea

Sija said...

Fabulous Trudi! Love what you have done.

Anonymous said...

These pages ~ and their transformations in progress ~ are absolutely magical. Thanks so much for sharing this, my cup is full ;)
xo,
Gaye