The End of Volume 1

Altered books was a new concept when I began this blog... and in many ways still is. But I have journeyed far in the time I've spent with my first book. I have three more surfaces to paint with this book.... the inside back cover, and both outer covers. Then Volume 1 will be done.

It started off with me finding words on the pages that inspired me.... and then painting whatever picture was inspired by the words/ I stopped delineating the words when it became too difficult to paint around them. But I still look for words to inspire a painting. For the three remaining surfaces in the Volume 1 book, I'll paint scenes that I'm inspired to do based on the book.

Volume 2, of the same book, will be a more slender volume. I plan to remove more pages from the book so that the remaining pages will fit more easily within the binding. I plan to go through the remaining pages that have not yet been allowed to inspire a painting and find any words of inspiration. In whatever order I wish, I will then finish up volume 1 and start painting volume 2. Eventually I hope to take the abbreviated story and pictures, and put them together in the order of the pages in the text, and create a miniature story of my own. It won't really tell the story by itself, but for anyone who is fond of the story, it will be an interesting journey into memories...and perhaps inspire a re-read.

To get perhaps 60 to 70 paintings/poems inspired by 278 pages of text is an interesting feat.

As I finish Volume 2, I will then face another decision. I might take my unbound copy of SFR, and paint yet more, depending on whether or not there is any more inspiration. My thought is that I will unstaple the actual binding, and pull free the larger sheets, gluing three sheets together and creating approximately 40 - 50 "canvasses" where I can finish off any last bits of inspiration and/or select out the best of all of the paintings and see what time and ability will do for a new vision o fthe same thing.

It's a bad thing, I think, to be a glutton? Gluttony is my big sin. I can't even avoid it in painting. But it gives me pleasure.