Altered Book Gallery

This page will feature pages done by art teachers around the country. Several Tip In exchanges have taken place. Artists/teachers make a set number of pages, mail them to a host. The host sorts them into piles for each member and mails the pages. The participants then Tip In their pages into a book they have selected - generally, by removing the existing pages from the book leaving a 1/2" tab to glue to the new pages. There are many creative ways pages can be assembled. Some members make their own books with the pages. It is a fun way to get some unique works of art from friends and colleagues.  

"Identity" - Summer Tip Ins by Judy Decker (click to see larger images)
              
Page 1                page 2                 page 3                 page 4             Tag detail (fold out  hand)
Read about Techniques and Meaning

"Passions" - Fall Tip Ins by Judy Decker
                     
Back side (page 1 and page 4)  Detail page 4           Inside spread
Read about Techniques and Meaning 

"The Elements" Values - Winter Tip Ins by Judy Decker

           Click here to see Value Card images 
Read about Techniques and Meaning

Techniques, Symbolism and Meaning in Summer Pages by Judy Decker

Theme: Personal Identity (also tied in Dreams, Numbers, Nature and Colors)

Since I spend so much time at my computer now, I felt my pages should reflect that. All pages use text from Genesis Creation Story overprinted a digital image of the sky (as originally, I was going to alter an old Bible – starting with Genesis). The text is deliberately lightened. I believe Creation Stories connect all cultures. Each culture has their own way of telling how we all got here. To me, art and religion go hand in hand (each is a way to for man to make sense of the world around him). On top of that is collaged my Chinese fortunes printed on mulberry papers (representing my love for handmade paper and interest in cultural arts. All pages include digital images printed out. Landscape patterns come from National Geographics (some have been scanned in as I was running out of suitable material). I have used PVA glue (Poly vinyl acetate fancy name for Elmer’s) so pardon my occasional errors and sticky finger marks.  My choice of glue would have been rubber cement to avoid the warping (but that is not “archival”).

My theme is Personal Identity – as well as My World, Dreams, Nature, Colors and Letters to tie in themes of other group members. One could also say it is A Day in the Life of an Art Teacher as they also symbolize some of my lessons. “The Beginning” is about me and about the list serves. In the beginning there was the “Getty Pond” – then I added ArtsEducators and Art Education after I took over Incredible Art Department. I have often used a fish to symbolize me in artwork, as I am a Pisces (and also a Christian). Fish have a positive symbolism in all cultures and represent knowledge to many. We (art teachers) are all fish in the pond. Some of us go with the flow – so of us go against the current and work for change. The “ideas” are my posts to the lists –“feed the fish”. 

The first page also represents my drawing from life lessons. I often bought fish for my students to draw and brought in my houseplants. We created fantasy/ surreal compositions (using Georgia O’Keeffe and Henri Rousseau for motivation). I am “magenta” in this “pond”. What Color are you? Color your fish. Originally, I was going to have more interactive things for you to do with these pages. The illuminated letters represent my medieval art lessons. The borders represent my cultural arts lessons – each one derived from a different culture/time period. For many of you, the colors are your favorite color.

Page two is my “forgotten dream” to own a Victorian home. I found this photograph on the Internet quiet some time ago and it fit what I wanted to do as I could change the colors of it quite easily to match my pages. I found it last summer make a shadow box for one of my dollies. I will share that with you when I finish it. The angel cherub represents my Renaissance lessons. The roses represent my roses. The Oriental fabric pattern at the bottom of the pages represents my Cultural Threads lesson.

Page three represents my jungle lessons – most recently, art of Haiti. I did animals in art with all sixth grade classes. It also represents my childhood (which I won’t go into here). I have an elephant collection so have selected the elephant as another one of my totem animals.  The last page gives you a brief summary with my “Wish for today and everyday: Peace”.  The signature card includes a Mandala (from the Girl Scout site that was posted to the list).  I felt my hand was an appropriate card for my pages as the hand is a symbol of power in many cultures.

Techniques, Symbolism and Meaning in Fall Pages by Judy Decker

Theme: My Passions

I have many passions and they seem to change from day to day. My current “passion” is sewing and I have used it here on these pages. I just got a new sewing machine so I am putting it to good use.

My first page shows my passion for world peace - as well as education. The scanned background images are from writings by my Great-Great Grandfather. He taught in a one-room schoolhouse near Peru, Indiana. He was also a farmer. The schoolhouse in the lower border represents this.  The Window and dove are images found on the Internet and altered to suit me.

The inside spread shows my passion for Art - Art History – Judy’s "saving the world" through art - Art connects all. It also represents my passion for the Internet (Incredible Art Department - Incredible Art Resources). The underlying text is an email from a post I made to Art for Peace List (words are not of any significance).

The back page is my love for family. It has a picture of my son, Matthew. It also represents my passion for meaning of names. My personal version has a fold out image of Johannes (John) over the picture of Matthew.

I used the images from Internet, scanned images, and my computer to compose the pages – sewing to secure. The overlay for the inside spread (and window on the first page) is a transparency (a technique I grabbed from Kris Fontes). Since I didn't know what kind of glue to use to attach it - I used sewing. I antiqued the edges of the pages with my gift from Kathleen Arola - a Cat's Eye Topaz Paint Pad (the color was perfect). The inside spread has some gold marker accents and a gold thread added to the stitching for a touch of "riches”.

Techniques and Symbolism in Winter pages by Judy Decker

Theme: The Elements - Values

The backside is scanned in play money (the money is larger than life –about 4” x 9”). I enhanced the images with colored pencils to show some value shading (some were done with various crayons). There is a little tiny paper bag with my signature card - the card has some collage on it with my info on the back. A drawing of my hand is inserting the card into the bag (layered to show fingers under thumb - lift up the thumb to remove card).
 
The inside is “My Values” - for “The Elements”

Money looks good "on paper" (Play money embellished with colored pencils and gold marker accents) - There is lots of symbolism in the images chosen. The mask on the left is a Dover clip art image representing a "clash of cultures" - and in memory of an email from a student I received asking me why Mali was so poor today when once they were rich. I sent his inquiry to Madafo, too (my story teller friend - whose name means "My Friend"). Madafo and I gave him similar answers responding to what happened after European influences - how the trade routes changed - and how Mali is so rich in other ways. It also represents my African art collection - part of "my wealth".  How much money do we really need? Mark and I have enough to get by.

Lincoln of course represents Honesty to me. Ben Franklin represents Science and Invention - as well as my Father and Grandfather - Benjamin Franklin Richer Jr. and Sr. Inside the pocket are my Values Cards. I picked 8. I wanted to include religion, but was concerned how that would make others feel – especially since they wanted to show students –I will add religion to my own set of pages.

The Values Cards are: Family (my work 7-11-17 is representative of my Family - 7/11 is my anniversary and 11/17 is my son's birthday); "Material Wealth (textiles from cultures - shown represents my Molas); Friendship - represented by a yellow rose, the symbol for friendship since Victorian times;
My Fortune (showing my Chinese Fortunes - members receive one of mine glued to this card); My Art (shown is Venus Rising - a self portrait 3-D mixed media which is framed and hanging in my bathroom); Wisdom Knowledge (represented by a bronze fish - I will replace image with my Bronze Gold Weight for ones I finish after Christmas - right now it has a photo of a brass fish from China); My Collections (image shown is a Senufo Mask representing marriage - one mask from my African art collection; and Nature (shown is a butterfly - another Dover free art - since I once had an insect collection) – representing appreciation of what God has made. Missing here is my love for animals – especially my cats, Boomer (still a kitten) and Nala. I will include them in my own set.

The U.S. Treasury holds the Six Pillars of Character Education. Some of our elected officials need a refresher course. The really need to work on Trustworthiness - Caring - Fairness - Respect - Citizenship and Responsibility. I will sign them up for a course in Trustworthy first. The V-A-L-U-E-S is done in a font that I have used in my two previous Tip-ins as a way to connect them all.

Sewing is symbolic of textiles and also adds interesting textures. A gold thread has been added when pages were joined – more “riches”. If one looks closely, they will be able to pick out some textures of the oak desk I am working on. The texture is more obvious is some more than others. Cutting the image of the President for the pocket was actually my husband Mark’s idea - I was going to put a transparency over all of it with pockets sewn.

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