Scrap Matrix Blog: Art and books - what more could a girl want?By Tammy Klingner

Hello!

Tam back again to share a special project with you, something I've been working on for a while. I've been busting to show you all, and it just fits perfectly with this month's challenge, 'A Year in Review'.

One of my other passions in life is reading. Aaaah books! I love books. I love the feel of them, the smell of them, the look of them. I love escaping reality, I love that I can live different lives, understand different perspectives.

Earlier this year, I began a book club, and after each book is read we have a few questions to answer. I love that these questions make me think more deeply about the book. They make the book stay with me for quite some time afterwards.

So the storyteller in me wanted to document this, and the way I express myself is with colour and paint, so I decided to begin an art journal focusing on the books I've read.

I began with a gorgeous old book that I had bought at an op-shop - it's pages were tattered and had a lovely texture to them. The only problem was the pages were very thin - so I began gluing pages together to 'toughen' them up a little. Now I had the base for my project, so time to delve in and have some fun...........

'Breath' by Tim Winton

I was inspired by the surf, the waves, the ocean.

'The Light we Lost' by Jill Santopolo

I was inspired to create a city scene as New York was pivotal to the story.

'The Nightingale' by Kristin Hannah

I was inspired by Isobel, one of the sisters who became known as 'The Nightingale' during World War 1 for her heroic deeds.

'On the Island' by Tracy Garvis Graves

I was inspired by the Island Imagery and the sunsets.

'A man called Ove' by Frederik Backmann

I drew inspiration from a quote about colour and the neighbourly love and support.

'The Dry' by Jane Harper

I took inspiration from the Australian bush.

'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine' by Gail Honeymoon

I tried to capture Eleanor and her loneliness.

'Circe' by Madeline Miller

This book has a glorious cover which became the starting point for this one.

'The Nowhere Child' by Christian White

I wanted to recreate the woods and the darkness.

'Little Fires Everywhere' by Celeste Ng

This book contained a lovely reference to feathers which became the inspiration for this one.

'The Wife between Us' by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Rekkanen

I wanted to capture the two women central to the story.

'Room' by Emma Donoghoe

This book is written from the child's persepective, so I drew a childlike image, using my left hand and lots of stamps.

'The Lace Weaver' by Lauren Chater

I was inspired by the lace, the history and the rings mentioned throughout the story.

'The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted' by Robert Hillman

This one had me stumped, so this kinda just happened.

'I See You' by Clare Mackintosh

Pretty self explanatory!

'Baby Teeth' by Zoje Stage

This was an interesting read, and contained a quote about butterflies which I loved.

As you can see, they all vary, and some are simpler than others.

I always used colour as an inspiration......what colours/mood did the book create in my mind?

Sometimes I added quotes, sometimes I jotted down my thoughts. I really just went with the flow each time, let it evolve, tried not to overthink it.

I just let the inspiration take over.

Such a fun project - lots of playing and experimenting. I'm never really worried about the end result, it's more about the process and the documenting.

Oh and another thing - this book does NOT cope with what I throw at it, unlike the gorgeous Art Journals available from Scrap Matrix that can take anything I hurl at them - this book doesn't cope at all. I really only get one chance - the pages tear really easily if I add too many layers or try to remove any paint. At first I struggled with this, but I really love that it forces me to just go for it, enjoy it and then move on!! I also love that the text/written words are visible through the paint....really adds to the whole concept.