Today: Get Messy Thursdays | Words, Week 1

After a brief hiatus between seasons, it’s time for another round of Get Messy Thursdays.  It’s never too late to join the group, so if you’re interested in learning more (doooo itttttttt), please check it out.

I’ve spent much of the break playing with shells, attempting oven-bake pottery, doodling, and painting whatever captures my imagination (you can find more on Instagram).  As much as I love doing my own thing… I’ve missed working through the same prompts as the rest of the crew.

Get Messy Thursdays | Words, Week 1

This week we’re altering books to be used throughout the season.  I dragged my heels (a surprise to no one) and didn’t get much done until today.  And, um, I’m still not done.  

After digging through a huge pile of 75+ books (which I finally donated yesterday, thanks to the help of my able-bodied assistants mother and brother) for something pretty and lovely and ornamental, I settled on a plain white book, with a plain white cover.  Go figure.  The book, incidentally, is like… the first book ever written about Twitter.  So while it’s not exactly the Gutenberg Bible, it’s got a special history.  In its own way.  Sort of.

The pages were a bit too busy (lots of dated screenshots), so grabbed my scalpel and performed surgery.  I removed the pages with the intent of replacing them with some boring, old, non-distracting Proust.

I used sheets of gold leaf to cover up the book’s title, but have left the rest of the cover untouched for the time being.  I didn’t want to do anything too un-do-able this early in the season.  

I kind of like the that book’s serial number is visible on the back cover.  I imagine someone finding the book in 100 years and thinking what is this piece of crap? that the number is an important code.  Sort of like the numbers on LOST, but with a less disappointing ending. 

The inside is still very much a work in progress.  I tore out nearly half of the pages of Combray (I’ve used a number of pages already in art projects… so I figured, why not) and then dipped what remained in a pan of water tinted with violet watercolor.  I can’t say this was the best idea… but I am sure I’ve had worse.  I’m still waiting for the paint to dry (this is precisely how exciting my life is).  Right now, it looks… like a soggy book.

Once it’s dry, I plan to fill in some of the missing pages by stitching in watercolor paper and velum.  I’m realizing how particular I’ve become about paper.  Again… the richness and excitement of my life, on full display.

Side note: Super cheap gilding gloves have really brought my solo Michael Jackson dance parties to the next level.

Hopefully this half-American, half-French mess will have dried and become something semi-pleasing to the eye by next week.  In the meantime, you’ll find much more attractive book specimens on Instagram by following the #seasonofwords hashtag.

Also On Tap for Today:

• After watching the Pope address Congress, I have become obsessed with watching videos of John Boehner crying.  I think this can only mean that I am a very bad person.
• Dusting off the slow cooker: 9 Low and Slow Autumn Meals via The Whole Foods Market blog
• Trying to figure out what one wears when it’s 70 degrees (my maternity wardrobe is designed for 90 degree days… because it consists of two bathing suits, two sundresses, and a towel)

What’s the one book you could never cut to bits (even in the name of art making)?