In selecting books, it is important that they not be published after 1972 (or, be at least as old as I). Sometimes the book instantly creates a visual concept and other times I seek out a book that will echo my mental vision. Taking the written story within, I reinterpret it into a three-dimensional piece by cutting, sewing and painting (all done by hand without the use of power tools), thus creating a multidimensional collage while still leaving the majority of the book intact. Every page is kept as bound. It is important that my pieces retain their intrinsic book characteristics. Each page that is visible is purposely selected to be seen – whether it be specific words, lack of words, images or a combination thereof. Words are as important as the visuals I create when crafting my book sculptures.

The characters I make—the inhabitants of the books—are usually painted in black and white, which allow them to live in balance within their predominantly black and white (text and page) surroundings. Sometimes they are animals; sometimes they are more human. Regardless of their species, the eyes typically lend themselves to a more humanistic expression and are the last thing I paint. Eyes tell a story within their own orb and greatly impact the feeling of a piece and so completing them last, I solidify the overall emotion I want to express.

I am growing my work beyond short stories, moving towards epic series – generating from a moment in time, page by page.