Collage Books

Sometime in the summer of 2022, I realized that I was creating a lot of excess images and text with each collage that I completed. It seemed wasteful somehow. I thought about what to do to use up what I had on hand. Maybe another collage format? In doing an Internet search, I came across the idea of making a collage book. I already keep a sketch book and journal so this seemed like a logical step. The collage books come in an infinite variety of forms and can have any purpose the maker wishes. It seemed like a great project to use up all of my scraps. I found some videos which showed me how to put a basic book together using a very simple binding method. I used my existing skill set with collage basics (gluing, design, paper knowledge, etc.) and quickly put a "test" book together. Well, these books are rather addictive! They are perfect for generating ideas for larger collages, trying out ideas and learning about the craft. The idea soon morphed into its own entity: an extension of my existing collages, only in book form. I have done four now and I learn many things with each book. The pages are imperfect but full of "me", which I rather like. The books require a lot of patience and have many steps which is appealing to me. The books shown below are inspired by the journals of naturalists from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. I love the long and cumbersome titles, all the little bits of details, and the images of those early journals. For all books shown below, I have included images and text which reflect the spiritual or nostalgic, the scientific, and the natural world. Each page can be enlarged by clicking on it.

Collage Book 10/22-12/22
1. Cover of book
2. Inside cover of book, image and title page
3. Image, inside cover
4. View of pages as a whole

1. Title Page, end quote, and image
2. Quote and image
3. Quote, image plus dedication
4. Table of contents plus image

Chapters 1 and 2 summaries and corresponding pages

Chapter 3 summary and corresponding pages

Chapter 4 summary, corresponding pages, and epilogue

I Remember When

Collage concertina book
6" x 45"
Found images and text; personal drawings

A Faith That The Small Will Reveal The Large:
Collages of Science and Nature
6 2023

I selected the above title for this collage book. It is a quote from Adam Gopnik's book about Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin, Angels and Ages. I used this idea
to guide me in making the collages shown below. For me, the quote encapsulates the artistic process (though Gopnik uses it to describe Lincoln's mindset when entering the Civil War). Any creative person needs time and a body of work to see where they should put their efforts. You have to make a lot of things and sort through that pile to get to some truth. This process of reflection reveals strengths and weaknesses but it also shows you where to go next and why you should go there at all. Create, look, and create some more.

The collage book below was inspired by a desire to use up the many "extra" ephemera that I have on hand after I complete a regular collage painting. Additionally, I have a real love of journals, diaries and any manner of note keeping from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. I particularly enjoy writing and images to do with scientific discovery and the exploration of the natural world. The idea of writing something down that can be read centuries later is just wonderful. That we can read and learn and enjoy these writings (despite their inherent flaws given the times they were produced in) is a real gift. I selected both vintage images that might recall those times as well as modern images that reflect my own "journaling" efforts. Past and present mix together to form something new. Please read the writing within the book below for further explanation.

* A quick explanation about the strip of paper in the middle of each collage page shown below. When completed, the collage pages can be several layers thick with papers. When it comes time to fold the 8.5" x 11" page in half to form it into a book format, the pages are just too thick to fold cleanly. To solve that problem, I hit upon the idea of cutting each page in half and then "hinging" it with a strip of paper on both sides. This allows for a clean fold and gives an added dimension to the page.

Introduction: