Gifts From the Sea - Jill's pages.

My theme for our altered book collaboration is Gifts from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. I first read this book in my early teens and have re-read it many times since. It speaks to my soul not only as a water person but also as a woman. You can see my pages here on my blog.

The first artist to work in my book was Jill Zaheer. I started enjoying Jill's blog after we were introduced through Supria and Inner Works. Jill interpreted my theme in a beautiful two page spread full of texture.


Please click on each of the images to see the wonderfully detailed work Jill has created. In these two pages, I can see the colors of a perfect day at the ocean. I can hear the wind blowing and the waves crashing on the shore. I can smell the salt in the air.


I know these little pipers well from my many visits to Florida. Here they look so real, as if they could fly away at any moment. I like Jill's use of paint and glitter to show the sun glistening on the sand.

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This (to me) represents bliss. So now when I can't get away for a beach vacation, I can put in my earbuds, listen to my ocean waves app and enjoy the pages in my book.

Each of these little fish have messages and are three dimensional, hanging by fishing line.

Thank you so much Jill for sharing your interpretations and talents in my book. This collaboration has been such a great experience and has left me with an art piece that I'll cherish for years and years.

Designs in Nature * Rita's Pages

For the past few weeks I've been working in Jill's book choice Designs in Nature. This is a subject that I'm very happy to work with as nature is always an endless source of inspiration for me. My fascination with the birch as an abstract form has made it's way into these pages along with my love of images of bare branches. I've included leaf images, drawings and actual leaves, and a beautiful feather found long ago. My pages are about simplicity and solitude.

Distressed Elements

Today was spent working on Seth's book "Oracle Night" by Paul Auster. Seth's theme is Distressed Elements and I've really enjoyed working in it. The book arrived to me already thick with artistic interpretations done by Seth himself, Veronica, Supria and Roxanne. I thought I'd interpret the theme by using words that come to mind when I hear the word distressed. I've used papers that I've painted and distressed myself along with some ephemera and found objects. Oddly enough, I've used the concept of time again here as I did in Veronica's book theme of friendship. Hmmmm, time must be on my mind alot these days!!

the sound of silence...

I've been working on Roxanne's 'Earth Tones' - what a lovely surprise this book has been. I have gathered items throughout these six months as I've been working on the different books, and the inspiration for each one seems to come more quickly. My focus this time is not only on colour but on the sounds, both tones, of the earth. Silence is something I try to get more of in my life...to silence the man-made - traffic, television, radio...and to begin to listen to the sounds of nature. Leaves rustling in the breeze, birds speaking with one another, water moving against rock. The book itself is a treasure, and the addition of each artist's work makes it more so. Over the years my own work has been quite focused and though I've ventured out of my box in the past three years, mixing media, trying new subject matter, I think I've become more satisfied with the original work because of these great leaps of faith. I feel more grounded, more connected to this earth, and realize that my contribution adds value not only to others, but to myself. And that I can contribute to this silence with a visual story that touches another soul.

Earth Tones

Roxanne's book, Earth Tones, has arrived and moved on. The book structure that she is altering is quite unique. The pages that had already been added when I received the book were inspirational and I know she is going to love them. Her theme completely spoke to me. In short, working on this altered book was a pleasure. Below are some glimpses of the three pages I completed for Roxanne. You can also click here to be taken to my blog, The Altered Page, to see an image of one completed page.

Leaves were twinkling in every wind that blew...





Embroidered over with millions of silver flowers...




Precious stone...

You Gotta Have Friends

I had a particularly wonderful time working on Veronica's book. Her theme "Friend" is near and dear to my heart. Perhaps you read this post on my blog. In preparation for working on Veronica's book, I went through many old photos of friends and used some of them in my pages here. I also used the words to the song "You Gotta Have Friends". My favorite version is with Bette Midler singing the song She's divine!

Snowflakes and Tulips...

Initially I was a little stuck on Jill's book, "Designs in Nature", but once I began laying paint on the pages I became hooked with the thought and images of nature, especially of snow. I found a feather lying on the snow on my walk one morning and knew it had to be included. I feel blessed to live in a place where I have the privilege of experiencing all seasons and to see how snow sparkles like sugar on a cold, sunny winter's day. To see how plants change colour and shed their summer glory, for winter's hibernation and a new rebirth in spring. Jill's colours reminded me of summer, and Seth's of clouds and changing seasons, which led automatically to my focus on winter and changing light. Thank you Jill for such a wonderful treasure.

Soaring Light

I have completed my pages in Jill's book. Her theme, Designs in Nature, was quite inspiring to me. The book Jill chose to alter is entitled I Lift My Lamp and describes the role Emma Lazarus played in the Statute of Liberty. As I created my pages, I was guided by two concepts that came from the book...the description of Emma as a soaring spirit and the concept of light.




More images from my pages can be seen on my blog here.

Jill's book is now in Veronica's hands and I am working away in Rita's book, Gifts from the Sea.

The Layers Within

I am finding our project to be both inspiring and challenging. I feel that my book and I are both literally and figuratively on a journey. As our books zig zag across the United States and Canada, we are all sharing a piece of our selves in the artwork that we create. I find the process tremendously satisfying.

I chose my theme, Distressed Elements, for several reasons. Most simply, I am mesmerized by a distressed surface - marks, scratches, dents, chips, rust, frayed edges, layers and the like speak to me. For this project, though, I also wanted to explore the layers beneath the surface. The layers within. And maybe to use this project to tap into the awareness and expression of some deeper and darker feelings. The book I have altered, Oracle Nights by Paul Auster, lends itself so well to this theme.

I have chosen to post only select images below so that when it is each artist's turn to receive the book, there will still be a sense of surprise and discovery when they open package. Some additional images can be found here on my blog, The Altered Page, as well.

Distressed Elements

I have chosen distressed elements as my theme for this altered book project. I find that I gravitate toward art and art supplies that have their own history...that have a natural, weathered patina...that have the nicks of life that make them more interesting. Like people who have lived and taken risks and gone on their own personal journeys and adventures.


I had a difficult time choosing the "right" book for this project. After much deliberation, I have chosen to alter a book I already own...Oracle Night by Paul Auster. I have made this choice for a number of reasons. Practically, the book seems to be the perfect size (8 1/2" x 6" + 3/4" thick) and its relatively new, crisp pages will make a sturdy base for altering.


But even more important are the other reasons. Paul Auster is a favorite author. Like me, he lives in NYC and the city plays a big role in his novels. His writing style is very distinct and there is often a magical component to his work, which generally focuses on coincidence and synchronicity. There is one section even describing the quest for a book, coincidentally much like our own search for the right book to alter.


Oracle Night is a dark story. In fact, it touches on the more distressing elements of life. The story is about a writer and is anchored by a series of events that unfold following his purchase of a special blue notebook...a quite ordinary book that seems to have a powerful influence on those who come in contact with it. For all these reasons, Oracle Night ultimately resonated with me.

All five of us have such varied styles. I am hoping that each of us will bring our own personal touch to every altered book and that the end result will be six remarkable books. I look forward to seeing how this project unfolds. And, much like the story in the book I have chosen to alter, to see the powerful influence that all of our books have on our own lives!

Here's to A Wonderful New Year's Welcome to Our Inner Works Altered Books Collaboration

Happy New Year Everyone. Here's my first posting with the birth of my altered book. I've selected I Lift My Lamp (Emma Lazarus and the Statue of Liberty) by Nancy Smiler Levinson. It's the story of Ms. Lazarus's life and how amazingly, it was a sonnet she wrote to raise money for the base of the statue that would become the lines most people equate with the Statue itself. These words are engraved on a plaque that can be found inside the statue's pedestal titled "The New Colossus".

..."Give me your tired, your poor
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse your teeming shore
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I life my lamp beside the golden door!"

The theme for my altered book revolves around designs in nature which is woven throughout the pages of the book - filled with Emma's passion for life, her love of books, poetry and the "boundless joys of nature". Emma wrote that it was good to be alive, "to see the light that plays upon the grass to feel the mild breezes stir to gaze at the bright breathing sea..."



I really love how Emma was described in the book as a soaring spirit. That's how I will think about all of us working on our collaboration together.

Here is a picture of the book I've selected with the original cover on.


And below, with the cover taken off. It measures 9" high by 6" wide and is almost 1/2inch thick.





I wanted to introduce you to my book since it will become a part of everyone's life once you put your labor of love into it. Likewise, I look forward to the pleasure of seeing everyone else's books. So hurdle number one has been tackled when I decided on my theme. Then item number two on my list has been satisfied by selecting my book. Now my new challenge of course is the cover and the inside 2 pages. Part of the difficulty I'm having for the inner pages is that there is so much I want to share and express but am limited to the 2 pages. So, I have decided to trust everyone in our collaboration to help support me in our endeavor by adding all that you feel will expand on my theme to add depth, beauty and an inspiring inner soul to my book. Jill