“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.” ~ Pleasefindthis
Another package in the mail. I could not believe it. Inside was Dickens’ Great Expectations, the book I used for an altered book group project started in 2012 by Mindy Cardenas. Michelle Shute, my friend and artist you may recall with the shadow box art, was the last to add to the book, and it was she who sent it to me. There were 15 artists in all; from Oklahoma to Uruguay, Wisconsin to New Mexico, California to Florida. From Lexington, Kentucky to Tucson, Arizona we are tattoo artists, educators, librarians, therapists, doctors, real estate agents, babysitters, moms and dads, lord knows what else, and we’re all friends with Mindy. This was her brainchild, and it exceeded my expectations.
It left Kentucky a drab 1950’s era book. It wasn’t a first edition. It wasn’t rare. It was a great piece of literature in an otherwise faded and ordinary state. It came back an exquisite piece of work. Layer upon layer of personality pour from its edges, stuffed with bits of art that will take a lifetime to find; intricately sewn, glued, folded, or pressed into every page. The bands of leather grip the book like tender hands around a crystal bowl, gently sliding into a hand-woven binding that wraps two perfectly whittled hard wood points. I’ve come to know many of the artists and their styles over the 18 months we’ve been exchanging books. In retrospect, my contributions seem very inadequate, but I hope everyone finds some joy in my meager attempts while I sit here in awe of this incredible gift I’ve received. Leo loved it, too.
Artists
Carolina Berta (Montevideo, Uruguay), Miguel Cardenas (WI), Mindy Cardenas (WI), Andrea Connell (WI), Joan Fuller (WI), Steve Gray (AZ), Nancy Dunn Kerr (WI), Bethany Key (NM), Kelly Petrie (WI), Natalie Black Senecal (WI), Michelle Shute (FL), Cherea Sowder Stone (OK), Kopana Terry (KY), Annette Truong (CA), and January Wyatt (OK).
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