ArtExplosion - Surrealism - "TREASURY OF THE UNEXPECTED"

~ ART EXPLOSION CONTEST ~
Hosted by one of our talented Steemian Artists @juliakponsford.

The theme this week is Surrealism.  A quote from Julia: 

"I want to see/read/listen to some crazy art. I want you to reach into the deepest part of your subconscious mind and pull out something strange and unusual!

Ok, so she asked for it and I'm taking this opportunity to give it to her!!

'TREASURY OF THE UN-EXPECTED"

This is a cover of a book I made as part of a collaboration for a group of artists here in Texas.  Inside this cover, I also created several pages in this altered book --which I will save for a later post-- to then be passed along to other artists so they could add their own personal touch.

A couple of emergency situations in the lives of a couple of the other artists took precedence over the collaboration, so we never made the exchange.  This book has been hidden away on my shelf for a few years, perhaps only seen by my children while I was making it.

When I saw Julia's invitation, this altered book sprang to mind, and I'm super excited to have the perfect venue for sharing this crazy, off the wall piece of art that I thought I would likely never share. YAYAYAY!!!

My criteria for a good piece of art is that it is made from recycled materials.  All parts of this book were something that someone else wanted to throw away.  The items used on the cover and bookmark are magazines, yarn, sequins, ribbons, trim, toy bones, and a broken woven bracelet.

I collaged all these images together and added more tidbits for a 3-d effect.

I haven't much gotten into skeletons and the darker side of art, but this just all came together in a sinister kind-of-way, and really set the tone for the strangeness of the other created images inside the book.

The original book was discarded, as was the glue and modge podge I used to seal the pages.  I made a tasseled bookmark  and a black fabric wrap to tie it in and keep the dust at bay -- of course those are recycled too.

I hope this was strange or unusual enough for you.  If not, there are many pages inside just waiting for another opportunity to show something from the "Treasury of the Unexpected".

GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE ENTRANTS.  
I'M GRATEFUL TO BE A PART OF THIS ARTIST'S COMMUNITY!

Thanks to @juliakponsford for letting me take something I made that really had no purpose, and now, like the materials it is made with, has a reason for life again!

Thank you for visiting my blog!