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Monday, May 7, 2012

An Old Friend


When I am at a loss for words -- or even ideas I turn to this beautiful old book: "Abbott's Ready Reference Illustrated Self-Pronouncing Dictionary".  I found this lovely at an antique store quite a long time ago.  Although it had had a lot of use and was partially falling apart I decided to bring it home with me. 


In these days when questions are answered and pictures are searched on-line it is a step back into quieter times to open these pages (trying to protect those that have finally come popping out of the binding).   The pages have darkened to a beautiful tea-stained color which for me only enhances its beauty.


While paging through this time I found flowers that I had long ago pressed into the pages.  Still beautifully colored they lay on the pages where there is an illustraton of other flowers. As I paged further I found some leaves and other flowers sheltered within these pages.


Some illustrations have made their way, copied onto silk, into my earlier book art.  Others sit there waiting for their time.  Don't you love these pictures of shoes and boots?  I do love using words in my artwork -- perhaps it time to revisit this precious book once again and see what treasures I might find.

"I was reading the dictionary.  I thought it was a poem about everything."  - Steven Wright

4 comments:

  1. I've got an old copy of a Larousse that I'm using in my little French panels.

    It took quite a while to actually tear out pages...it goes against the grain for me to vandalise a book....but there again...it is being used to make something else for someone to enjoy...rather than end up in a paper recycling plant!

    Enjoy your adventure with it.

    x C

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  2. How cool! I don't think I have ever seen a dictionary that old. I love books and hope that we will never come to a time when you can only read electronically.

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  3. this is so beautiful...what a findxlynda

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  4. A treasure for sure! I love art that uses words within it. I have never been able to successfully do that but I do love the look of it!

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