How long have you been involved in altered art?   How did you first learn about it?  What was your first reaction to the art?

 Although I learned about altered art just over a year ago, I have been doing altered art type of projects all my life. As a child, I would make all kinds of things out of Popsicle sticks and play with them over store bought toys. When I first saw an altered book it opened up my world creatively. It brought together my love (obsession) for books with my desire to do something physically creative.

 Have you ever participated in any classes?  If so, what type of classes were they?

 Other than a couple of classes as electives in college years ago, I have not taken any art classes. I would love to but my schedule is usually so busy I have to resign myself to reading art books from the library or going online to study what others are doing. I do have a lot of artistic friends and they give my good feedback.

 Do you teach any classes?  If so, what specific classes do you teach?  What have the students’ responses been to your class?

 I am an altered book evangelist vs. a Sunday preacher. That means that I tell everyone about it and inspire a lot of people to do it by showing them what I have done but I have taught any on-going classes on the topic. I will be doing a class for children who are having emotional and behavioral issues through my work. We are doing an Art Camp for the summer and various therapists and mental health workers are facilitating creative classes. I am doing one on altered books.

Have you ever participated in any art retreats?  If so, describe the experience. 

No but I would love to do this. It would be my dream get-a-way.

How many pieces of altered art have you designed?

I seem to be working of several things at once so it is hard to say but a dozen or so, maybe more. I have completed a few books and several small canvasses, plus a few assemblage pieces. An artist friend bought me a couple of larger canvasses for my birthday and is coaxing me to do bigger stuff. I am working on an abstract painting now and have been altering FedEx and USPS envelopes I have received in the mail. 

List some examples of some of the things you have designed.  For example, an altered tin, an altered cigar box, an altered spread, journals, etc. 

I have done an altered tin or two, re-assembled Christmas wrap and boxes into altered art, and working on the altered postal envelopes (the kind with the bubble-wrap already inside). One of my most gratifying pieces was an altered journal I call “Artistic Journal/Journey’s”. It is filled with a lot of abstract art. I find and object or pour on paint on a page and smear it around. I found them to be meaningless and intensely freeing experiments.

Do you consider yourself an artistic person?  If so, why?  If not, why?

I am very artistic although I don’t really like that word. It is too noun-ish. You have to be something, someone, or somewhere and I find that too confining for me. I prefer the word creative. I know it is mere semantics but I don’t get into my usual mental, perfectionist traps when I use that word to describe myself. Creative is much more of an action, a verb. I have always been engaged in some type of creative activity, be it publishing a Parenting Book (I did that back in 1998), getting my Family Therapy license (did that in ’98 as well), overseeing a large mental health clinic, working with children in therapy, or doing online websites.

What is it about altered art that interests you?  What do you most enjoy about it?

I like the philosophical and spiritual connotations behind altered art. I enjoy finding discarded books or objects that other people would consider garbage and creating something unique and beautiful out of it. It has the quality of “redemption” that gives me a feeling of hopefulness and personal transformation. That is value of art in any form, I believe.

What types of challenges have you experienced in your artwork?  Explain.

The biggest challenges are inner ones. I try to stay one step ahead of the critical dogs of discouragement and doubt. They nip at my heels but I have gotten quite quick and adept at avoiding their teeth. Consequently, I don’t do art for anyone else. That is just a feeding op for the “dogs.” I have artwork I have never shown anyone and that is fine by me. I don’t mind sharing but that isn’t the point. If something opens up and I feel like sharing, great! If not, it stays in my garage or on the wall in my office.

How do you feel when you’re designing a piece of altered art?  For example, do you find it to be a way of relieving stress? 

Definitely! That is exactly how I came to start doing altered art. I was feeling way too left-brained with all the administrative tasks at work and needing to exercise my right-hemisphere before it completely atrophied. That’s when a therapist friend of mine showed me a magazine with altered artwork in it. I was hooked from that point on. I am an early riser, so I get up around 5 am every morning (yes, even on the weekends) and do artwork in my garage or whatever feels meditative for the day.

How do you handle artistic block?

I ignore them. People try to break them but I find that futile in the long run. It is better to walk around than confront them. They are usually just smoke and mirrors anyway – all in your head. I try to do something creative every day even if I throw it away afterwards because I hate it. I also find a lot of security in doing little projects. Big one’s scare me.

When explaining what altered books are or any other type of altered art to people, what do you say?

I tell them about it is a rising art form that uses old, discarded books and objects and then gives makes them into a piece of art.

What type of reaction do you receive when you show your artwork to others or when you speak to them about altered art?

It is interesting is to see peoples reactions to my artwork. Some peoples eyes glass over and they say, “Oh, how nice” while others eyes sparkle and say, “Cool!” I like the latter reaction personally.

Has your artwork ever been on display?  If so, where?

I recently had the honor of having my artwork in a gallery showing of Christian artists. The themes didn’t have to be particularly Christian so I had a couple pieces that were on this topic and then a couple of altered books with all kinds of artwork. People clamored to look at them. I was really surprised!

Are there any artists who have inspired you?  If so, who and why?

I like a lot of the abstract expressionist from the 50’s and 60’s. Hans Hoffman’s uses of color are very inspirational. Pollack’s gestural artwork is fantastic. Miro’s poetic, playful creatures and Valinsky’s use of line and shape are something I can only hope to mimic. There are lot of altered books artists out there that I think has really opened the field and made it a true art form. People like Claudine Hellmuth, Lynne Perrella, Karen Mitchell, Beth Cote and quite a few others. I worry that people are just copied their styles versus trying to find their own voice. Copying others is a good way to start, to understand the techniques but you have to be able to try something new and daring too.

The vintage look seems to be really popular in the altered art world.  Do you find yourself using a lot of vintage items in your artwork?  If not, what style or theme do you find yourself mostly working with? 

 Not a lot. I don’t have anything against them but I tend to focus more on gesture, abstract artwork.

 Have you ever participated in any round robins?  If so, how many?  Could you describe the experience? 

 I think RR’s are a great way to learn new techniques and get some honest feedback on your own art. I have done a few that were very fun but unfortunately, I waited until the last minute to do them and there was a bit of a panic getting them sent out on time. I haven’t done much lately simply because I have been so caught up on my own stuff.

Are there any products that you particularly enjoy working with when designing your art?

 I tend to use garbage a lot. Seriously. I am constantly finding objects and materials that have been thrown away or discarded on the ground. I love using instructions from products I buy at a hardware store. They come in various languages and use interesting little pictures. I used the instructions form a new toilet flapper I bought that worked perfectly on a spread I was doing on someone’s who felt their life was in the toilet.

 What types of techniques do you find most interesting to include in your artwork?  What types of mediums do you enjoy playing with?

 I have been using a combination of acrylic paint and found objects. I will glue an object or two on a page and then use the paint to tie them together and give me directions on how to proceed. I usually don’t have a clear picture of what I want to accomplish before hand. It just sort of develops over time. I try to do a lot of layering as well. This gives the viewer an “archeology of creative process” that is both revealed and hidden at the same time.  

 Do you incorporate found items into your artwork?  How did you come about these items?  Do you shop for them or do they mostly consist of items you have around your home?

 My family constantly teases me by holding up some bit of garbage and asks me if I want to use this in my artwork. Sometimes I say yes, and mean it. I think they believe I have gone nuts but they now that this helps me keep my sanity.

 What is the most interesting ‘found item’ you have ever found?  Explain where it was found and describe your reaction in finding it. 

 The most interesting bit was on one of the very first AB I ever completed. It was an old cowboy western book that was falling apart so I had to glue all the pages together and make a niche book out of it. I was putting in cowboy and Indian artifacts that a small boy might have collected or found and I was missing something. Then one day I found a ticket on the ground and when I picked it up it said “Buffalo Bills Arcade” on the back. There is no such arcade in my town and it completed the AB perfectly.

Do you have any other male friends that are interested in altered art? 

 I really don’t have too many friends of either gender that do this type of art. Most of my friends are in the Psychotherapy field since that is what I do in my other life and they are very familiar with art therapy techniques and appreciate what I do but no one else is doing this. I did get a couple of male friends to do an altered mental health book with me but they haven’t done anything since.

 Do you have an interesting story related to altered art that you would like to share?

 Only that is has really opened up a whole new world to me that has been refreshing and rejuvenating to me.

 What would you say to someone who may be considering designing a piece of altered art for the first time? Or who do not consider themselves artistic?

 I hear this statement a lot of people. They have misconceptions about art and creativity that are too narrow. Some of that is our (artists) fault by not recognizing the various ways in which the muse can be exercised. My wife has created an interior décor in our home that people ooh and ahh about but how many people wouldn’t label her an artist. I think she is, of course. My best advice for first time people is to do a “study book” or experimental AB that you don’t care about, then you isn’t disappointed if it doesn’t come out right.

 Tell us the story behind the artwork(s) you have submitted for this article.  What inspired you to create them?

 This spread is called “Hands.”

 I used an old Legal/Ethical Manual for Family Therapists to alter and this is a page on the law concerning reporting a known crime by a client and any potential threat to harm another person called “Tarasoff.” I guess that was the inspiration for collaging the hands, stencil numbers, and an old Fed Ex envelop. The entire piece is very gestural and without much planning. I used acrylic paints with oil pastels (Portfolio’s). When I have a client, there is a sense of responsibility to takes a “hands on” approach to family therapy.

 This piece is called “Do Not Bend.” I used an old envelop with these words on them and that inspired my basic color scheme. I used various found collage pieces with it including: a return policy receipt, size tags from a pair of pants, clearance advertisement, and an old cigar wrapper. There is a lot of layering involved here. I used acrylic paint that I scratched heavily into to reveal the colors below and then used oil pastels to tie it all togethers. I like Portfolio Pastels as they are soft and go on smoothly. I can smear the pastel or scratch into depending on what the piece seems to call for.

 This piece is called the “Healer.” I started it off with a band aid and a piece of a book tag entitled “A Spiritual Warriors Prayer Guide.” That set the tone. I then used cut images from a picture book of Christ and Mary at the Cross. I used more of the band aid box and a found piece of instructions from an electrical lamp as a background for the Christ image. I then applied a lot of acrylic paint very quickly to create scene that is more abstract and colorful than realistic. The round, white circles are hole protectors for binder paper I found in a drawer. It inspired a cloud like décor that I liked. There is also a bit of mesh from a vegetable bag I saved.

 email: rehuxley@parentingtoolbox.com

phone: (559) 960-2751

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