The pieces of art that you see here are meant to evoke an encounter with books: the confusing thrill of walking into a used bookstore and not knowing which stack to dive into first, the sensation of slipping into what you know will be a gripping story, the feeling of floating along with the words and seeing where they will take you.

In my work, I mainly use book pages that would have ended up in the trash can, recycling bin, or back of a storage container. Many of the books that I cut up are already damaged, the old glue of the spines having given out long ago, causing the contents to spill onto the floor. Some are outdated and given away for free at local bookstores or charity shops with little hope of finding a new reader. All are looking for a way to tell another story.

I take these book pages, which have aged in ways that give them a unique texture, thickness, and color, and cut them into shapes. The next step is layering them on top of one another and arranging everything so that these subtle differences are enhanced. This contrast creates swirls and ripples that give a sense of movement similar to pages being blown about by a strong gust of wind. The backing that I use in my work is also made from repurposed materials: cardboard moving boxes that would have otherwise been thrown in the bin.