Books unbound

A few months I began mucking around with an old German language dressmaking book - painting over a bit, pulling out a page here & there, wanting to but not feeling collage inspired.
A couple of weeks ago I read of a group show in the US called Altered States where artists get hold of a book, any book & make their own alterations.
A favourite illistrative artist, Shannon Freshwater  was included in this show and I got totally inspired. (when you click on her link scroll down her October 2009 blog to view her book alterations and then hit that arrow button & come back to me)
Sadly, as I've found out in the past, I can't draw for shit (probably why I really like artists who can!).
I retrieved a little UK printing of Grimm's Fairy Tales out from under the desk where I'd kept it for something - to cut up initially rather than stick things into.  I remembered a small pile dated photography magazines destined for the recycle bin & began cutting.
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1. Bits On The Cutting Board #1-

(currently reading Joe Orton's "Head to Toe" a trippy story of parasites on a giant & other hallucinations  - not sure if it shows in the collages.. but what stimulations don't show? - next on the nocturnal reading list is Flannery O'Connor's complete stories - Southern US gothic with splashings of Catholicism)

2. More Bits On The Cutting Board #2

(had a little read of "Teach Yourself Ventriloquism" published 1917 before wondering what I'd get for it on Ebay - may hang on to it and practice putting words in other people's mouths) 

3. In the book - a city streetscape

4. In the book "The Waggish Musician" -

best refer back to reading Joe Orton... but who'd have thought how useful Judy Garland's hand on a microphone could be.  Is Judy worried?  See if you can find her on the cutting board...

I had a chat about my happy scissor distraction with artist Megan Yeo who has suggested we get a group show going for next year - good O, how fun (love to see what Meggs has in mind!) but why did I pick a book with so many pages in it!!!

Got to go,I've just found some old National Geographics - including the 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II - includes men in fancy red outfits & little children in their best coats - goody.