Labased artist mike stilkey creates whimsical painted sculptures out of stacked books. In the absence of a standard blank canvas, mike stilkey paints his dark yet cartoonishly charming works on towers of stacked books. This librarys holiday book display may convince you its. Artist mike stilkey reclaims the book covers of dozens of old books that otherwise would have been thrown out. Mike stilkey is an internationally recognized artist who has always been. Mike stilkey, the artist behind the book art you see around campus i am of such a mixed opinion. Mike stilkey s wonderfully whimsical book paintings. He turns old books into new works of art orange county. Amazing book paintings by mike stilkey oddity central. For the past several years, artist mike stilkey has repurposed old books as a medium for his portraits of people and animals. The changing face of portraiture in carlsbad, california.
His work mainly consists of portraits of pensive humans and anthropomorphic animals. Books are sacred objects which we are all free to worship in different ways. An artists inspiration mike stilkey part 2 of 3 youtube. Artist mike stilkey uses the covers of discarded library books as canvases for his whimsical paintings, writes kathryn bromwich mike stilkey creates unique art by painting on the sides of stacked books. Stilkey s paintings on individual book pages gradually morphed into painting down the spines of stacked books. Stilkey arranges the faces and spines of books in groupings of varying size, ranging from a half dozen staked together to thousandstalltowers that fill public spaces. Mike stilkey with a day of celebration, created for a show at bakersfield museum of art. The artist arranges thousands of old books and paints the books spines using pen and ink and acrylics. Eleven astonishing works of art made from books the new. Discarded books get a second chance in mike stilkeys towering. Mike stilkey hits the books to make art entertainment. Mike stilkeys paintings on salvaged books in pictures art and. If i can paint on them, im giving them a second chance. Mike is a 39yearold from california whose ascent in the art world has been recent and swift and he.
Working with ink, paint, colored pencil, and lacquer, he creates lighthearted paintings of humans and animals alike. Mike had been drawing on book pages for a very long time, even publishing a. Artist mike stilkeys largescale book mural on display at. The tallest book sculpture that he made is about 24 feet 7. Painted book sculptures by mike stilkey daily design. Mike stilkeys wonderfully whimsical book paintings book. Mike stilkeys book art a literary canvas the irish times. Using pen and ink and acrylics, stilkey has painted the books spines to depict a scene where wild and domestic animals are, as he puts it, taking back their land, while humans with.
My reading and word obsession progressed to school book fairs and weekly visits to the library. Mike stilkeys library amazing art, book sculpture, book art. Mike stilkeys paintings on salvaged books in pictures. Mike stilkey uses stacks of old books as his canvases, making small portraits and giant sculptural.
Scavenging throwaway books from library trash pile would suffice. For years, weve been following mike stilkey s evergrowing collection of painted book art. An artist uses discarded books to make his distinctive artworks. Weve been fans of labased book artist mike stilkey for quite a while now, so we were psyched when my modern met clued us in about his new exhibition, full. He stacks the hardcover books and paints directly on their spines. Weve been fans of labased book artist mike stilkey for quite a while now, so we were psyched when my modern met clued us in about his new exhibition, full of smiles and soft intentions, which went up this month in hong kongs times square. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a page. New paintings on salvaged books by mike stilkey colossal.
See more ideas about artist, book sculpture and book art. Most libraries have thousands and thousands of books. Mike stilkeys wonderfully whimsical book paintings. For a very long time, weve been following mike stilkey s regularly developing gathering of book art. He works with a mix of ink, colored pencil, paint and lacquer to create each artwork that can vary from anthropomorphic animals playing instruments to portraits of men and women inspired by weimarera german expressionism. When i was very young, my mother used to read to me every night before i went to sleep. What books matter to him and whats up with all the cool animals in the paintings. Find the latest shows, biography, and artworks for sale by mike stilkey. A book tree art installation from american artist mike stilkey, has been erected in the coex starfield library in gangnam, seoul. Even your local library can be a great place for art supplies. Mike stilkey is an internationally recognized artist who has always been attracted to painting and drawing not only on vintage paper, record covers and book pages, but on the books themselves. Discarded books get a second chance in mike stilkeys. Art book sculptures by mike stilkey the redhead riter.
He is best known for creating small and largescale installations that use discarded books as their canvas. See actions taken by the people who manage and post content. Mike stilkey in 2020 book sculpture, book art, paper art. American artist mike stilkey uses books discarded by libraries to create his unusual artworks. A big thank you to starfield library and be big company for help making this. Artist breathes new life into old books by turning them into stacked sculptures for years, weve been following mike stilkey s evergrowing collection of book art. And there is the inescapable comparison to such moody german expressionist artists from the 1930s as otto dix and egon schiele. The new art installation, from american artist mike stilkey, has sprung up in the coex starfield library in gangnam, seoul. The piece is on display through april 10 at his exhibit at.
Artist mike stilkey doesnt need to buy expensive canvas. Here are a dozen of his works, some of which will be on display in the exhibition face to face. November 6, 2018 installation at starfield library in seoul korea complete 25. The spellbinding book filled hall is located in the largest underground shopping centre in asia, the coex mall, and holds more than 50,000 titles. Whatever your response, there is one word you cannot ignore. Mike stilkey is an artist from alta dena, california, who creates amazing works of art by stacking spinepainted books. Using a mix of ink, colored pencil, paint and lacquer, stilkey depicts a melancholic and at times a whimsical cast of characters inhabiting ambiguous spaces and narratives of fantasy and fairy tales. Artist mike stilkey uses the covers of discarded library books as canvases for his whimsical paintings, writes kathryn bromwich. Art painted on stacks of books by mike stilkey aug 27, 2014 0 comment read interviews written and visual art go hand in hand perfectly, and the lines between the two are constantly being blurred by calligraphers or people who do book. Artist mike stilkey uses the covers of books reclaimed from library trash heaps as a canvas for his whimsical paintings. Using a mix of ink, colored pencil, paint and lacquer, stilkey depicts a melancholic and at times a whimsical cast of characters inhabiting ambiguous spaces and. The 25 contemporary artists featured in art made from books forthcoming from chronicle books.
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