Scouring through the rubbish and abandoned isn’t what most people may think of as the first step of creating art, but for Seattle-based artist Isobelle Ouzman, there would be no art without it. In fact, many of Ouzman’s projects come from bags left at the sides of dumpsters or on street corners. For Ouzman, a discarded box of hardcover books his her own “pot of gold.” Using just some glue and an art knife, she brings a new story to life in these old books. “I pour my enthusiasm for nature and fairy-tales into every page I work with, in hopes of creating just a little bit of magic,” Ouzman said. Though a generally reserved women, Ouzman attributes her artwork to where she can let her noisy imagination run free. The products speak for themselves- beautifully sculpted pages of depth giving way to a new scene unfolding within the pages. Most scenes depict a woodland area, one that seems to come straight out of a fairytale, with giant foreboding trees and large-scale flowers and animals. Whether just opening it at its first page or digging a little deeper with each page, Ouzman’s “recycled” books create strikingly beautiful pieces of work.
