Literary works of art
Washington book sculptor brings pages to life
You might have dog-eared a page or two of a book you were reading.
But Kyle Bristor has turned folded book pages into 3D works of art.
Bristor, of Washington, repurposes old books, folding and cutting the pages within a hardback to create the art pieces.
无毛视频淵ou fold page after page, over and over and over,无毛视频� said Bristor, a retired nurse. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a lot of fun and I enjoy creating things. I have the patience of Job.无毛视频�
Bristor stumbled across book folding more than five years ago while watching a now-defunct British TV network called Create and Craft 无毛视频� a QVC for crafters, of sorts 无毛视频� for ideas about how to use scrapbooking supplies she had won at a Chinese auction.
无毛视频淚 kept watching, and along came a segment on book folding,无毛视频� said Bristor. 无毛视频淔or the last 30 years I无毛视频檝e been into cross stitch, so I无毛视频檓 pretty comfortable with patterns. I started small and picked an easy pattern, and then I got the bug.无毛视频�
The more she folded pages, the better she got at it, and she has tackled increasingly intricate patterns.
She has folded dozens of books, and gives them to family members and friends. Bristor said she often gets requests, and she enjoys presenting the custom-completed books to 无毛视频渃ustomers.无毛视频�
She has folded everything from animals and inspirational words to Christmas ornaments and flowers.
She also covers the book in fabric that matches the theme of the art 无毛视频� for example, a 3D 无毛视频渂icycle无毛视频� art piece is covered with material depicting a variety of bikes.
She无毛视频檚 in the middle of creating a French bulldog for a friend.
In May, a collection of her book art was on display at Citizens Library in Washington, and the books sparked the curiosity of visitors.
无毛视频淭hey无毛视频檙e conversation starters for sure,无毛视频� said Bristor. 无毛视频淚 already sold some of the ones that were at the library. It无毛视频檚 kind of turned into a little business.无毛视频�
It takes Bristor anywhere from two to four weeks to complete a book, depending on the complexity.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e never kept track of how many hours it takes. I work on them when I have the time,无毛视频� said Bristor. 无毛视频淲hen I无毛视频檓 sitting and watching TV, I have to be busy with my hands. I can无毛视频檛 just sit.无毛视频�
Bristor follows a pattern 无毛视频� either a graph with hash marks that show where a page gets folded or cut, or a table of numbers giving the exact distances from the top of the page. The patterns, which can be several pages long, include hundreds of strategically placed folds or cuts.
Her tools: her hands, a ruler, scissors, her cellphone and a hair tie, which she uses to help keep the pages down.
Bristor purchases old books for $1 or $2 at book sales and buys the patterns from Etsy, Pinterest or Amazon.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a great use for books that might otherwise end up in a landfill,无毛视频� said Bristor.
One of her favorite book art pieces is a nativity scene, while one of the most difficult was a bear in the woods.
无毛视频淲ith the bear one, I got to where the moon is and it looked kind of funny, and I wondered why it didn无毛视频檛 look right. Long story short, I skipped a whole page of the instructions and I had to start over again,无毛视频� said Bristor, laughing. 无毛视频淵ou have to pay attention.无毛视频�
For Bristor, book folding 无毛视频� and the art she creates 无毛视频� is satisfying.
无毛视频淚 enjoy creating something from start to finish and having something meaningful at the end,无毛视频� said Bristor. 无毛视频淚 get a lot of satisfaction when I see it when it无毛视频檚 done, and it makes me feel good that I can do it. To be able to give them away, to give something meaningful to someone, is the icing on the cake.无毛视频�