On Different Pages

Carol Aust's altered books seek to embody life journeys on painted pages. Aust begins with mounting carefully sellected books onto wood supports that allow the covers to be still visible from behind. The books are then glued open and sealed, and acrylic paintings are done directly on the pages themselves. Only those two pages are visible, not unlike how life is only experienced a day at a time.

The paintings show choices, turning points, determined travelers pushing on, people stopping to embrace, couples dancing in barren landscapes. Aust says, "I want my paintings to be like a day in the life, a glimpse of a part of the journey. Each day is very important, even if it is very ordinary. The simplest choices take on huge magnitude when multiplied over years."

$600