This Artist Paints On Discarded Books, Giving Them New Life

Image by @mikestilkey / Instagram

For years now, Los Angeles artist Mike Stilkey has been using discarded books as a canvas for his incredible paintings.

Recently, he collaborated with local and international libraries to give those books a second chance with his gigantic art installations. He arranges the covers of books in groupings of various sizes, ranging from half dozen to thousands stacked together that fill public spaces.

He works with a mix of ink, colored pencil, paint, and lacquer to create each art piece. He uses lively colors and animated animals to add some magic to his paintings.

His artworks are exhibited throughout the US and he also traveled the world to install his book art in Italy, China, Philippines and South Korea. He will be exhibiting a new work at the LA Art Show in Los Angeles from January 23 – 27, 2019.

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In the studio, 2018

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