Books by _____: A Personal History of Book Displays

Introduction: I've always a lot of books, even as a kid. Arranging them is a consistent joy, but how I arranged them has changed over the years. 

• Alphabetical Order - Practicing what I learned in Elem. School. Exact date unknown.

• Height - When the jagged tops of the previous arrangements started to bother me, & the smooth descending slope of book tops relieved the previous stress. Exact date unknown.

• Color - Began as an art project my Junior year of college. 2012/2013. Current preference, because it is wildly beautiful (!!!!) & surrounding myself with beauty makes me feel hopeful.

Studio Details: Balancing Minimalism & Accumulation

Glass is one of my go-to choices for displays and containers in my studio. First of all, clear glass keeps the color of the objects inside or behind remain visible. It's gorgeous. Secondly, glass helps combine elements of Minimalism with my love for collecting things, or accumulation. Glass is great for adding a sense of airy simplicity to groupings of heavier objects (such as books & art supplies). I've found that Hobby Lobby has the best selection of interesting glass containers if you want to try it out.

Studio Details: Floating Shelves

Floating shelves have been on my wish list for ages, so when we bought a house, can you guess my first purchase? Yup. These are $20 LACK shelves from Ikea- the 74 3/4"x10 1/4" size trimmed to fit our wall. The install was time consuming but oh so worth it. Once they were up, I filled them with colorful treasures that make me feel inspired & hopeful. Some of my favorites include: several glass blown weights & vases I made in the hardest class I ever took, BlueBell Ice Cream containers from the factory in my parents' town, a jar full of linoleum printmaking block shavings, & several artworks from other artists/friends I admire. Also, as you can see, there are tons of books, which I arranged by color. Most of the ones in my studio I bought specifically for the purpose of showcasing their color or to make into art. I'm particularly proud of the cyan stack, as it took the longest to gather!