Pennsylvania-based artist Jodi Harvey-Brown work is a piece of art. A book lover by nature and an artist by heart, Jodi loves bringing stories to life by creating beautiful 3D sculptures that rise from the pages of old and discarded books.

For Jodi, it all started when she bought a box of used books at a second-hand shop. One of the books at the bottom of the box was crushed, so she began folding its pages and since then she has been doing so like a boss.

Jodi has sculpted some famous literary characters like Harry Potter, Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland, Tom Sawyer, etc from pages of books.

"The books that we love to read should be made to come to life. Characters, that we care so much for, should come out of the pages to show us their stories. What we see in our imaginations as we read should be there for the world to see. My book sculptures are my way of making stories come alive," she shares on her website.

All of Jodi's sculptures are hand-made and are UV coated to protect them against sun and moisture.

Curious to learn more about Jodi we wrote to her and here is what she has to say:
Happy reading!

1. Hi Jodi, please introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Jodi Harvey-Brown. I'm 26 and live in my hometown of Delta, PA. I'm a wife, mother, dance instructor, and artist.

2. You have such a vast repertoire of artwork from drawings, Christmas decorations to book cut art. Were you always so artistically inclined? Did you actually study art at school?

I come from a fairly large family and just about everyone is artistic in one way or another. One of my grandfathers painted and drew, the other was an amazing wood artist. My aunts, uncles, and grandmother painted. My mother makes seasonal crafts. Growing up with everyone creating their own thing made me try my hand at everything too.

I did study art in college. I was introduced to sculpture there for the first time. I wasn't very good at it, my instructor was not impressed.

Minas Tirith

Drawing was my first love and something that I always go back to. It's like therapy to me. I usually have a vague idea of what I want to draw, but the details work their way in themselves. The finished product ends up being whatever I'm feeling at the moment, even if I'm not quite aware I'm feeling it.

4. Most of your holiday items are very pleasing to the eye, especially like your wreaths, Christmas tree,  'Alice in Wonderland' trinkets which almost have a origami like construction to them. But how did you get around to design the macabre looking paper mache face masks?

In my own personal taste I tend to lean towards things slightly off beat. I like the idea that art doesn't always have to be "pretty". I started making clay masks around six years ago. They were too heavy to wear so I switched to paper mache. The masks pictured on my website were created for a friend who was working on a production at the time. We drew out the designs together and he picked the color schemes.

Paper Mache Sugar Skull

I started the "Out of the Book Sculptures" because I had so many unused pages when I completed a book sculpture. Most book sculptures leave me with about half of the pages unused and I couldn't see just tossing them in with the recycling. I love creating them. It's kind of freeing to work with the medium but not be confined to the size of the book.

The Out Of The Book - Sculpture Owl

Like I said, when I first tried sculpture I wasn't very good at it. I wasn't planning to get in to book sculptures at all, it really happened by chance. I love books, especially old ones, and can never pass up the opportunity to buy them when I see them. I bought an old box of books at a yard sale and one book in the bottom had been crushed by the others. I started folding the pages to make a pattern and my husband told me it was pretty cool and pushed me to post it online. I did, and the feedback I got was amazing. I didn't know book sculptures were even a "thing". It's all grown from there, getting more and more intricate as it goes. I never thought I'd be adding LEDs and motors to books when I started out. It really makes sense to me though. I'm a visual person but I'm always reading. Bringing those two worlds together, making the book a visual representation of itself, seems like it's meant to be.

The Faerie Door

To Kill A Mockingbird

I think of sculpting like I think of drawing: break everything down to basic shapes and then build it back together. I hollow out all of the pages except what will be seen in the end product. I use those pages to create the sculpture. For most sculptures I'll only use an X-acto knife, scissors, wire and glue. When making people, the hair and facial features are the most important details. The hair curls are strips of paper. After they're fixed to the head I wrap each stand around a piece of wire just like you would do if you're curling your own hair. They hold their shape pretty well on their own. Every sculpture is finished with a UV coating to protect against sun and moisture. The coating also firms the pages and helps details retain their shape.

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

The thing I hear the most is, "Well, that's... different". I'm still not sure if it's a compliment or not. I think being asked to be in a show, give an interview or just sharing my work on social media is a huge compliment. That's someone saying "Hey, I like your work and I want to show it to everyone I know". The compliments I appreciate the most come for library workers or school teachers. I've had teachers decorate their classrooms with my sculptures or posters of them to let kids see how books can come alive. I've been asked to do shows, demos and fundraisers for libraries and that's always an honor. Just to have this place that is responsible for all of these books and all of this knowledge to let me come in and share what I do and how I see stories is just amazing.

9. What are some of the other artists that you look up to? If you could collaborate with one other artist, who would it be?

First, I'd have to say that I look up to the other artist's in my family. Without them I wouldn't be where I am today. In the book sculpture field Sue Blackwell and Guy Laramee are the superstars. Honestly though, if I could pick any artist, it would be Mary Cassatt. Far from the book sculpture world, I know, but she's always been my favorite. She made beautiful work and still managed to break the rules of her day.

10. What are your future plans as an artist?

That's hard to say. My art career has really been a roller coaster ride and I'm just seeing where it takes me. I want to keep challenging myself. See how large and how elaborate I can go. I'd like to draw more, I haven't had much time for that. And I'd love to travel. My books have been displayed overseas; in Israel, the Netherlands, and Pairs, but I haven't had the opportunity to travel with them.

11. What lessons have you learnt as a artist that you would like to share with the younger generation of budding and aspiring artists?

Don't give up. If art is what you're passionate about then go for it and don't stop. I was rejected from my dream college because I wasn't original enough. Years later I've had professors and graduates of that school tell me that my work is amazing and that I have some of the most original ideas they've ever seen. Don't listen to the negativity people try to feed you. Do what's right for you and one day you'll get to where you need to be.

Jodi, thanks for such an extensive interview. It was a great experience learning about you. Wish you good luck!

FYI, You can buy Jodi's sculptures on Etsy at Wet Canvas Art.

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