I'm always on the hunt for books and zines of obscure, free-associative imagery. I got my hands on a copy of Glenn Bray's Scrap Book this week and its contents exceed everything I could have hoped for in a book full of found content. Bray is a collector and archivist of underground comix, low and high art, and the creator of the critically acclaimed books The Blighted Eye and To Laugh That We May Not Weep: The Life and Art of Art Young.
Scrap Book is a 508-page collection of found imagery, arranged thoughtfully across two-page spreads that form a conversation with one another.
As Bray describes it, "By turns darkly funny, apocalyptic and blissful, Scrap Book is a subconscious flow of words and pictures that no one was supposed to save or revere. You'll see some famous names in the art and cartooning world here alongside anonymous tabloid clippings, forgotten advertisements and bizarre things that somehow wandered into the mainstream."
Scrap Book took my psyche on a fascinating trip through the many different flavors of life's weirdness, and I know I'll be coming back to these images often for inspiration. You can order Scrap Book here.
From the description:
Xeroxed office humor to elegant works of full-color art, SCRAP BOOK is full of zany inspiration, moments of meditation and a constant reminder of its motto: "No Sense Makes Sense." Befuddle your brain and slap your subconscious silly with this guided tour through the madness mankind has wrought.
