Alex Queral is a Philadelphia-based portrait artist who has found an incredible way to use old, discarded phone books – he carves their pages into celebrity faces. It’s the perfect example of how an unusual art medium and use of everyday materials can lead to worldwide fame and success. His unique book art has been featured in galleries across the US and we’ve collected a handful of his works.
Here’s how he got started making these 3D portraits: “My fascination with heads began as an art student. For me, the human head was a natural choice of subject matter because of its inherent expressiveness. I carve the faces out of phone books because I like the three-dimensional quality that results from relief sculptures and because of the unexpected results that occur working in this medium. The three-dimensional quality enhances the feeling of the pieces as an object as opposed to a picture."
"In carving and painting a head from a phone directory, I’m celebrating the individual lost in the anonymous list of thousands of names that describe the size of the community. In addition, I like the idea of creating something that is normally discarded every year into an object of longevity.”
His recycled art is a great way of finding a use for all those old Yellow Pages we have lying around these days. Remember Alex’s work next time you’re looking for upcycling ideas!
Website: - projectsgallery.com/Queral.html
