DJ Stenson Art | Connecticut Artist
Banned Books Series
My Banned Books Series began with artist block. I had just been rejected from a major exhibit, besides. When this happens, I often turn to my sketch book and brainstorm ideas. Writing is a great way for me to come up with a fresh direction. While I was brainstorming, I made a conscious decision to make a new series based on something I felt strongly about, and deeply connected to. At the top of the list, were books, the result of this soul-searching. I did not necessarily want to make anything too political, but wanted to make a statement, nevertheless. The banning of books has always seemed so unjust to me. As a reader of fiction, I can't imagine not being allowed to have read the books that have inspired me, made me think, made me more compassionate, or simply, just made me love life. As I dove deeper into this idea, I thought it would be cool to incorporate actual book pages as collage. However, I did not want to use anyone's work or violate copyright law. It turns out that many of the classics I enjoyed in my youth are now in the public domain. They are free to use without any harm done to the author or their estate. My hope was to honor the souls of these books that have also been banned, and to promote the freedom to read. I wanted to celebrate reading in a new, abstract way, to encourage and inspire readers to connect with these extraordinary pieces of literature that I have so enjoyed over the years.
Note: My reasearch into banned books resulted in these finds: The American Library Association promotes reading banned and challenged books. https://www.ala.org/bbooks
Project Gutenberg is a great resource for reading free ebooks. https://www.gutenberg.org/
Banned Books I: Frankenstein
Note: This piece recieved First Place recognition at the "Summer Reading" juried exhibit, New Hartford Artisans Guild, June 2025
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley has been banned for obscenity, going against Christianity, fear of technology, immorality. As an educator and an artist, I am raising awareness to encourage people to read banned and challenged books. This mixed media work contains every page of Frankenstein, which is in the public domain. (No copyright infringement occurred). There are stitches, as Frankenstein's monster had, to symbolize fixing a broken world. There is a rag across the top of the piece representing the ragged clothing and hair of the monster, human-like, yet primitive. Fire embellishes the shape of a human heart where the pages of the book have been burned. This symbolism is two fold: It is in reference to book burning, and to the "death" of Frankenstein's monster by fire. Two bolts, not shown, are attached to the sides which are decorated with more book pages, the title page on top of the work. Mary Shelley was arguably the first science fiction author, as she wrote Frankenstein in 1816. H.G. Wells and Ray Bradbury were not born yet. This book should be read and celebrated as an incredible achievement by Shelley, only 18 when she began to write Frankenstein. Her novel paved the way for other women authors.
Banned Books II:
The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne has been banned for women's issues, going against Christianity, obscene content and immorality. As an educator and an artist I am raising awareness of banned books in hopes that people will read them. This piece has the symbolic "A" for Adultery in the lower left corner that Hester had to wear as a punishment for her love of a priest. There is a crucifix shape on the upper left middle which symbolizes the banning of the novel by Christians, but also the way the priest, Hester's lover, was not publicly humiliated and punished in the same way as Hester. This is characteristic of the patriarchal domination within Christianity at the time. The vibrant red, or scarlet color, is a tribute to the fighting spirit of women like Hester who have suffered simply for being women. There are softer pastel areas that are in contrast to jagged darker shapes to show good vs. evil. The rays that radiate upward symbolize hope. This work is a tribute to women's rights everywhere!
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The Scarlet Letter is in the public domain, therefore no copyright infringement occured.
Banned Books III:
Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll was banned in China in the 1930s because religiously, talking animals were believed to be an atrocity, and in the US in the 1960s because of references to drug use. There are so many symbols in the book that I wanted to include those in the piece. This was achieved by first painting Wonderland as a background of patterns like the Cheshire Cat's coat, the Hookah Smoking Caterpillar, and mushrooms all in bright colors. Next I collaged actual book pages onto the piece to mask out all the shapes I wanted. There is a heart, Alice's pinafore, the White Rabbit's pocket watch, the Cheshire Cat's smile, a teapot and teacup, the March Hair, and the Mad Hatter's hat. I added details like the Queen of Hearts card, the tag on the hat, and the rabbit key hanging from white heart lace. The effect is charming and whimsical!
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Alice in Wonderland is in the public domain, therefore no copyright infringement occured.
Pieces of Alice I and II are a continuation of my love of Alice in Wonderland. These are mixed media collages with actual book pages. Each features a key hung from white heart ribbon. There are many layers of color and marks to create playful energy. Each piece is 10x10" on cradled wood.
Banned Books: Suggested Further Reading
This piece is a mixed media collage on 20x20" gallery wrapped canvas. Included in the piece are a combination of pages from the books Frankenstein, The Scarlet Letter and Alice in Wonderland. Phrases began to jump out at me such as "lost forever,""A Vindication of the Rights of Woman," "human joy and sorrow," and "Suggested Further Reading." As I'm creating these pieces, I'm contemplating what these works mean, and how we must defend our right to read freely. There is an underlying theme of protecting women's rights in these, as well.
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Frankenstein, The Scarlet Letter, and Alice in Wonderland are in the public domain, therefore no copyright infringement occured.
Grow
Mixed media collage on 10x10" cradled wood using book pages from Alice in Wonderland (Free in the public domain).
I love reading! This floral collage piece is intended to express the joy of reading. It is my belief, that as we read more, we experience personal growth. Therefore, I called it "Grow." It has been my privilege as an educational assistant for the past 26 years to have seen students connect with literature countless times. This is my attempt to capture the wonder of reading I have witnessed that students, and adults alike, experience. The rather appropriate heart in the center appeared on its own!
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Farewell
Mixed media collage on 10x10" cradled wood using book pages printed from The Scarlet Letter
As I made this piece it took on a dark feeling which I welcomed. In my attempt to capture the soul of the book in a smaller piece, I embellished the book pages with scarlet red. The word "farewell" stood out within the collage pages, and seemed to fit for the title. I used black netting to symbolize a funeral veil. The last page of The Scarlet Letter was used in this piece in which the novel culminates in a tragic, yet somewhat fitting end.
Banned Books IV: Dracula
Mixed media collage on 24x24" gallery wrapped canvas, using pages from Dracula by Bram Stoker
Dracula by Bram Stoker is in the public domain.
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The story of Dracula is a timeless classic! This piece was made shortly after Banned Books I: The Scarlet Letter, but took longer to actually complete. They were alike in that they both went through different phases before completion. I was captivated by the edgy, brush strokes I had begun with. I decided part way through to change the top color for drama's and contrast's sake. The choice to make a smoky sky in contrast to silver moonbeams pleased my sense of drama. I wanted the piece to be unlike any typical Dracula artwork, so I decided to use book pages to create Dracula's bat form. I used a part of the book that referred to a bat circling the moon. I tea stained the pages before ripping them into the shape of bat wings. Red eyes complete the image. I finished the piece by dripping dark red down the remaining pages, and collaged those onto the edges of the piece (not shown). The result was the abstract interpretation of the soul of the book, Dracula!
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Dracula has been banned and challenged for themes of violence, sexuality, homosexuality, supernatural, occult, and violation of gender norms. However, Dracula continues to be a favorite horror classic, the definitive Halloween costume, and has been alluded to and remade "Count"-less times!
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Banned Books V: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Mixed media collage on 20x24" gallery wrapped canvas using pages from the book by Frank Baum
(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is in the public domain).
This was by far my most time-consuming work of art thus far. For this piece I began with the poppies. I wanted them to be captivating in the foreground, so first I drew poppies in my sketch book. Next I traced them onto deli paper in the way I wanted them. I collaged onto the deli paper with handmade collage papers and music note pages. Then I had to cut away the deli paper. Afterward, I made collage papers in various patterns to represent the setting and characters: the yellow brick road, corn stalks for the scarecrow, furry lion's mane textures, tree patterns for that horrifying apple orchard that attempts to grab Dorothy, silver hearts for the Tin Man, and green swirls for the Wicked Witch. I constructed a tornado with collage papers and book pages that I had ink stained; and I used the same process as the poppies. I put it together adding the Emerald City and the Wizard's hot air balloon. Once the pieces were adhered, I fashioned a chain using a ribbon resembling Dorothy's gingham dress and charms such as Toto and the ruby slippers which I did not want to exclude. The piece could not be complete without flying monkeys! I drew some onto deli paper and collaged them on. Finally, I finished the edges with the yellow brick road collage papers. The result is as colorful and busy as the Land of Oz!
The banning and challenging of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from time to time has been largely because of its portrayal of a supernatural world, and powerful female characters. No wonder children of all ages continue to enjoy this epic adventure!​
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Challenged Poetry:
The Raven
Mixed media collage on 12x12" cradled wood
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The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe is certainly one of the most well known poems of our time. The process for creating this piece was to fashion a raven out of the printed poem. First, I aged the paper by ink staining it. Second, I hand wrote "Nevermore" all over the poem to accentuate the only word the raven utters. I ink stained the wood panel, as well. Next, I cut out the raven and skull in reverse. I drew some details on with ink. It took three tries to get the skull how I wanted it. The black collage paper background is meant to be a scroll. The last details were to paint a yellow eye, and glue the word "Nevermore" to the skull. The effect is as haunting and disturbing as the mournful poem.
The Raven has been banned in the form of a film. The poem has been challenged for dark themes of madness, violence and death. Certain religions considered these themes too disturbing. However, fans of gothic horror and Halloween continue to revere these iconic verses.
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The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe is in the public domain.
Banned Books VI: The Call of the Wild
Mixed media collage on 24x20" gallery wrapped canvas
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About 26 years ago, I read The Call of the Wild as part of a book study in the middle school where I work. The part that stood out to me in my memory was how Buck, a newly made sled dog, learned to sleep without the comforts of home. He accidentally steps on another dog that is burrowed and curled under the snow kept warm by their own body heat. When I found out this literary classic was in the public domain, I began to envision how this piece would look. I knew it had to have snow, and lots of it. I wanted textures so I used molding paste. There had to be oval shapes representing the sled dogs asleep under the snow. The book pages I chose are from that chapter which became the buried dogs slumbering. I finished the edges with bubble wrap printed patterns.
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The Call of the Wild by Jack London has been banned specifically in Italy, and Yugoslavia, and burned by Nazi's because of the author's socialist leanings. Violence and animal abuse were secondary reasons for the novel's banning in other places. The story still resonates as an incredible adventure-survival saga.
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
The inspiration for “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” came from the title of an essay by Mary Wollstonecraft written in 1792. The quote is burned, so half the word "woman" is gone, symbolic of rights being stripped away. The piece is rather chaotic, and the text is not, because in a world of chaos, the word of woman is often reason and stability. The purple, gold and white used are the colors of the women’s rights flag. (Mary Wollstonecraft was the mother of Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. Text is in the public domain. No copyright violation occurred in the making of this work).
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"The Vindication of the Rights of Woman" by
Mary Wollstonecraft is in the public domain, therefore no copyright infringement has occured.
Strong Passions and
Groveling Vices
The inspiration for “Strong Passions and Groveling Vices” came from “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman,” an essay by Mary Wollstonecraft written in 1792. The entire quote used is very sensible, and though written over 200 years ago, it still applies today. One woman’s words can provide stability in a world of chaos. The purple and gold used are colors on the women’s rights flag. (Mary Wollstonecraft was the mother of Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. Text is in the public domain. No copyright violation occurred in the making of this work).
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"The Vindication of the Rights of Woman" by
Mary Wollstonecraft is in the public domain, therefore no copyright infringement has occured.
Detail from "Strong Passions and Groveling Vices," which is a quote from "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman," by Mary Wollstonecraft.
Detail from "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman," a quote from the essay with the same title, by Mary Wollstonecraft