Meet Betty Pepper, saviour of discarded and damaged books.
Jill Ashton graduated in 2004 from The University of Central England with a First Class BA Hons in Jewellery and Silversmithing. Now, as Betty Pepper the artist based in the South East of England, she spends a lot of time making each unique piece of art and jewellery. Betty’s literary-inspired art is created from silver wire and fabric fragments, and any orphaned books she finds while out on a ‘rummage’. She gives life to old and ruined books once more by fashioning quirky and whimsical pieces from their pages.
Betty’s work is displayed and sold across Europe from Glasgow to Paris, with collections and commissions also available via MadeByHandOnline. The artwork can also be found at worldwide exhibitions- most recently in the UK (Suffolk, and Leeds) and Munich, Germany.
Here at Reading Addicts we have absolutely fallen in love with many of her pieces! They are so full of magic and humour that we covet one of our own, and we hope you do too. Check some of them below, but don’t forget to also visit Betty Pepper at her website, and give her a ‘Like’ on Facebook, and Instagram.
Living on the Edge V, Old Dog New Trick
Living on the Edge VII, The Christmas Circus
The Dowager’s Pearls
Madam Ravary and the Lost Rose
Ode to Roald (detail)
Living on the Edge II
Living on the Edge VI
Recommended by Betty Pepper:
Student Goes Viral for Intricate Book Edge Painting Videos
Book by Pablo Picasso Worth £400K Discovered
‘Gentleman Jack’ Statue Revealed in West Yorkshire
