The work of Philadelphia-based artist Alex Queral repurposes old phone books for carving; using a very sharp X-ACTO knife and a little pot of acrylic medium for the detail areas, he creates incredibly detailed celebrity portraits out of pages of faceless names. “It can be quite tense work sometimes because it takes a long time to finish and when you cut something away you can’t get it back again,” he has said. “Nearing the end of the carving and then suddenly having it ruined by a careless cut can be pretty crushing. You have to start all over again.” Click through to view some of our favorite pieces.
Alex Queral, The Man Who Fell to Earth. Photo credit: Projects Gallery
Alex Queral, James Brown. Photo credit: Projects Gallery
Alex Queral, Pee-wee. Photo credit: Projects Gallery
Alex Queral, False Modesty. Photo credit: Projects Gallery
Alex Queral, Frida Kahlo. Photo credit: Projects Gallery
Alex Queral, He Was So Right About Bush. Photo credit: Projects Gallery
Alex Queral, John 1963. Photo credit: Projects Gallery
Alex Queral, Jack III. Photo credit: Projects Gallery
Alex Queral, It’s All Relative. Photo credit: Projects Gallery
Alex Queral, Bob Dylan. Photo credit: Projects Gallery
