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# Personified Publication Paintings
Paintings by Jonathan Wolstenholme Turn Books into Their Writers

By Alexander Lam | Published 2013-06-05 | Art & Design
Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/jonathan-wolstenholme
References: [mymodernmet](http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/jonathan-wolstenholme-book-watercolor-paintings) & [portalpainters](http://www.portalpainters.co.uk/Wolstenholme,Jonathan.aspx?PageID=181&ArtistID=42)

Artist Jonathan Wolstenholme created a series of watercolors that [personify books](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/punchkins-book-plushies). Wolstenholme's books were given limbs that look as if they are extending out from the books naturally. The paintings depict the books performing tasks that their writer would. Each book is seen reading, writing or performing some other daily task.

Wolstenholme created his paintings to have [humorous undertones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/amusebouche). Many of his artworks were made exclusively for the sake of a pun. A piece with a personified book slipping on a banana peel was named 'Literary Slip' while '[Ghost Writer](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wooden-sculptures-1)' features an otherworldly book writing a novel.

The paintings also take on a nonsensical feel. 'Secret Life of a Crime Writer' has a book firing ink from a gun-like pen.

## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter)

- Score: 1.9/10
- Popularity: 36% | Activity: 13% | Freshness: 8%
- Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women
- Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X
- Top markets: North America, Europe

## Categories

[Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/design)

## Key Themes

### Key Themes Behind This Trend

- **Personified Books:** There is potential for disruptive innovation in creating interactive children's books that come to life through personification.
- **Humorous Artwork:** Opportunities for disruptive innovation exist in creating comedic artworks using unexpected elements and puns.
- **Nonsensical Imagery:** Disruptive innovation can be found in incorporating surreal and nonsensical elements into visual arts, like paintings and illustrations.

### Where This Applies

- **Children's Publishing:** The trend of personified books opens up opportunities for disruptive innovation in the children's publishing industry to create engaging and interactive reading experiences.
- **Art and Design:** Humorous artwork presents disruptive innovation opportunities in the art and design industry to create unique and memorable pieces that evoke laughter and surprise.
- **Illustration and Graphic Design:** The trend of nonsensical imagery provides opportunities for disruptive innovation in the illustration and graphic design industry to create visually striking and thought-provoking illustrations.

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