Rani Art Studio - Handmade Art Journals by Linda Mantz

The Art

An Art Junk Journal

Art you can carry with you. A junk journal is a handmade journal created and curated from recycled, repurposed, reused or upcycled papers. Those include hand-dyed paper, packing paper, art papers, and whatever else I can find.

Each journal is creatively decorated, and has plenty of space for writing, drawing, or painting. You will discover pockets, tucks, little cards, and quotes. These journals are hand-sewn together, and tied with a ribbon or yarn.

Each is a labor of love, of art, the creative spirit, and journaling. Enjoy. Thank you for your support of my art journey.

Handmade journal cover decorated with an embroidered pink flower and patterned fabrics

Handmade journal cover featuring floral embroidery, patterned fabrics, and lace details

Four handmade journals wrapped with lace and colorful ribbons, featuring floral and leaf embellishments

The Artist

Early Life

Linda was born in 1951, the first child of Dorothy and Martin Mantz. She is the oldest of 5 children, and attended school in Central New Jersey before going to Newark State College in 1970.

During her early life, Linda was fortunate enough to have a creative family, encouraged to explore art, dance, music and writing.

Person sitting on rustic stone steps beside a wooden railing, wearing a plaid shirt

Person standing inside the hollow of a tree trunk in a snowy park

Recovery & Renewal

After a long struggle with alcohol and drug addiction, Linda entered recovery in the mid 1980's and has been sober since.

She moved to Pennsylvania in 1982, a single parent, working, raising two children and going to school, she still found time to write and paint when she could.

"I began keeping an art journal in the early 2000s, as well as working with watercolors and experimenting with repurposed papers. A big change in my art began during the pandemic, where I began to explore other mediums: acrylics, ink, gel printing, and more drawing practice."

— Linda Mantz

The Pandemic Pivot

During the pandemic, Linda began to explore other mediums: acrylics, ink, gel printing, and more drawing practice. She has never had an academic art lesson; she is self-taught through watching others and experimenting.

In the past 2 years her practice of "junk" and "art" journals created from recycled and repurposed materials has grown.

Silhouette of a person forming a triangle with their arms around the moon at night on a beach

I am the Art

"I have three energies braiding in my life at this time: my Art, the creative desires and wants and needs, Aging, as I journey through my seventies, negotiating the changes and challenges both personally and in the cultural arena currently, and finally, this Recycling and Repurposing material that was destined to be thrown out, to create something useful and beautiful and touchable."

"The aha moment was when I realized, I am the Art. I'm recreating myself as I re-created junk into Art work. This is the journey."

Stay connected stay brave.

Recent Exhibits

Linda's work has been featured in galleries and exhibitions throughout the Appalachian region, showcasing her unique approach to transforming discarded materials into art.