About my process…

For my collage works, I collect packaging from consumer goods, i.e. cereal boxes, etc. Family and friends help me out with this. The boxes almost always have bold or beautiful colors for marketing reasons. This is what I’m after. I sort the colors and draw my palette from them.

I use the laser for cutting the collage tiles, and sometimes for whitening or blackening the existing ink of the paperboard or cardboard packaging.

I then use glue dots to affix the tiles to plywood.

For my laser art, I start with some source image. This could be a photo of a sketch I made, an object I created, a photo from The NY Times, consumer packaging, a digital scrap of unknown origin, etc. By manipulating the source image I design a new picture using software with basic algorithmic tools. No fancy AI stuff. Just simple tools like Duplicate, Rotate, Move, etc. I then burn my digitally designed picture onto wood and frame it.

I like to make my own frames for my art. When building a frame I try to pair wood species with the artwork based on color or texture or what is available. I use power tools and a hand plane. I love the hand plane step. Simply because I love planing, but also because it means the piece is done done.