This body of work, Collages, navigates the landscape and texture of the past 18 months in wood, glass and paper. These experiments with hand-marbled paper, laser-cut birch and art glass in relief and three dimensions reflect an escape into pattern, iteration and...
This mirror features a hand-drawn and laser cut frame with tidepool life from Homer, Alaska. ~36 x 36 inches (91 cm), wood and glass with secure French cleat. I'm looking forward to adding a tutorial so I can share the process of making this piece: it wasn't...
Bunnell Street Arts Center invites artists to submit work that's 10x10x10 inches or smaller for an annual members' exhibition. Using my 65W Boss Laser, I made a layered illustration from a photo of the beautiful Oytag Valley in China, separated the layers into...
The Radial artist books I created a few years ago have a new look at the upcoming IGCA 100x100 show in Anchorage. It's a happy day when artwork leaves a storage box and finds a new use: I rehung these pieces on a circular plywood backing to make them easier to handle...
I acquired a new laser cutter/engraver just over a month ago, and have been busy cutting new accordion books from around Alaska. Improvements on these new designs include "Jacob's ladder" sewing for easier folding and fresh colors. Anchorage View from Knik Arm, Cook...
This little flower vase is inspired by my time in the chemistry department and was made from scrap wood. Test tubes are often on sale at my local Michael's store, so I picked up a few and got to work with a miter saw and a 1 1/8" paddle bit. These dark purple lilacs...
The folks over at A Buncha Book Artists are putting together another amazing show of artist books: see it at the Arizona State University Harry Wood Gallery September 4-15, 2017, with an opening reception September 5 from 6-8pm. My submissions include: Asemic, a...
This series of papercuts features hand cut and CNC cut layers of acid free, archival cardstock in neutral colors. Each piece measures 12" x 12" x ~0.2". Designs were inspired by the nanotechnology themes in the book The Diamond Age by Neil Stephenson: he uses the term...
ASU's book arts guild, A Buncha Book Artists, presents Bookish: Bookish is coming up this September to Harry Wood Gallery and we're accepting submissions from members starting August 1! This year we're featuring guest artists Bruce Licher of Independent Project Press...
Special thanks to Arizona Foothills Magazine for their article about Tempe Center for the Arts' current exhibit, Biomimicry. Read the full article here. Here's an excerpt: Cool off this summer at the Tempe Center for the Arts and enjoy their latest...
Check out the featured article on Tempe Center for the Arts' Biomimicry exhibition at AZredbook.com: From the tiny hooks on a burdock burr plant that inspired the creation of hook and loop fasteners by Velcro Companies, to the remarkable aerodynamic body of the...
Here's a sneak peek of my upcoming show with Bill Jamison and Adam Montoya in Phoenix: this is a sample of the 72 tiles with linear designs in silver that will form a panoramic experience in the shipping container gallery. Vinyl Frontier Despite its urban sprawl...
Join me in May for three art exhibitions around the Phoenix valley: Tempe Center for the Arts, Biomimicry, opening reception Friday, May 19 from 6-9pm. Design inspired by nature: work by artists in collaboration with ASU's Biomimicry Institute. Runs May 19-July 28....
One great thing about this digital age is the ability to render projects before beginning production. These sketches are for a proposed installation based on the idea of biologically-generated patterns. Lattices / crystalline structures Layers /...
This 24×36″ panel combines 9 of my Bonanza laser-cut Baltic birch books. Each part of the panel is a hand-sewn, freestanding, self-contained 6×8 book that stores or ships flat. This art object can be customized and made into any size: contact me about commissions.
This traveling trunk exhibit box is custom made for the Palmer Museum of History and Art to feature Matanuska Colony artifacts. Schools and home school families will be able to check out the 18x18x24" Baltic birch plywood trunk, filled with activities and objects from...
Freestanding, flat-pack acrylic and wood single earring displays made at TechShop Chandler for Bunnell Street Art Center and Palmer Museum of History and Art. Shown with marbled and laser-cut earrings from my store.
Check out the press for the artist book exhibition in Belgrade, Serbia, with work from some of our ABBA members--it just opened today! TOUCH, PLEASE! TOUCH, PLEASE! exhibition showcases the creativity of bookforms and various bookbindings....
Stab stitch / side stitch books made in the Japanese tradition with hand-marbled paper, solarprint, plastic canvas, vellum, and waxed cotton thread. Books with bright-colored marbling are watercolor marbling inks; the subdued colors are suminagashi, or traditional...
Halibut wallhanging made of laser-cut plywood. This life-size fish measures 18x36x0.2," soon to be listed in my shop!
I made this quilted yoga mat and laser cut plywood prop/support blocks, all made with scraps from around the shop, for TechShop Yoga, Mondays at 6pm. The mat was made from a staff member's colorful old duvet cover, trimmed with scrap Kaffe Fassett quilter's cotton,...
An animation of some of my Radial Book wall sculptures in multi colors on laser cut plywood.
Replace that boring, plastic hand mirror with this elegant hand mirror that you'll want to display. Smooth wood handle with unbreakable acrylic mirror inlay. 4" round mirror, 8.5x4.5x0.5" with handle.
What a year! Here's one final project: a laser-cut mirror made with acrylic mirror and plywood. This piece was a great combination of all the 365 projects: vector design, laser cut/etch, bright color, wood tones, scrappy/recycled materials, and...
Pieces for an upcoming exhibition: 15x15x1.25", plywood, acrylic mirror. Show will be at the International Gallery of Contemporary Art in Anchorage, Alaska.
Sonobe unit modular origami party, held at TechShop Chandler. I made a 90-unit model, shown above.
Big earrings, little earrings, bright earrings, mellow earrings, anything you could want for yourself or a gift. **Edit: formerly in the store, these items are now sold out. Contact me with questions.**
I applied some of the art I made back in my All Points post to make a lattice panel: work in progress.
Box for party supplies or general around-the-house festiveness.
Laser-cut wood earrings, stained and sealed.
Hygro-gyroscope IV: part of the series on exhibit at Chandler Fashion Center through July 31, 2015. Laser-cut wood, porcelain, and cotton thread: 14" diameter.
Magnets made from laser cutting scraps. ~3" diameter. Stained and sealed, these double as coasters in a pinch.
Wallhangings made from laser scrap: stained and sealed plywood, 6-10". Reduce, reuse, recycle!
A wall piece made with laser cutting plywood scraps. 36x36".
A wall piece made with leftover laser cutting scraps of plywood. ~15" high.
17.5", plywood wall sculpture, stained and sealed. From my Ring series.
9.5" diameter, plywood wall sculpture, part of my Ring series.
16x6" laser-cut plywood earring rack made from laser cutting scrap, stained and sealed silver.
This 6-panel wooden accordion book, shown in 2 colorways, features Denali and the Alaska Range. Made of laser-cut luon plywood and thread with water-based stain and sealant. Includes custom storage box. A commission for a wonderful friend.
It never hurts to make a prototype first. Laser-cut wood and a Sonobe unit stellated dodecahedron origami figure as well as porcelain spheres.
Wheel-thrown, hand carved porcelain sculpture.
Laser-cut coffee tray with a Portland skyline. Luon plywood and shellac.
These Sonobe unit origami models include a hexahedron, stellated octahedron, and stellated icosahedron, made with 6, 12 and 30 units respectively. I've been a little... obsessed... with origami since second grade, and the bright colors of this night light are...
A new batch of laser cut books means new packaging so they can travel safely to their new homes: these later cut boxes fit perfectly and echo the art inside. These were made at TechShop Chandler with their Universal Laser Systems 18x24" bed and .105" and .205"...
I finally finished this large yelloweye rockfish sculpture and plan on making a series of other fish to complete the school.
I completed this pronghorn antelope wallhanging for my brother-in-law over the holidays: laser cut plywood, finished with shellac. Fun facts about pronghorn conservation in the Southwest: At the turn of the 20th century, members of the wildlife conservation...
These laser-cut yelloweye rockfish were quite a hit, so I made a whole school in preparation for filling with monoprints, collage and resin.
I finished staining and stitching the Douglas fir book today using recycled latex paint and some ordinary sewing thread. Measures 8.5x88".
String-and-flour ornaments, some multi-color lights, and a shapely branch from the brush pile = a Tempe holiday tree.
Craft fairs are a blessing and a curse, but this booth design, new for this year's Arts and Crafts Emporium (Nov. 22-23 in Anchorage) will hopefully make this sale easy and fun to set up. More photos to come upon completion. Download these BUILD-A-BOOTH Instructions.
Double-sided collaged coasters from my coffee table magazine collection: thanks to Real Simple and Transworld Snowboarding.
Laser cut plywood earring racks with a fitting magpie on top, ready for your collection:
Leftovers from manufacturing are a pet peeve of mine, so I used some of Bill's scraps, stain, and Sharpie markers for these coasters/small tiles.
Bill and I tested some ceramic bisqueware in the laser with interesting results:
Here's the final piece for Bunnell Street Gallery's 10x10 exhibition: laser cut wood, glue. UPDATE: My piece is in good company on Bunnell Street Arts Center's web store: check it out here!
Two books created for A Buncha Book Artists member show at the Harry Wood Gallery from Oct. 27-Nov. 4. Laser cut plywood with various stains and thread. Smaller book measures 5.5x3.5"; larger book is 8.5x5.5". I imagined these as hardcover and pocket paperback...
One step on the road to backstrap weaving: the laser loom. Bonus: rotary engraving on pint glasses, water bottles, and more!
Laser cut wood for Bunnell Street Art Center's 10x10 exhibition:
These laser-cut earring prototypes are made of tag board and stemmed from the iterations and more iterations I made with Adobe Illustrator. Eventually I'd like to cut them from wood: they're nice and lightweight, made of recycled materials, and a change from the usual...
This little piggie went to McCurtin County, Oklahoma: I'll be back on September 21 with all the missing daily posts from my hiatus.
I've made it to three weeks in, and today's project should lead to a lot of exciting pieces in the 324 days to come. I just became a member of TechShop Chandler and took an intro class with instructor Jared to use their Universal laser machines: these CNC babies cut,...
Today's challenge: line, in 2D and 3D! The illustration is from a letter to a very wonderful friend, and the string ornaments are prototypes for holiday decorations.
One day at Target, my sister and I spotted 12-packs of La Croix on sale, and we bought 25. These 90's inspired earrings are made of sterling silver findings and one of many leftover aluminum cans from my liquid obsession.
Bill's class at ASU will be working with wire for their next assignment, so I'm the test student again. This time, I made a wire agave plant: they're all over Arizona in as many forms and colors as you can imagine. Anything that's the source of both agave syrup and...
Another part of Bill's papercut assignment was to test out quilling. My homemade toothpick quilling tool (per these instructions) worked really well, but it's definitely not a technique for the impatient. I made the origami box per my mom's old trick of making holiday...
Today, Bill had me test out an assignment for his 3D design class at ASU. The challenge: create a 12"x12" relief using paper with a natural (animal, vegetable, or mineral) inspiration. I chose to use photos of the desert southwest national parks that I took a few...