Just As You Are
Wood Collage
2021-2022
Ash, cherry, ebony, maple, paduak, sapele, plywood.
18.5 x 13 x 1.5 in
I think of the self as a process comprised of layers of patterns, habits, thoughts, and interactions. Some repeat, some stick out more than others, some fade into the background. All are in constant flux. And a fundamental challenge of the self - or at least for myself - is finding balance between accepting things as they are and working towards improvement.
After I made the base pattern layer of the piece, I started adding in patches of other woods, at first to cover up defects, but eventually to fully develop the composition. Because it’s primarily made of end grain, even despite being mounted to a plywood backer, it’s already begun to move and crack, and it may continue to, which I’ve come to accept and appreciate.
Included in Home as Self, the 2022 annual juried woodworking exhibition at the Wharton Esherick Museum.
