Man Glitter Studio

Artist Statement

I create original handmade woodcraft designs highlighting the natural beauty of the wood's grain and knots. Each piece I create - whether it's a landscape, bird house or bird feeder - begins by carefully selecting lumber with interesting wood grain. I coined the term, "Grainscape" for my landscape wall pieces. Like how most people see shapes in clouds, I see landscapes, sunsets, vistas or the perfect knot for a birdhouse facade in the wood's grain. When choosing lumber for these pieces, I search for knots to highlight in a sunset scene or wavy grain for mountain ranges and water. I primarily use damaged cedar and pine boards from my local lumberyard or reclaimed palette wood. I mix water-based dyes and stains to create the unique colors for the sky, water or hills. To blend the colors, I let gravity mix the colors by tilting the board in the direction I want the colors to run. The qualities I celebrate and feature in my work would be seen by most carpenters as flaws, but I find wood's natural "imperfections" highlight the wood's organic and natural beauty.

Biography

I'm a Florida native and have lived in the 4 corners (and middle) of the state as well as Brooklyn, Berlin, and Colorado. I have always needed to be creative and even in my corporate roles, sought out opportunities to flex those muscles. My life has meandered from graphic designer for a NY consulting firm, to Creative Producer for CBS Interactive to National Customer Experience roles with the two largest cannabis companies over the past 6 years. It wasn't until I moved to Historic Kenwood and found myself immersed in a community of artists and creators; did I discover a newfound outlet for my creativity - woodworking. My appreciation for nature and the outdoors initially pulled me in the direction of modern birdhouses and feeders but has expanded to creating abstract and landscape wall pieces by discovering and highlighting the wood's natural grain and knots.

Exhibition History (CV)