Low-Pressure Assemblage
Built from scraps, offcuts, fasteners. It all adds up.
This piece started as a brain dump project: a way to use scrap wood, try a few tools, and make something without the pressure of a proposal, deadline, or final outcome. I have been adding offcuts, plywood, thin strips, rounded forms, and small painted fragments as I go, paying attention to how the pieces stack, overlap, and interrupt each other.
Right now, the work is mostly about learning by doing. I have been practicing with a brad nailer and testing different fasteners. I am also thinking about adding veneer and making a French cleat for the back so the piece can hang cleanly on the wall.
It is low-profile and strictly for me, but it still connects to my larger interests in geometry, architecture, material, and how things hold together. That is probably the best part. Making a project without pressure, but not without purpose.
Life's a Beech
I found this log and brought it into the garage as the starting point for a new sculpture experiment. It’s about 8.5 inches in diameter and 26.5 inches tall, with a solid presence that made it feel worth saving. A friend suggested it may be Beech, and the smooth gray bark makes that possible, though I still need to confirm it. Maybe I need to find some leaves and determine the species that way?
I’ve started chipping away at the bark with chisels, slowly revealing the wood underneath. I don’t plan to remove all of it. I like the contrast between the rough outer surface and the exposed wood, especially around the knots.
For now, I’m letting the material guide the piece. I’ll keep testing what to remove, what to leave, and how this found log can become a sculpture.
Spinning the Block on Chalk
I used a chalk line again for the first time in a while. Years ago, I used chalk lines often when laying out murals, and it felt good to return to that process on a smaller scale. It is a simple tool, but there is something satisfying about measuring, pulling the string tight, snapping the line, and suddenly having a structure to respond to.
This new piece starts with a 1-inch-thick wood panel made from plywood and MDF. I am using the chalk line to set the grid before painting a sequence of color bands that will move across the surface and create a pulsing effect. The grid gives the work order, but not rigidity. Once the lines are in place, I can begin making decisions about color, rhythm, spacing, and movement.
I am thinking about this piece as both a painting and an object. Because the panel has a thick edge, the side cannot be treated like an afterthought. I am considering ways to finish it cleanly, possibly with hardwood edge banding or another treatment that helps the whole piece feel more resolved.
Art of Caring 2026
A few photos from last night’s Art of Caring fundraiser at the FedEx Event Center at Shelby Farms. Hosted by Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation, the event benefits the Kemmons Wilson Family Center for Good Grief and brings together local and regional artists in support of free grief counseling services for families and children across the Mid-South. I was honored to have my piece, Kepler’s Supernova, included in the auction, and I’m especially glad it sold in support of such a meaningful cause.
Sealing the Edge
Here’s a new painting in progress, Aixs X: 18 × 24 inches, spray paint on canvas. Right now, it’s somewhere between an underpainting and a blueprint.
Lately I’ve been committing to a taping method I’ve known about for years, but never fully adopted. The idea is simple: seal the tape edge first, then paint the new color. It cuts down on bleed and makes it easier to get the lines clean, sharp, and precise. Very obvious. Very useful. Occasionally, I need years to accept a good idea.
It’s worked for me before, and I think it’s going to help with where I want these paintings to go. More control. Better edges. Less fixing later. Which is ideal, because I would prefer to spend my time making the painting, not cleaning up after it.
We’ll see if the finished version gets as crisp as the sketch. That’s the goal anyway!
A Friday in Augusta
This past Friday I gave an artist talk at Westobou Gallery in Augusta, GA, and honestly—it was a great time. The space is gorgeous (hello, tin ceiling and dreamy lighting), and I got to chat about my work, which is always slightly nerve-wracking but ultimately rewarding. I shared a bit about my current project for the Brooks Museum and how cast acrylic has been a beautiful but bossy new material in my practice. There was beer from Savannah River Brewery (shoutout to their IPA for calming my nerves), DJs spinning disco from Eccentric Disco (unexpected and so good), and some really thoughtful questions from folks in the crowd.
It rained on my drive back to Atlanta, with lightning slicing across the sky, but my favorite podcast kept me company. Now I’m back in Memphis, caffeinated and back to work—specifically: fixing those stubborn acrylic toppers. Onward!
OK Blog
Notes on art, design, process, and public work.
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