Take the light with you.
After years of working with found paper, pencil and ink, and eventually oils, I realized I was underusing by half a whole other medium: light. While obviously depending on light to reveal the front surface of the work, I decided to let it alternately reveal the work from the back, creating a second version and a whole other set of interactions. The first incarnations were simply framed with no backing, intended to allow natural light to vaguely transform the piece throughout the day. Then I decided to place the light within.
This independent, battery-powered light source then allowed me to explore the idea of fine art being portable. Certainly, hanging or installing a piece in the right place can be powerful. These boxes can easily be prepped to hang. But these are sturdy, handmade poplar boxes that can also be set on any flat surface or, like a good transistor radio, carried with you to another room, out into the garage or garden, onto the porch or balcony, or, hell, even camping.
Fortunate to have access to the woodshop and guidance of Aaron Black (aaronblackdesign.com) in a vague part of Bushwick/Queens, NY, I got building. This first series ran to twenty-four pieces. A new set is in the works.