Five hours. Two people. 280 panels on a wall. I brought just over 310 panels to Grand Rapids. In the end, 280 went up. Here's why: as the installation grew, it started finding its own symmetry. The Flower of Life pattern has a logic to it, each piece connects to the next in a way that either works or it doesn't. Forcing the remaining panels into place would have broken that balance. So, I let the installation tell me when it was done. Charlie was with me for all five hours. Every panel was...

I've been thinking about what's missing. Not from the panels themselves, but from the experience of standing in front of one. You can see the encaustic wax, the reclaimed fabric, the botanical impression pressed into the surface. What you can't see is where the fabric came from, or when the panel was made, or the story behind where the material came from. That's the part I want to give you. Here's what I've been imagining: a small chip embedded in each panel, the kind you can tap or hold your...

I am a hoarder of materials. Not in a chaotic way. In the way that an artist who grew up feeling like nothing should go to waste keeps things carefully, in flat files and portfolios, for reasons that aren't always clear at the time. Just in case. Just because throwing them away felt wrong.These are from college art school. More than fifteen years ago. They're print proofs from an etching class, specifically from a piece I made called For the Greater Good. I made them on copper plates using a...