Instead of drawing directly from either a photo or life, my works come together in a process I call “Frankensteining.” I combine drawing from memory, photo references I shot in the moment with invented elements, and occasionally a pose recreated by a friend. I’ll rethink parts of a scene sketched from observation, turning it into something else. I like to reconstruct what I’ve witnessed in person.

After I’m done drawing, I work in a medium I developed called marquetry hybrid. It is a synthesis of collage, painting, and marquetry (wood inlay); the disparate mediums become part of the same visual conversation. I create these works in my studio using a variety of techniques I’ve cobbled together from various fields—printmaking, surfboard construction, and plywood manufacturing. The tension between my subjects and the delicate surface is what compels me. I use the beauty of these materials to draw attention to what is overlooked. Incorporating marquetry into my work collapses the conventional distinctions between painting, craft, and fine art.