Built in Layers: Why Process Matters as Much as the Image

Every piece in Held Between Light is built in layers, not just physically, but intentionally.

I start with a grounded base. Often walnut or painted plywood. This layer carries weight. It anchors the piece visually and emotionally. It’s the part that stays steady, no matter what happens above it.

The second layer is softer. Basswood, washed with watercolor. This isn’t about painting a scene. It’s about suggesting time of day. Distance. Atmosphere. I want the background to feel like air, not illustration. Something you sense rather than focus on.

The final layer is where fire comes in.

Pyrography is slow by nature. It doesn’t tolerate rushing. Every line is permanent. Every shadow is built gradually. This is where restraint matters most. I’m not interested in overworking the surface. Texture and contrast do more than excessive detail ever could.

This process mirrors the themes of the collection. Stillness. Attention. Patience. Nothing in this work is automated or hurried. The laser may cut the structure, but the soul of each piece is shaped by hand, moment by moment.

I believe viewers can feel that. Even if they don’t know the process, they recognize intention. They sense when a piece was made slowly, with care.

These layers are not decorative. They’re structural. Each one exists so the others can breathe.