This one of a kind piece was commissioned for ACD Home.

My process usually begins on a piece of paper. Whenever I think of ideas and inspirations, I scribble them on paper or a post it. Then I think about color, size, and composition and that evolves into loose sketches before I start painting or dyeing rope.

I like to dye my own rope using colors I create, as opposed to buying pre colored rope. It not only allows me to mix and create the colors I want, but also achieve the right consistency and texture. I usually avoid using paint straight out of a tube or a container, and mixing different paints together gives more room for my creatives process. Dyeing rope can take several days depending on the size and scale of each painting. Sometimes, I might have to dye more rope mid progress as it can be hard to estimate how much rope is needed for each painting. Other times, I might stop painting to dye more rope simply to add more colors per client’s requests. Completing a painting with ropework takes somewhere between two weeks to a month depending on the size, scale, and number of colors. Some of my largest works have taken longer than a month.

My approach to my line art is somewhat similar. Before I start scribbling on a painted canvas or paper, I do loose scribbles as a warmup to achieve a desired outcome. There are times where I know what I want the line art to look like and other times I start scribbling without thinking too hard. The beauty of line art lies in its freeform nature. You do not have to be too precise or specific about your subject matter and still create something new and unique.