Here Be Dragons

Semi-constrained Lichtenberg figures on scavenged and upcycled wood, fractal-edged and finished in high gloss automotive varnish. This striking etching on wood transforms the grain of the surface into a vast, map-like field of branching lines. Burnt, organic tracery moves between abstraction and natural pattern, creating a contemplative composition that feels at once geological, botanical, and quietly cosmic. This piece was commissioned and painstakingly crafted for a 2025 exhibition in Milan, and was summarily disqualified due to a misunderstanding regarding dimensions (facepalm emoji). It is my fourth iteration of a Mercator projection world map and, so far, my favorite. The yellowish dye with the extra-frayed fractal edge was an attempt to give it an ancient vellum aesthetic and the dragon in the corner just popped out of nowhere. Have you ever tried to refuse a dragon when it knocks? Why would you?