Simply put, I use images of ancient manuscripts, cut them into small pieces, and glue them onto a wooden cradled panel. I find the manuscript images on the Web and I scan them from pages of books. Over time, I’ve built up an extensive database on my PC of manuscript images from all over the world, representing many different religious and ethnic groups. Some images include text and calligraphy. Some are beautiful, brightly colored paintings.

Lately I have also been using images of modern-day graffiti as my source material. I feel that using graffiti is a logical extension to the use of the ancient manuscripts. I consider graffiti to be an urban signpost, telling a story and expressing cultural identity.

When I decide to use a particular image in a collage, I use Adobe Photoshop to trim and appropriately size it. I then print the image (repeated many times) on a very thin archival photo paper using archival inks. I try to preserve the original manuscript colors as best I can.

I normally have a basic idea of what I want the resultant collage to look like and draw a simple picture in pencil on a cradled panel. I then cut the printed images into small pieces and glue these pieces onto the panel using an acrylic medium. My original design ideas often change drastically as the gluing progresses.

When the composition is completed, I coat it with five to eight layers of a thinned out self-leveling acrylic gel, letting each layer fully dry before applying the next. Finally I spray the piece with an MSA varnish and buff the dried collage with a fine steel wool and soft cloth, which gives it a satin sheen and the appearance of inlaid tile.