2015, oil on panel (5.5" x 10")

2016, oil on wood panel, 18" by 24". 

2016, oil on birch panel, 16" by 22."

2015, Oil on oak panel, 6" x 10."

Private Collection

2015, Oil  on poplar plank, ~18" x 11."

2016, oil on pine panel, 12" by 18."

2016, oil on pine panel, 12" by 16."

2014, oil on oak panel (13" x 26"). 

2016, in Keyworth Stadium in Vet's Park, oil on poplar panel, 12" by 18."

2015, Oil on oak panel, 6" x 6." 

2016, oil on pine panel, 11" by 11." Private collection. 

2016, oil on pine panels, 36" by 12."

2015, Oil on poplar panel, 12" x 17."

2015, oil on panel (5.5" x 9.5").

2015, oil on poplar panel, 11" x 18."

2014, oil on oak panel (10" x 20"). 

2016, Oil  on poplar panel, 12" x 20."

2015, oil on oak panel (5.5" x 12.5").

I used to live directly across from the Park-N-Save on Caniff. It was amazing bc so much weird stuff was happening just in the parking lot - from first thing in the morning to late at night. From my balcony, I saw people get arrested for peeing on the side of the building, I saw child-custody drops, young dudes cleaning their rims, bachelorette parties, and more. Once I saw some guys unloading pallets of food into the store from the back of an old Astro Minivan at 4:am. 

They recently got a new sign, so it's slightly different now - now it says 'Craft Beer.'

Silly Sketch

2015, oil on wood panel (12" x 20.5"). 

2015, oil on panel (5.5" x 8").

2015, Oil on poplar panel, 11" x 16."

2015, oil on oak panel (5.5" x 5.5").

2015, oil on oak panel (5.5" x 11").

This house used to be on the corner of Trowbridge at Brombach. It was torn down, and then I painted the other pink house we can just see peeking from behind it (Pink House I). See other painting below:

2015, oil on panel (5.5" x 10.5"). 

Privately owned. 

This house is currently on Trowbridge at Brombach, right on the corner. It used to be next to the other Pink House I painted as part of this series: when the other house was torn down, this house became the new corner house. 

2015, oil on wood panel (5.5" x 14"). 

This truck was resting out of season, for sale I guess, on Conant over the winter. 

2015, oil on oak panel (5.5" x 11.5"). 

2015, oil on oak panel (5.5" x 12").

2015 oil on panel (12" x 12").

2016, Oil  on oak panel, 10" x 6."

2015, oil on oak panel (5.5" x 13").

2015, oil on oak panel (5.5" x 5.5"). 

2015,  oil on oak panel (18" x 12").

2015, oil on wood panel (12" x 22"). 

These are things I found on the ground or in the garbage in Hamtramck: a toy plastic sheep, a half-smoked Zig-Zag cigarillo in it's package, a vodka bottle filled with pee, a single shoe, an Rx bottle with Tylenol in it, bubblegum (it was sealed but I opened it to eat some), scratched off instant lottery tickets, one of those free phones for low-income people, and an open condom. 

2015, oil on oak panel (5.5" x 11.5").

2015, oil on oak panel (5.5" x 5.5"). 

This popular local bar is on Yemans. 

2014, oil on oak panel (14" x 9"). Privately owned.

(2013) Oil on panel.

(2006) 

(2001) Oil on canvas, 24" x 10"

(1998) Oil on canvas, 10" x 14"

(1998) Oil in canvas, 12" x 24"

(2009) Oil on canvas, 12" x 16"

(2001) Oil on canvas, 24" x 18"

(1999) Oil on canvas, 14" x 20"

(1999) Oil on canvas, 24" x 18"

(2002) Oil on board, 8" x 20"

(2003) Oil in canvas, 8" x 12"

(1998) Oil on board, 24" x 12"

This is the Hindu myth of a prince who becomes a devotee of Kali (the goddess of death, destruction and power). Kali a powerful force who has the form of an old woman with four arms who wears the skin of a leopard. She had to be conjured when a terrible monster was threatening humanity and a destructive force of inimitable power was needed to battle it. In the story illustrated here, the prince is immortal because every night be prays to Kali (left side of panel), and she consumes him (right side of panel) and then he is reborn the same age. You can see the three hyenas that are Kali's companions in the foreground.

(1998 ) Oil on board, 10" x 18"

(2002) Oil on plywood, 25" x 10"

(2010) Oil on board

(2007 - ongoing) Oil on canvas, 24" x 36"

Commissioned by the Hamtramck Music Festival for their 2018 fest.

Oh!!! This was a FUN job!

Commissioned summer 2018

Commissioned summer 2017

Commissioned 2017

Commissioned 2018

Commissioned 2019

Commissioned 2019

2016

Commissioned 2019

Pastel on Cardboard, 2017

2018

Commissioned in 2018

“Hamtramck - Where it’s always 2:am”

'“NCIS - Hamtramck Edition - Social Media Crimes Unit”

“48212 - the EDGE of danger!”

“Hamtramck - Clique Bait!”

“Hyperbole, the likes of which has NEVER been encountered!”

“Hamtramck: You’re letting all the flies out!”

“Hamtramck: High Drinkablility, Low Plausibility”

“… Where TROPES spring eternal”

“Relax, Ladies - I’m just here to set up the A/V equipment”

Commissioned 2018

2017

Commissioned summer 2017

2017

2016, for Walter Wasacz.

2016, in the Citizen Newspaper.

A funny joke about living in Hamtramck

Why should Detroit have all the fun…?

2015, pen and paper (8.5" x 11).

Jan/Feb 2017, Ink on printer paper (Pentel Hybrid Technica KN103 .03mm) 

Summer 2016, pen and ink. Print it out, tear it into a square and play the game...

Summer 2016, pen and ink. Commissioned by Sarah Wilson and Emma Bergman for their ethnographic project, 'Life Histories of Hamtramck.' For more information in the project go to: http://www.hamtramckstories.org/

Summer 2016, pen and ink, a re-do of the previous Hamtramck Map I made in summer 2013.

2013, Pen and ink. 

2016. 

2015, pen and paper (8.5" x 11).

Summer 2016

2015, pen and paper (8.5" x 11).

2015, pen and paper (8.5" x 11).

Summer 2016, this should be double-sided printed with SideB and when you cut and fold it, it makes a 13-page booklet that lets you choose your own adventure for a night on the town in Hamtramck. When you print these out back-to-back (since I don't know if your printer flips horizontal or vertical), you just have to make sure the cover (lower right side here) has page 1 on it's backside. 

Summer 2016, this should be double-sided printed with SideA and when you cut and fold it, it makes a 13-page booklet that lets you choose your own adventure for a night on the town in Hamtramck. When you print these out back-to-back (since I don't know if your printer flips horizontal or vertical), you just have to make sure that page 1 (upper right side here) has the front cover on it's backside. 

Made for the 'Art in the Park' Event, Hamtramck City Hall, May 03, 2016. Commissioned by the DDA. The house pictured is located on the corner of Klinger and Commor Sts. 

Pen and Ink, summer 2015. Commissioned by Steven Cherry. 

We love garbage

Made for the 'Art in the Park' Event, Hamtramck City Hall, May 03, 2016. Commissioned by the DDA. 

Summer 2014, Pen and ink, commissioned by Steven Cherry. 

(2013) I drew this to be the banner on my ETSY page. It features a few of my favorite Hamtramck things: The Kowalski Hot Dog Sign, Burk's Igloo Ice cream place, planters made of tires, Hamtramck houses, my cat Scooter, milk crates, garage sale signs, satellite dishes hanging off houses for weird foreign TV, Pope Park, ice cream trucks ("Hello!!"), St. Florian, loose shopping carts, sneakers on a telephone line, loose chairs in the street to hold parking spaces, abandoned houses, used diapers on the street, POW flags, burned out houses, and the wig-head mannequins in Kim's Beauty Supply store.

Made for the 'Art in the Park' Event, Hamtramck City Hall, May 03, 2016. Commissioned by the DDA. The house pictured is the old 'Stop One Party Store,' that was abandoned and burned in the summer of 2016. It was on the corner of Sobieksi and Carpenter Sts. 

I love ceramics because they are utilitarian (and I have moral issues with overly 'conceptual' art). Also, throwing makes me feel connected to all the thousands of generations of potters from all over the world who came before me.  More personally, I have a thing about making my own dishes because I love to eat and drink out of vessels I've made. It feels like a form of voodoo, something that increases my personal power, to have these things I made all around me and to use them daily. And since I draw a lot of spiritual strength from the weirdness of Hamtramck, it increases the spiritual power of the object if I can paint scenes from around Hamtramck on my vessels. It almost feels like a religious experience: This wonderful celebration of usefulness and history and craft and weirdness and wonderful Hamtramck. This is why I fall in love with my work, and why I HATE to sell it, unless I really like you ;)

My most influential teacher was Heather Bray who taught at CCS in the 1990s. When I was just a kid, she taught me about surface design, decals, bright colors and following your own path. So, I had a bunch of children's classes at CCS when I was little; I took a single ceramics class during my undergrad; and I worked as an intern at Pewabic Pottery for a minute. Right now I work totally independently, with a wheel in my kitchen pantry and an old kiln in a warehouse down the street. 

Terracotta clay, food- and dishwasher-safe (4" tall x 4.5" dia). $45

2015, 2" to 3" dia; Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. 

If you look you can see branches and twigs, rocks, cigarette butts, condoms, booze bottles, yellow 'caution' tape, and other magical ground-items. I did a series of still life paintings of things found on the ground in the alley, and this was a bit of an extension of that. 

2015, terra cotta claybody with stains, homemade and commercial underglazes, homemade clear-glaze. 

2015, ~5" tall; Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

2014, Cone 03 terracotta with stain and underglaze: Finished to cone 05 with clear liner glaze (approx. 4" high). $45

This house burned a year or two ago, a guy named Hassan bought it and spent ages fixing it up - now its all new and two stories and it doesn't look anything like this anymore. I have painted it a few times: Hassan always brings me pops when I'm sitting outside painting. Check out the painting section to see the most recent painting (Keyworth Stadium is in the background). 

2014, cone 03 terracotta with stain and underglazes. Finished to cone 05 with a clear liner glaze (approx 4" tall). Food- and dishwasher-safe. $40.

Hijabs, picked eggs, ladies' shoes, gum, signs in other languages, and more : Hamtramck's party- and dollar-stores have it all!

2015, ~5" dia, Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze.  Private collection. 

2015, ~6," Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

2015, ~6," Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

2014, cone 03 terracotta with white slip and underglaze: Finished to cone 05 with clear liner glaze (diameter. 7.5"). Food- and Dishwasher safe, $35.

When I moved here Shopper's World was open. I remember combing the dollar store they kept in the basement. Has it been closed now for more than 10 years?!

2015, ~3" dia, Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

2015, ~4" tall; Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

2014, cone 03 Terra Cotta with stains and underglaze: Finished with cone 05 clear-liner glaze (diameter ~6"). Food- and Dishwasher safe, $30.

The garbage cans here in Hamtramck cause constant consternation because no one can get new ones. Someone moves, and their can is gone in days. People spray-paint addresses, then steal them and repaint them. Also, the word 'Michigan' is misspelled as 'Michhigan." Gotta love it. 

2015, ~6" tall; Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

2014, white earthenware (approx 4" high). Food- and Dishwasher safe, $25.

2014, white earthenware (approx 4" high), food- and dishwasher-safe, $25.

2015, ~6" tall; Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

2015, ~3" dia, Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

2014, terracotta with slip, stain and underglaze decoration. After a bisque fire to cone 03 or 02, mugs and plates get a foodsafe clear glaze which fires to cone 05. 

2014, cone 03 terracotta with slip, stain and underglaze. Finished to cone 05 with a clear liner glaze (approx 6.5" high). 

2014, cone 05 terracotta with white slip, stain and underglaze: Finished to cone 06 with clear liner glaze (approx 7" high"). Privately owned.

This is another house that intrigues me: it is a beautiful yellow-brick and has a glass-block front, and it has a cute little courtyard that is all bricked off. I included on this vessel various Hamtramck street-items: a dumpster, a one way sign, a loose shopping cart and some construction barrels. 

2014, cone 03 terracotta with white slip and underglaze: Finished to cone 05 with clear liner glaze (diameter approx. 8"). Privately owned.

Someone made a very dark-skinned scarecrow to guard their garden. I thought it was awesome. 

2014, Cone 03 terracotta with stain and underglaze: Finished to cone 05 with clear liner glaze (diameter approx. 8"). Privately owned.

I don't remember exactly where this garage is, but someone really made a huge structure out of it! Near Conant?!

2014, cone 03 Terra Cotta with stain and underglaze: Finished with cone 05 clear-liner glaze (approx 5" high). 

The fact that THESE are point-of-sale items, right before you get to the bullet-proof glass, is so amusing. Who buys pickled eggs or pigs feet: What would you even grab it with or put it in?! 

I included some of the signs they have up on the glass, just so you get a feel for the ambiance. 

2014, cone 03 terracotta with slip, stain and underglaze: Finished to cone 05 with clear liner glaze (height approx. 4.5"). 

Kelly's Bar on Holbrook and DuBois - there's so many funny signs on the outside that I just didn't feel like I could capture. 

2014, cone 03 terracotta earthenware with stain and underglaze: Finished with cone 05 clear-liner glaze (approx 5.5" high). 

This old party store just captures my imagination. These neighborhood stores just represent a specific time in history. 

2014, cone 03 terracotta with white slip and underglaze: Finished to cone 05 with clear liner glaze (height approx. 6"). Privately owned.

Just a pretty house I liked. 

2014, cone 03 Terra cotta with stains and underglaze, finished to cone 05 with a clear liner glaze (diameter approx 7"). 

It's always disturbing to walk home alone down Campau late at night and pass Kim's window with rows of decapitated women's heads looking back at you. It makes you feel like you're in some crazy Joseph Campbell / James Frazier fucked-up Bluebeard fairy tale.

2014, cone 03 terracotta with stain and underglazes. Finished to cone 05 with a clear liner glaze (approx 7" tall). Privately owned. 

Again, the motley crew of mismatched items and signs from the local party- and dollar-stores. 

2014, cone 03 Terra cotta with stain and underglaze. Finished to cone 05 with a clear liner glaze (approx. 6"). Privately owned.

This mug shows items from the local party store including 'pickled pigs feet,' 'pickled eggs,' jerky, expired gum, head-scarves, tree-shaped air fresheners, and  brined pickles. Who buys this stuff? --I have no idea. Along the top are the signs plastered in the windows, "yes, we're open,' 'we accept Bridge Card,' etc. 

2014, cone 03 terracotta with underglazes. Finished to cone 05 with a clear liner glaze (approx. 4" tall). 

2014, Cone 03 terracotta with stain and underglaze: Finished to cone 05 with clear liner glaze (diameter approx. 8"). Privately owned.

2014, cone 03 terracotta earthenware with stain and underglaze: Finished with cone 05 clear-liner glaze (approx 6" high). 

There's something about this house. I couldn't fit it in; but the steeple of St. Florian looms in the background, it's located right along a part Holbrook with a lot of big old trees, and it's right near where the shopping district starts... I dunno - something about this house just inspires me. 

2013, Cone 05 terracotta with stain and underglaze: Finished to cone 06 with clear liner glaze (approx. 6" tall). Privately owned.

2015, ~5" tall; Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

2013, Cone 05 terracotta with white slip and underglaze: Finished to cone 06 with clear liner glaze (approx. 7" x 7"). Privately owned.

2014, Cone 05 terracotta with white slip and underglaze: Finished to cone 06 with clear liner glaze (diameter approx. 7"). Privately owned.

I paint this house over and over - I love it. On the bottom is a wood plank, a Bird of Paradise flower, a wedding ring, a coiled spring, a heart, and all my usual Hamtramck logos. They all mean something and relate specifically to the day I painted the piece. 

2014, Cone 03 terracotta with stain and underglaze: Finished to cone 05 with clear liner glaze (approx. 8" high). Privately owned.

2014, cont 03 Terra cotta with stains and underglaze. Finished to cone 05 with a clear liner glaze. 

Shows the house on Poland Street where there was a fire in 2012. Everyone got out Ok except the family cats that got sealed up in the house and were stranded on the second floor roof. Yes, they were rescued. Yes, that's where my cat came from. 

2015, ~5" tall; Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

This house has a huge side-yard that has a lot of weird stuff in it... they have a wagon-wheel and some benches and statuary. Plus an American flag. So weird. 

2014, Cone 03 terracotta with stain and underglaze: Finished to cone 05 with clear liner glaze (approx. 4.5" high). 

I paint this house a lot, I used to live next door and when it burned down I got my cat, Scooter, from there. It has since been renovated really nicely, so obviously it doesn't look like this anymore. 

2015, ~6" tall; Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. 

2014, Cone 03 terracotta with stain and underglaze. Finished to cone 05 with clear liner glaze (diameter approx. 8"). Privately owned.

I lived at 2737 Poland street (one house over) in 2001/2002 and when this house burned the firemen somehow sealed up a bunch of cats inside the house. That is where I got my current cat, Scooter. Therefore this house is close to my heart for both reasons. 

2013, stonewear with hi-fire Stroke and Coat underglaze:  (diameter approx. 6.5"). Privately owned.

2013, cone 05 terracotta with white slip and underglaze: Finished to cone 05 with clear liner glaze (height approx. 6"). 

2014, cone 03 terracotta earthenware with stain and underglaze: Finished with cone 05 clear-liner glaze (approx 5" high). 

This building is near the old hospital, of which part is now the West Bridge Academy. I love hand-painted signs, and there's all kinds of ads handpainted on this old little local grocery store. Places like this is what I'm worried we're gonna lose when Hamtramck gentrifies. 

2014, cone 03 terracotta with white slip and underglaze: Finished to cone 05 with clear liner glaze (height approx. 6"). Privately owned.

2014, cone 03 terracotta with stain and underglaze. Finished to cone 05 with clear liner glaze (diameter approx. 8"). Privately owned.

I used to live right here on Yemans; this beautiful white house is directly across from Roadrunner's Raft (aka the Atlas Bar and now... ?! what is it gonna be called?!). I think this is this where the Hamtramck Farmer's Market is in the summer? I just know there's a mailbox there and I used to put all my letters in.

2015, ~5" tall; Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

This is actually one of the houses I pain on ceramics over and over. It's gone now, I took a picture years ago. It had giant, pink, peeling squares as siding on the back; and on the side you could see the green foundation brick, then the old-school wooden siding and then were a few faded rose-colored siding boards at the top. 

2014, Cone 03 terra cotta with stain and underglaze. Cone 05 finish. 

2015, ~5" tall; Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

2013, cone 05 terracotta with white slip and underglaze: Finished to cone 06 with clear liner glaze (approx. 14" x 10"). Privately owned.

2013, Cone 05 terracotta with white slip and underglaze: Finished to cone 06 with clear liner glaze (approx. 6" high). Privately owned.

2010, stoneware claybody with majolica glaze and stain decoration (cone 6, approx 5" high). 

This is an early representation of the creepy wig-mannequins in Kim's window that look like rows and rows of decapitated women (albeit with great hair). 

2014, Cone 03 terracotta with white slip and underglaze: Finished to cone 05 with clear liner glaze (approx.6" tall). 

This place is on Carpenter and Charest: It's been closed for a while, but the building has, like, 10 different kinds of siding on it AND there's a big sign that says 'Businessman's Luncheons' (it sounds so anachronistic to me). I just like the building. 

2011, stonewear claybody with majolica and stain decoration (approx 4" high and 6" diameter). 

2013, cone 05 terracotta with white slip and underglaze: Finished to cone 06 with clear liner glaze (diameter approx. 7"). Privately owned.

If you live in Hamtramck then you know how funny the ice cream trucks here are: first off there are a ton; second they drive waaayyy too fast for anyone to catch them, and finally; they play the WORST music (including one song that just periodically screams "HELLO!" over and over. It's so ridiculous). 

2014, Cone 03 terracotta with stain and underglaze. Finished to cone 05 with clear liner glaze (diameter approx. 8"). Privately owned.

I have painted this house over and over. Another house that just calls to me. 

2014, cone 05 terracotta with stain and underglaze: Finished to cone 06 with clear liner glaze (height approx. 6"). Privately owned.

2014, cone 05 terracotta with white slip and underglaze: Finished to cone 06 with clear liner glaze (diameter approx. 7"). Privately owned.

2014, cone 03 terracotta earthenware with stain and underglaze: Finished with cone 05 clear-liner glaze (diameter approx 7"0). Privately owned.  

2014, cone 03 terracotta with white slip and underglaze: Finished to cone 05 with clear liner glaze (height approx. 5"). Privately owned.

For a minute, I was playing with the idea of mugs without complete handles: I reasoned that a few substantial 'nubs' would be just as good. No one wanted them!!! I still like the idea, but clearly it has to percolate a little. With regards to the house, there's a section East of Campau on Casmere where there are deep lots and two rows of houses. It's pretty neat. This is one of the rear houses - the thing that attracted me was a really unusual addition on the back end. I'd love to sit outside and paint this house. 

2015, ~4.5" tall; Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

2015, ~6" tall; Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

2014, cone 03 terracotta with white slip and underglaze: Finished to cone 05 with clear liner glaze (height approx. 7"). Privately owned.

This (now defunct) building looks super-interesting from either the front or the back so I paint both often. I wish someone would buy it and do something cool with it. 

2014, cone 03 terracotta with white slip and underglaze: Finished to cone 05 with clear liner glaze (approx. 6" square). Privately owned.

I moved to Hamtramck in 2000. This was one of the first houses I fell in love with. I have a ton of pictures of it - but I can't find it in real life. It has become a personal myth: covered in green wooden shakes with a back double-entry. Maybe it got torn down? Repainted? One day I'll find it again...

2013, Cone 05 terracotta with white slip and underglaze: Finished to cone 06 with clear liner glaze (approx. 6" square). Privately owned.

2015, ~6," Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

2015, ~6" tall; Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

2014, cone 06 terracotta with white slip and underglaze: Finished to cone 03 with clear liner glaze (height approx. 6"). Privately owned.

You can see that the glaze temperature was too high - that's why my underglaze colors aren't opaque. I've since fixed this by doing a hotter bisque and a cooler liner glaze temperature. 

2014, Cone 03 Terra Cotta with stain and underglaze. Finished with cone 05 clear-liner glaze (approx 6" high). 

2013, Cone 05 terracotta with underglaze: Finished to cone 06 with clear liner glaze (approx. 6" square). Privately owned.

2014, cone 03 terracotta earthenware with stain and underglaze: Finished with cone 05 clear-liner glaze (approx 4.5" high). 

2014, Cone 03 terracotta with stain and underglaze. Finished to cone 05 with clear liner glaze (diameter approx. 8"). Privately owned.

2014, cone 05 terracotta with white slip and underglaze: Finished to cone 04 with clear liner glaze (height approx. 6"). Privately owned.

Two of my favorite houses. One is gone; the 'I Was Beautiful Once' house was on the corner of Trowbridge and Brombach but it's gone now. The other is lost to me; the green one I have pictures of but they are so old I can't remember where the house is. 

(2010) Thrown stonewear. Images include the St. Andrew Ukranian Orthodox Church on Prescott and Buffalo Streets in Hamtramck. This church also appears in my my painting "Outer Limits Lounge.' ​

2015, ~3" dia, Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

(2011) Wheel-thrown stoneware, approx. 7" diameter.

(2011) Thrown stoneware.​

2015, ~3" dia, Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

2015, ~6" dia; Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. 

2015, ~4" tall; Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

2015, ~5" tall; Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

2015, ~5" tall; Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

2015, ~5" tall; Terra-cotta claybody; homemade and commercial stains and underglazes, homemade clear final glaze. Private collection.

(2010) Wheel-thrown stoneware, approx 3" in diameter. Majolica glaze. Privately owned.

(2012) Porcelain, molded. These two brightly-colored houses are in Hamtramck. They are visible from the alleys that run behind every street in the city. I photographed these houses during the winter, when the roofs and the lawns were blanketed in white snow. This gave me the inspiration to paint them on the mugs I was producing using a mold I poured based on a mug that I found at the Thrift Store. ​

(2011) Porcelain with stain and cone06 clear glaze. This set of bowls shows a house from Hamtramck and a view of the St. Florian church whose steeple is iconic in the Hamtramck skyline (as well as the peal of the bells on each hour).

(2012) ​

2014, cone 03 terracotta with white slip and underglaze: Finished to cone 05 with clear glaze (10" x 7"). Privately owned.

2017

(2010) Cotton, standard pillowcase

(2013) 100% cotton.

(2012) This images shows segments of actual human genomic DNA sequence which encode long non-coding RNAs undergoing spurious translation. We found that long non-coding RNAs are occasionally spuriously translated by ribosomes. Actual sequence from human long non-coding RNA is shown in grey entering the 'ribosomes,' and the protein sequence (in white) emerging. The white sequence is actual protein which we discovered through a mass spectrophotometery experiment on human cells. This work was published here : http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22955977

(2005-ongoing) quilt, 6' x 8'

(2010-11) 100% cotton. Batting was an old flannel blanked from the Thrift Store. I made this for my mother for Christmas 2011. The top has hourglassess that represent the timeless nature of the love between mothers and daughters. The single row of blue geese represents the 'blues flying away.' I chose the double-wedding ring because one of my earliest memories of my mother is living on Three Mile Drive in Detroit and telling my mom that when I grew up I would marry her and we would live together forever. Along the bottom are three rows of multi-colored flying geese for all the ideas that fly though mom's and my conversation.

(2009) cotton, standard size.

(2011) 100% cotton, 5' x 7'

(2011) 100% cotton.

(2004) 100% cotton, 5' x 5'

(2005) Quilt, 5' x 7'

100% wool

(2012) 100% wool, 3" x 3"

My sister and I trade bull-themed items, and this was the latest thing I gave her.

(2013) 100% wool, each is approximately 3" x 2" - they were made b/c I had this green sweater from the thrift store that had all these little holes in it throughout. So I made these small-ish patches to cover the random holes. I wanted something that would be cute while randomly distributed. I think it worked!​

(2012) 100% wool. 2.5" x 3.5". These are great for covering small holes in sweaters or other garments. They are adorable.

(2012) Wool and cotton embroidery floss, approx 5" x 8"

() Wool and cotton embroidery floss.

(2012) 100% recycled wool, 6" x 10"

This patch was based on a series of work that were based on Anatolian Kilims. Kilims are ancient textiles from Southeast Europe that were woven by women and appear (at first) to be made up of symbols but after 'reading' the slightly abstract symbols (like from a book like this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1558598804/), it becomes evident that each kilim is an intricate series of narrative terms that relates to power, struggle, feminism, war and spirituality. The blue shapes on this patch below the face are representations of the two-headed goddess that is an allegorical reference to her power to make new people.

(2012) Wool and cotton embroidery floss, approx 30" x 14"

(2010) 100% wool, 5" x 9"

(2010) 100% wool, 8" x 6"

(2010) 100% wool, 5" x 8"

(2011) Wool felt and cotton embroidery floss, approx 4" x 9" Privately owned.

(2011) 100% wool 5" x 11"

(2011) 100% wool, 4" x 12"

Privately owned.

(2011) 100% wool 6" x *8

(2011) Wool

(2013) True story! 

(2013)

(2010)  X-Axis is 'Happiness' and Y-Axis is the 'Required Investment.' The red line is Art, the green line is Work and the purple line is School.

As you can see, the more effort you put into art the more happiness you get out of it; the more time and energy you put into school the less you get out of it; and, with regards to work, sometimes you get credit for the stuff you do, and sometimes you don't, sometimes you get a lot of approbation for something you didn't do, and sometimes you don't work and no one notices.

Summary: only art is worth really putting effort into. 

(2012) 

(2011) Greg is my now-ex-boyfriend. We never did learn to talk.  

Available at https://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/emilyjanewood

Visit  http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/emilyjanewood to all my Hamtramck Fabric designs!

This is the 'Hamtramck Streets' pattern in the 7in size (http://www.spoonflower.com/fabric/3302715).

This is the "Hamtramck Corners" in 'Large' fabric at (http://www.spoonflower.com/fabric/3087005). 

See all my Hamtramck Fabric at (http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/emilyjanewood).

(2012) Black cotton muslin with a pattern drawn in bleach. I was trying this for a sort period. I still use it (rarely) in some quilts, and it's nice to have the latitude to design my own one-off patterns, but I'm worried that the bleach will degrade the integrity of the fabric. The fabric that SpoonFlower prints is a lot better ;) 

Sometimes if I need a piece of black fabric but don't want the orange-y bleach color I use a white fabric marker. But this, too, isn't as nice as SpoonFlower bc I just don't know how it will age. 

More white-on-black one-off fabric for specific quilting projects...

(2012) White cotton muslin with fabric marker drawing. This was before I started ordering custom fabric from SpoonFlower. It's still nice to just be able to bang out a specific pattern if I need it really quickly for quilting, though...

I am working on a quilt that's all 1.5" strips. Sometimes I want to tone down a color and add a little interest so I'll just sketch on the fabric strips before I add them into the quilt.

(2009-2012) 100% wool, 3' x 4,' with a braided wool edge. 

From left to right and top to bottom: The Kowalski Hot Dog Sign, St. Florian and wig-mannequins from Kim's Beauty Supply; the bird that used to wake me up because it nested in my neighbor's gutters outside my old bedroom window, my favorite flower; things I've found in Hamtramck including a broken Transformer toy and a real dog; the UCSC Genome Browser which I used to use daily before I quit medical school; a lion that I found a pattern for in an antique rug hooking book; shells I found on the west coast of Michigan; a voodoo doll; a whale eating a sailor; my apartment on Yemans where I worked on this rug; a square copied from the Caswell Carpet; and an art-deco square because I started working at Pewabic Pottery during this time also. 

2012, I'm still totally working on this...

(2012) ...behind the Red Caboose Party Store, in Hamtramck, MI. The front of the store has a banner that says 'Liquor Prices - State Minimum' that has gotten a lot of mileage in the surface-design of my ceramics.

(2012) This assemblage was found in the alley parallel to Jos. Compau, in the Hamtramck, MI business district. I have a lot of pictures of items found in the alley, and of street-luggage. For some reason, in Hamtramck, there is unattended packed luggage all over: it makes you wonder who is packing this luggage? Are they on vacation or are they running away from  bad life? How does it end of on the street? Is is stolen and rifled through then abandoned?

(2011) This garage in Hamtramck, MI has a lovely patina on the thin wood slats that make it up. What year did they even make garages like this - just out of thin wooden strips? The roof is green linoleum-y shingles that someone has replaced (poorly) with other shingles of other colors and sizes. There are three different fences in this picture, to top off the whole building with 'bits and pieces' theme.

(2007) This is a house on Brush Street between downtown Detroit and the Davidson interchange. It's a nice area, and most of houses here are well-kept. I find exposed chimneys really pretty, it's like looking at one of those diagrams in health class where they show you what goes on inside of your body. Like you can see one of the major arteries of the house that you can't usually see.

(2010) This is a house in Hamtramck, MI. Again, you get a kind of 'visible man' feeling. The brick chimney has fallen down, and all that remains is that cheap, wooden-slat (I've heard people call it 'balloon frame') construction surrounding it.

(2012) One of the gorgeous Hamtramck, MI, alleys. I like that this person has a better paint job on their garage than on the front of their house. I also like that this person's section of the alley reps so many things: surviving veterans, fallen veterans, guns, the American eagle, the Polish eagle, the American flag, garage-maintenance, etc.

(2012) On Jefferson Avenue near the Grosse Pointe border. The entire block in front of these two brightly colored houses is long-ago burned out, as you can see by the grass growing in the lot. By summer, this greenery will be waist-high. The house on the end is abandoned and open, the house on the left if occupied. A study in differences.

(2011) This was on the end of my block when I had my second apartment on Yemans St. in Hamtramck, MI. I just liked how someone made a JFK stencil and then someone else came along and added details (is that is Hitler mustache?). Then in the background you can see the old Shopper's World building that takes up the whole block on one side of the street. When I first moved to Hamtramck in 2000, the store was open and it was awesome! In about 2004 it closed and it's been there empty ever since.

(2009) Detroit, MI.

(2011) This is a party store on Caniff St, before Jos Compau. They have a great selection of party-flyers (which I also want to show on this site).

(Jan 2012) Detroit, MI. Mack Avenue between Van Dyke and St. Aubin.

(Jan 2012) Detroit, MI. Mack Avenue between Van Dyke and St. Aubin.

(2010) This is on Warren Avenue in Detroit, MI. I like that Brooksey has the balls to put a giant picture of himself on the outside of the building. I'm guessing that one purpose of the locked-down parking lot is to protect this giant picture that just begs for vandalism...

(2012) Detroit, MI. Mack Avenue between Van Dyke and St. Aubin.

(2012) Detroit, MI. Mack Avenue between Van Dyke and St. Aubin.

(2012) Detroit, MI. Mack Avenue between Van Dyke and St. Aubin. Near Schumaker St.

(2012) Detroit, MI. Mack Avenue between Van Dyke and St. Aubin.

(2012) Detroit, MI. Mack Avenue between Van Dyke and St. Aubin.

(2012) Detroit, MI. Mack Avenue between Van Dyke and St. Aubin.

(2012) Detroit, MI. Mack Avenue between Van Dyke and St. Aubin.

(2012) Detroit, MI. Mack Avenue between Van Dyke and St. Aubin.

(2012) Detroit, MI.

(2012) Detroit, MI.

Summer 2015, pencil.

Prep for painting

Summer 2015, Pen and Ink. Commissioned by Matt Hunt for Suzy. 

Painting prep (for Jeff and Angela) summer 2015.

Prepatorry sketch for painting. 

(2013) Office pen and scrap paper.

Prep for painting

Corner of Campau and Caniff, summer 2016

Preparatory sketch for painting. 

Prep for painting

(2013) 100% Wool, cotton embroidery, buttons, approx.  6" x 8.5" ​

(2021) 100% recycled materials. 10" x 14"

(2021)

(2012) Felt and sequins. 4" x 6"

2012. cotton embroidery on 12 Aida cloth (12" x 9"). 

I got very interested in American needlework samplers around this time: I thought about how to take the traditional sampler with needlework letters and make it more relevant to the "first quarter of the 21st century blues." So what I've done here is include the SKU code for each letter (that barcode-scanner alphabet) and also binary code for each letter. At the very bottom is the braile alphabet. There's also a streetlight and a utility pole because these are urban hallmarks for me. 

2012, cotton embroidery on 12pt Aida cloth (16" x 12.5"). 

This sampler features two traditional alphabets and a series of traditional and nontraditional borders and row separators. The icons in the fourth row are taken from antique Anatolian kiln iconography - there are nine multicolored repeated images of the goddess giving birth. Also included in this sampler is a house with a garden, and two "C"s and two "M"s in the windows: for 'Mom' and 'Mae,' and for 'Cheryl' and 'Camille.' The abbreviated 'GPHF' above the house stands for the Grosse Pointe Housing Foundation' which paid half my rent when I was in graduate school and helped me afford this apartment for the short period I lived outside of Hamtramck.

(2012) Cotton embroidery on black 14ct Aida. 18" x 24"

(2013) Salt-fired Porcelain.

(2013) Porcelain, 8" diameter. ​

(2013) Porcelain, 8" diameter.  ​

(2013) Porcelain, 3" x 3"

(2013)  Molded porcelain with Amaco underglazes, finished with a simple-recipe clear glaze in a cone-6 electric kiln.

(2013) (2013)  Porcelain with Amaco underglazes, finished with a simple-recipe clear glaze in a cone-6 electric kiln.

(2013) (2013)  Porcelain with Amaco underglazes, finished with a simple-recipe clear glaze in a cone-6 electric kiln.​

(2013) Porcelain with Amaco underglaze; finished with a simple-recipe clear cone-6 glaze. ​