theusedlife

In the Wild & Other Art

In the Wild, paper collage, 2025 Here are some new experiments in collage art. There’s lots of smoking in this collection. That’s because I just picked up some 70s Life magazines that have great cigarette ads in them. I love vintage cigarette ads. There are also some fall-themed compositions in here. And last but not…
Bee House & Other Art

Bee House, paper collage, 2025 Here are some new experiments in collage art. I hope you enjoy this collection.
On Being an Introvert

I’ll read my books and I’ll drink coffee and I’ll listen to music and I’ll bolt the door. – J. D. Salinger Solitude is for me a fount of healing which makes my life worth living. Talking is often torment for me, and I need many days of silence to recover from the futility of…
The Aliens in Our Midst

To the Moon and Back, paper collage, 2025 The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive. To them… a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover…
Imagine That

the world doesn’t offer us hopeit does, however, offer us the possibility of transcendence and that’s something, believe me, i’ve practiced step one: tread lightly. each spoonful of earth contains the remnants of a galaxystep two: be watchful of crows. they, too, are magnanimous spiritsstep three: marvel at the snails underfoot, without whom we wouldn’t…
Desert Hangout & Other Art

Desert Hangout, paper collage, 2025 Here are some new experiments in collage art. I had a lot fun with these, and I’m pretty happy with the way they turned out. I’ve added prints for both Desert Hangout and We Come from Stranger Times to my Etsy shop. It’s possible I’ll add a few more from…
A Life, In Order

what does it mean to live a life?wash teeth. organize. set water to the plants. mimic this order for-ever and ever.make the walls sing, this i know, and dance while you cook,tossing salt over your left shoulder as you gohave patience, rise gratefully, and stir slowly—the cosmos are listeningdo laundry as stars fold into the…
To the Moon and Back & Other Art

To the Moon and Back, paper collage, 2025 Here are some new experiments in collage art. A few notes about this collection…first, there are lots of layers. I’ve been in the mood to work with layers lately. You may also notice more of the same spacey skies that have been recurring in my artwork over…
On Cooking

A recipe has no soul. You as the cook must bring soul to the recipe. – Thomas Keller The kitchen, for me, is the center of the home. It is a sacred space, a place of ritual, intention, and celebration, a place where poetry is made. And cooking isn’t just about nourishment. It’s about comforting…
Cosmic Summer

Cosmic Swim, paper collage, 2025 I don’t like naming my collages. That’s one of the reasons I typically choose simple descriptive titles. I don’t like analyzing my work, and I don’t like forcing it to mean something. I like to create fun (and sometimes funny) fantasy worlds that I would like to inhabit–or that I…