I once heard Ikebana explained not as flower arranging, but as the process of arranging space. My creative process involves a back and forth between building – using collage and paint and drawing -- and cutting away using a knife. My goal is to push and pull at the work until I’ve created an image that both prompts the viewer to take a second look, and reveals more upon closer inspection. When I was working on this piece, I very much felt that I was arranging the space around the stripes that march up and across this piece and therefore couldn’t help but think of Ikebana.