I began leaving a border on the plywood panels on which I was painting as a way to give some of the paintings with varied subjects and styles a related context. I felt constrained by an expectation to present myself through my work in a singular and unified style. The plywood border provided a particular kind of conceptual and pictorial space for the images I painted.

I create the plywood border by masking the plywood panel two to four inches from the edge, painting a ground, and then removing the tape as I am working on the painting.