REPURPOSED DOORS

A friend called me one day to say that a neighbor was throwing away several old doors and asked if I might be interested. I drove to Llewellyn Park, a planned suburban community in New Jersey developed in 1853, where I found six beautifully crafted wooden doors, including a carriage door with brass hardware.

I cleaned and restored them, and on those made of solid wood I painted directly on the surface, intentionally leaving much of the original wood visible. For the doors that contained glass, I removed the caulking and panes and replaced the openings with rice paper, which I attached to the doors using wire. The imagery on the rice paper was created with paint that was then covered with wax.

When light passes through the doors, the paintings are illuminated and transform, appearing differently from each side. Each door is supported by a movable stand, allowing for flexible installation. 

I later added two more contemporary doors. On one, I painted directly onto the glass surface; this door is mounted on a sliding barn-door track and remains fully functional. For the other, I removed a large glass panel, filled the opening with clay beads, and painted sections of the remaining wood.