For the past decade, I’ve randomly stopped by Las Monos Gallery in Andersonville to check out the wonderful and surprising artists shown there. Early this summer I had the opportunity to meet and chat with the gallery’s owner, Michelle Peterson-Albandoz. Michelle salvages discarded wood from construction sites and uses small, component pieces cut with a table saw to create these brilliant patterns and textures. Inspired by the rainforest of Puerto Rico where she spent her childhood, she uses her creative process to confront humankind’s ecological assault, viewing her art as a sort of reversal of discard and waste. Last week she opened her second solo show at LongView Gallery in Washington D.C., and you can see much more of her work here.
