Artist Mitchell Erick creates wood assemblages in the manner of suprematism. “I enjoy the physical aspects of working with lightweight poplar wood slats—cutting, sanding, painting, connecting, to create abstract, contemporary wall hangings,” says Mitchell. He has had a long career as an advertising copywriter and creative director working for ad agencies in New York and Honolulu, as well as The Walt Disney Company for nine years. He also ran his own boutique agency and now works for a financial services company. First inspired by a Mondrian print in his office, he wanted to create a dimensional wall sculpture in wood characterized by Mondrian's compositional simplicity and his use of heavy black lines, contrasting colors, and common geometric shapes. “When I had my own agency, I bought some metal rods from The Home Depot, painted them, and had something cool for our conference room.” Twenty years later, in search of an artistic endeavor, he thought of those rods and spent two years in creative development playing around with wooden slats—sizes, dimensions, cutting techniques, color palettes, and methods of assembly. Today, his studio is in his garage with a workbench and storage space for materials, about 100 cans of spray paint, power saws, and other tools. “Sometimes, after a busy day of digital marketing, I can’t wait to hammer in some nails, rattle a can of spray paint, and fill my garage with the loud buzz of a power saw.”