Cruz is a fine art woodworker, living one and a half hours north of Philadelphia. A leading wood stain artist, creating artisanal works on new and vintage wood substrates.

The collections are often created in tandem with ‘story’— narratives from the substrate itself, or other stories that inspire Cruz to visual design. The results are luxurious works of art with imbued history and elegance.

In this work there is also a reverence for the Tree and a conscious-awareness, giving a tree a third iteration of life. Cruz has coined this quality in her work as "Wàsayū” (wah-sah-yoo), inspired by Japanese perspectives that contrast to the western view of beauty. This view celebrates the beauty of natural age and passing of time. 'Wàsayū' means: profound grace in obscured transient beauty.

Born in 1972 in the South Bronx, Cruz moved around the United States before settling in New Jersey 
in 1996. At the age of six began drawing in a realist style, and innately drawn to tools and wood finishes, began working with them at age ten.

Exhibiting as early as 1988, then put herself through school and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Cruz's works are in national and international private collections.

GrainStain Arts^® began in 2014. With no books instructing how to use woodstain as an actual Fine Art painting medium, Cruz pioneered original methods and has been developing them ever since.

This work is a passion. It has uncovered a path that started before I could walk. I’m grateful it led me to the present moment.
N. Cruz

1973

Drawn to a hand made wooden birdhouse, in her grandfather's backyard before she could walk. Lancaster County, Lititz, PA

1975

From the very beginning, 'tools' were where Cruz wanted to be.

1981

During summer visits to her grandparents', Cruz experienced hand crafted wood turned curios, games, toys, and instruments. This was the imprinting of joy she brought back home and began working with wood finishes.

1984

Cruz's grandfather, made beautiful wood turnings and Dulcimers. When overtaken by the craftsmanship, she asked for one. It took some convincing, but he acquiesced. Nearly 40 years later the tradition and craftsmanship they represent hold high honors in her home.

2014

 GrainStain Arts  was born on a humble workbench, where stain experimentation began for a bespoke desk Cruz designed and built.

2014-2017

During the pioneering of these stain techniques, Cruz focused on developing methods to use it as a Fine Art medium on wood. Not using rags, but the very brushes used in traditional fine oil painting.

2017

With a new vintage shop near by, Cruz was naturally drawn to Tools and Lasts. The first haul shown here, felt mysterious yet right. She saw the tree they had been, what they currently were, and what they could become.

2018

The first vintage shoe last design.
After decades of realism (replicating nature and figure), Cruz now most often creates her own brew of abstract-realism.

Counted among artisans who capture 'Likeness' versus portraiture, translating essence and narrative are vastly more fulfilling.

TODAY

Creating artisanal works with her original craft of stain on vintage substrates, Cruz continues distilling fine art with that special brew. It speaks to honoring the past with present commitment to history, imperfect beauty, and a luxuriously positive approach to life.