Substrate and Medium
Spruce, Fir, Pine, Maple, Cedar, Ash, Elm, Oak, Sassafras, and Birch are just some of the species used. GrainStain Arts® works with superior pigmented stain. A virtually non-toxic stain, allowing Cruz to work indoors. The preferred clear finish is one dating back to antiquity yet boasts as one of the greenest finishes with natural UV resistancy. Stain on wood is an unforgiving medium. It requires knowledge and experience of technique, something Cruz has pioneered in this medium.
The Quite Element
GrainStain Arts® is rooted in a belief about transient beauty and grace, coined by Cruz as, wàsayū™. It is a quiet underpinning, inspired by the Japanese aesthetics: Wabi (侘), Sabi (寂) and Yūgen (幽玄). Wàsayū is always present in Cruz's work because this quiet belief is also in the substrate itself. It is an experience of beauty in the rustic, humble, aged, imperfect, and mysterious. Western beauty is grand, perfect, symmetrical and sparkling. In contrast, wabi-sabi is the embracing of the imperfect and transient nature of life. Yūgen is a feeling; moments in life of profound grace that go beyond words. United in Cruz's work, they are the quiet:
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