Iman "Model of the Year" - Morse-Code Mosaic

"Model of the Year" is created from a 1966 promotional photo of Iman by Vogue magazine when they named her "Model of the Year" (Iman was the first native African woman to receive this honor, she is also known for her marriage to David Bowie from 1992 until his death in 2016).  This mosaic piece is made from 100% Zero-Waste wood using Peruvian Walnut, African Edinam, American Cherry, Beech and Hard Maple species that are remnants from the milling of wood used to create frame molding (I have created hundreds of Zero-Waste wood frames).  Wood species were selected specifically to create natural hue and value shifts in defining her portrait. 

This piece made up of roughly 730 individual pieces that were clear coated to enhance the beauty of the various wood species - each piece was first cut, sanded, and assembled by hand, then mounted in a custom, solid American Hard Maple, shadowbox frame.

I call it a "Morse-Code Mosaic" because rather than being made up from "dots", this piece is created with dots and dashes (of wood).

Framed size is 21.5" x 21.5" x 2"