Connecticut Art and Garden Tour

We work as a team collaborating on handmade cutting boards and signs made from local trees. Each piece is enhanced with Gretchen's wood burned art.

Artist's Statement

Lauren Merlo: Our cutting boards are made from cherry. This wood is from local trees that have come down. I have them milled into boards and air dried. I then rip the boards into strips, stand them on edge, and creatively glue them back together. Then, I sand and edge them, making satiny smooth boards of various sizes.
Gretchen Geromin: When I get each “blank” cutting board (my canvas), I look it over carefully letting the character and grain of the wood speak to me and help me decide what and where to put my artwork. After I have done a simple pencil sketch on the board, I work on it with my woodburning, bringing in all the details. It’s all in how I handle the tool – be it angle, pressure, or strokes – that creates different effects.