“Tear it down” is a series of mix media collage paintings exploring the unanticipated beauty found in different forms of media found in and around an urban environment. Newspapers, posters and flyers are just some of the items collected and used in these pieces. Although these materials are often regarded as trash, here they have been recycled in another way. Not only are these salvaged treasures used as the muse but also the medium. These works come to life through a process of layering, collage, painting, removing fragments and forcing different media and techniques into co-existence. While the materials used are often rife with text and imagery, the process renders the material nearly unrecognizable making the final product abstract.