Tom Fruin’s mini-houses are an homage to the once powerful brick industry of the Hudson Valley that also reference the history of building techniques. Fruin translates the bricks and mortar traditionally used in building houses into acrylic glass and steel. Fruin’s houses are internally lit, appearing as ghostlike replicas. As the viewer moves along the row of houses -- a reference to the simple homes built to house brickyard and other industrial workers -- the mini-houses transition in form and color. The brick and mortar references becomes more abstracted, ultimately giving way to a vertical internal structure and deep blue tones. This final piece in the series mimics the choice building materials of today: steel and glass. His artwork typically repurposes salvaged or discarded materials. Fruin is conscious of the irony in his works: that the widespread adoption by the building industry of the very same materials he uses was partly responsible for the demise of the brick industry.