Living in a Volkswagen van in the getaway town of Laguna Beach, California, Tim Rusmisel is a 32 year-old vegan, straight edge, yogi, surfer, artist, drummer, who never stops in his mission for total liberation. Working with local animal activists, drumming in the vegan band Seven Generations, and sporting an enormous black and green tattoo on his throat, “XVEGANX,” Tim is constantly triggering discussion, comments and ideas. It is no wonder his artwork goes beyond the image itself.

Tim’s photography spans the scope of social justice and environmental liberation. In fact, eschewing today’s modern practices, he opts for a 100 percent vegan technique called the wet plate process. Invented in 1851—the second photo process ever invented—Tim cuts pieces of glass to the specific size camera and turns the glass into film by hand, right on the scene where he shoots.

Tim’s series Better Than War studies the seemingly harmless world of plastic toy soldiers. In the following commentary on his images from the series Christmas Trees, Tim explores the mournful leftovers of our holiday excesses.—M.W.