Colorful Mosaics Transforming the Ordinary
I combine classical and contemporary mosaic techniques and infuse them with my own sense of humor, style and love of the medium. Whether I am interpreting iconic imagery, such as the Palmetto Moon South Carolina flag, with hidden Lowcountry icons, recreating a much revered painting in hand-cut glass pieces, or overhauling a household object with an injection of colorful glass, I love creating mosaics.
11” x 9”, glass on glass
lands in the back yard for the new year!
They made a stop in my azaleas before heading off to Flamingo Lane. Best commission this year!
with several hidden low country images
After a visit to Mepkin Abbey and tasting the ‘shrooms the monks grow, I have a new appreciation of fungi. But this colorful piece is all about fun, and just happens to share a mushroom theme with our local monestary!
Custom made stained glass mosaic house numbers to brighten to your entry and welcome guests! Available in a variety of sizes for hanging or free standing.
When I traded in my Passat wagon for a Honda Accord I needed something to help distinguish my dark 4-door sedan from the many others in large parking lots. And those dealer frames really irritate me. So I turned around in my head the idea of making my own license plate frame, in glass mosaic. I made my first frame in red, orange, yellow and green vitreous glass. I remember waiting anxiously the first time I took it through the car wash. To my delight, the frame emerged in tact!
I have since stepped up my production to include specially made steel bases, updated grouting technique and of course design innovations in that 1” x 12” key space. I have made hundreds of frames, all completely by hand. I have shipped to enthusiastic clients from New York to Hawaii, Washington to Florida.
My husband dug that very first frame out of the garage, and to my delight put it on his new car. It’s so great to see that colorful frame everyday in our driveway and realize it still has the structural integrity I intended and still makes me smile!
I accept orders for ready-to-ship designs and your wild idea custom license frames at the Riviera Arts etsy shop. They are priced $58 & up and fit most all US cars.
Available for purchase in my etsy shop.
See recent projects as they take shape!
These are my tools. I cut all my glass with these simple hand tools. For the bird mosaics, I use all 3 styles of cutters (nippers, scorer+running pliers, and groziers) on each and every piece!
So great to embellish my cousin’s home with mosaic creatures!
Yanyu finishes her piece in the Riviera Arts studio!
Mod Garden Ball taking shape.
Has to get her paws in the middle of it!
Pineapple mosaic before grout
Blondie Mirror taking shape.
These talented ladies ROCK IT! with their very first mosaics!
Writing letters with glass, particularly in fun fonts, can be be a challenge.
I have been incredibly fortunate to learn from and work with some amazing artists, teachers, mosaic groups and non-profits. Here are some groups and individuals close to my heart and influential to my artistic development that you might find interesting.
I had the privilege to take a precision cutting workshop with Jenn Kuhns last summer at Santa Barbara School of Mosaic Arts. Not only is Jenn a really cool person and talented artist, she is a true glass whisperer. She generously shares her well-honed techniques of perfectly cutting stained glass, using only a few simple hand tools, that will elevate your skills, save glass and improve your art.
Gayle brought a few friends into my studio for a Fast Start Mosaic Workshop. In just 3 rapid work sessions these talented women learned mosaic basics including cutting glass with hand tools and grouting, creating amazing works of art. I can’t wait to see what they do for an encore!
I have been privileged to take workshops with this incredible artist and teacher. Carol Shelkin truly “paints with glass”.
This Edmonton, Canada based mosaic artist is the queen of color! I had the pleasure of taking a color course with her at SBSMA.
“Art is not about passing a blummin’ exam!”
I love this woman and her incredible art. Based in the UK, Caroline is not only an incredibly prolific artist doing large scale installations for schools, pubs, gardens and more, she is also very generous about sharing her process with her multitude of followers through her social media posts.
The Society of American Mosaic Artists is an amazing organization that supports beginning through professional mosaic artists reach their potential. Check out their website to discover more about other member mosaic artists and see samples of their art.
The Grace Fisher Foundation is a non-profit arts organization run by an amazing young woman. Despite her own severe disabilities, Grace Fisher continues to produce art and music. Her Allies For Arts programs are dedicated to promoting the arts with special needs children. It was a pleasure to work with the kids and their parents on a sea life themed bench for an event in 2017.
Tami is my mosaic mentor. We met when I discovered her school, Santa Barbara School of Mosaic Art, and mosaic art when I needed a creative outlet in my stressful life. I have been cutting glass ever since and regularly take workshops with some of the most influential teachers in American mosaics at Tami’s school. Tami has a second business, Mosaic Arts Online providing video workshops, does private commissions, AND is the current president of our national mosaic society- SAMA.
Working with the formerly homeless in downtown Los Angeles, Leigh and Dawn at Piece by Piece lead the way! The group and individual mosaic projects produced here offer participants not only new skills and a means of artistic expression, but also self-reliance and even an opportunity to produce an income.
Working with Stephen Dunier, aka the Yarn Bomber, and his numerous international fiber artist collaborators. My mosaic buddy Ruth Rassler and I were the only mosaic contributors on the Dreamers project wrapping the Tucson Children's Hospital. This temporary installation coincided with Stephen's 2017 TED Talk Tucson.
