I was lucky enough to have an aunt and grandmother who put colors and paper in my hand at a very young age. The seed was planted and from then on, I gravitated toward art whenever it was available. Every elective I ever took was centered around art and creativity. I grew up to become an English teacher and every chance I got, I incorporated art into my students' assignments. I always painted on canvas as a hobby until one day a beautiful hippie on the Venice boardwalk was selling small hand-crafted mosaic mirrors. A light bulb surged and I stared at this little mirror every day on my wall. It was when I was house-hunting that I came upon a beautiful fireplace that was surrounded by random mosaic pieces. This house became my home. The garage and front room of that home became my mosaic art studio. There is something magnificent about drawing onto raw wood and creating one-of-a-kind brilliant mosaic art pieces. And there is something so cool about taking run-down items such as broken clocks and weathered wall art and transforming them into something brand new and original.
My upbringing, island travels, and love for teaching all contribute to my art style and direction. Nostalgia is my compass. There is much to learn about ourselves through mosaic-making. I aim to facilitate the same sense of self-reflection and self-awareness that I experience while in the “art flow.”
I taught junior high and high school English for over 12 years, but it was never the subject-matter that mattered to me. It’s always been the children. The innocent souls. I’ll always be a teacher. It is who I am and I’m committed to infusing creativity into the lives of others, especially into the lives of budding minds.
I've become passionate about developing DIY mosaic art kits or, as I like to call them... "Little Art Lessons in a Box." I include everything that is needed to make art (and often functional art such as drink coasters) and learn the basics of mosaic-making. One DIY kit can potentially teach someone everything they need to know to continue making their own creative mosaic art pieces.
The beautiful thing about making mosaics is that no two pieces are ever the same and every step builds upon the next. Every step and every little piece of glass is important for the whole. We can do no wrong while we enter into a thoughtful state of flow and introspection during the artistic process.
It’s not about the art. It’s about how art illustrates lessons, emulates life, and provides a journey into self.