News
November 2007
Since my last update I've moved my home and studio. The move slowed down my mosaic projects (and my website updates) but I'm situated now and last month I finished a mosaic coffee table for my new patio. This was my first project using thin set mortar. I love the dimensional effects I can create with this thick adhesive.
The Europe trip in June was fantastic and I made the most of the art opportunities. In France I saw La Maison Picassiette (mosaic house) and Notre Dame de Chartres (largest collection of medieval stained glass in the world) in Chartres, France (about 1 hour outside Paris by train).
The Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam and Musee d'Orsay in Paris are my new favorites. In some of Van Gogh's pieces I can't help but make the analogy between his heavy and individual brush strokes and the nature of mosaic art . . .
Thank you to Gary Drostle, president of the British Association for Modern Mosaic, for making time to show me his studio in Greenwich, England, having lunch and the "best coffee in Greenwich" (I agree!) with me and letting me pick his brain about mosaics and teaching. Gary was very busy with a church floor mosaic installation when I was there so I appreciate his making time for me. Please visit BAMM's website for more information about their organization.
In October I was back in England on the Isle of Wight and visited Brading Roman Villa which has mosaic floors from around 300 A.D.
CLASSES:
I'm still teaching at the Creative Arts Studio in Royal Oak, Michigan and I couldn't be happier with the studio, the students and the projects. My mosaic classes include Mosaic Mirrors, Mosaic Teapots and Canisters, and the upcoming Mosaic Holiday Trees (December) and Mosaic Tables (January). Please contact the studio for more information at 248-544-2234.
June 2007
Summer is officially here, I’m feeling mellow and inspired in a great way and there is a lot to look forward to. I changed jobs and I am off to Europe for a week before the new job starts. On my Europe “art” agenda are Musee d’Orsay and Rodin Gardens in Paris (thanks for narrowing these choices down for me, Jeff!); La Mason Picassiette in Chartres, France (one man covered the entire house and garden in mosaics); and some of the London-based mosaic artists’ studios (artists I met at the SAMA convention, see March 2007 below).
This month I will start teaching at the Creative Arts Studio in Royal Oak. See all information about the classes, below. It is not too late to sign up.
Well, it was only a matter of time before I started using this website as a soapbox! Please check out the new page, "Left Brain," where I will include writings (mine and others’) related to the arts and/or mosaics. This month I focus on a recent case in copyright law (do I miss my law firm job already?). Topics will vary and meander from month to month.
Cheers and keep creating!
May 2007
CLASSES COMING SOON!
I will be teaching the following classes at Creative Arts Studio in Royal Oak, Michigan in June and July:
Mosaic Mirrors: Create a flat panel mosaic mirror using self-glazed and painted pottery pieces, glass tile and other items. Beginner-Intermediate level. Focus is on mosaic fundamentals, technique and design. A three-week class, Weds. 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., June 27th. July 11 and July 18.
Mosaic Teapots: Create a three-dimensional mosaic-covered teapot. Beginner – Advanced. Focus is on mosaic technique and design. A three-week class, Thurs., 6:30-8:30 p.m., July 26, August 2 and 9. Click here for sample teapot.
Please email me for more information about the classes or call Creative Arts Studio at 248.544.2234 to reserve a spot; class size is limited to eight.
April 2007
If there is beauty in a piece of art, a person can absorb it and become more
beautiful.
- C. Loloma
Society of American Mosaic Artists Conference
In March I attended the Society of American Mosaic Artists (SAMA) Conference in
Arizona. Hello to new friends and artists from the conference. And thanks to
Nicole and Ray for the use of their beautiful and very relaxing condo!
The conference was everything I hoped it would be. I learned something from
every workshop, every presentation, and almost every conversation with other
artists.
I was learning new techniques within the first 5 minutes of
Enzo Aiello’s Andamento workshop on the first day. This was also my
first time cutting marble. As soon as I got back to my own studio I started a
face piece using andamento techniques I learned in his class. I’m trying the
techniques in glass, however, because I am still a glass junkie!
I’ll save time with the new substrate prep techniques and minor changes to
grouting methods I learned in Yulia
Hanansen’s class. See my latest teapot, which I grouted in her class.
She suggested the rose grout. I would not have thought of it, but I love the
effect. The teapot is in Lansing at the Delphi Glass Show this month.
Highlights of the conference presentations were Ilana
Shafir’s retrospective of her journey through art and mosaic work- an
amazing woman who has lived an amazing life. Enzo Aiello’s presentation made
the point of the eternal conflict between mosaic and painting in art, and the
need for the tesserae to become more autonomous (I’m still thinking about this
one).
Steve Aimone put together an
interesting presentation on the Spiritual Language of Design, exploring a
variety of artists and mediums and presenting examples of the elements of art
and design through mosaic. One of my favorite quotes from his presentation was
presented while someone’s cell phone was going off in the audience. Seriously.
Soon silence will have passed into legend.
Man has turned his back on silence.
Day after day he invents machines and devices that increase
noise
And distract humanity from the essence of life,
contemplation, meditation.
- Jean Arp
The presentation "A New Perspective On Non-Western Mosaics" gave me just that.
A new perspective. I was able to see some of the Native American pieces
presented on slides in person at the Heard Museum in downtown Phoenix at the
closing night party, including Charles Loloma’s amazing jewelry work.
PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION, Phoenix, AZ
While at the SAMA conference, I participated in SAMA’s Mosaic Marathon, a
round-the-clock large-scale mosaic project, designed by artist
Kim Emerson. I worked on the faces on one of the panels. The Sunday
morning after the conference, I watched the installation on the building in
Phoenix. Kim’s design is wonderful and both the design and color choices really
lend themselves to the size and viewing distance of the installation. I am so
pleased to have been a tiny part of this great project. To see the final
pieces, visit the Southwest Human Development building at 2850 24th Street,
just south of Thomas Street in Phoenix.
March 2007
There is a lot going on lately. It's exciting, and I'm working to fit everything in. After a successful trip to Florida (including beautiful sunny days with 80 degree temperatures!), my art is now in the Seaweed Galleries on Captiva and Sanibel Islands in Florida and the Matlacha Art Gallery in Matlacha, Florida.
Last month, a metro-Detroit art studio asked me to teach a mosaics class. I'm still working out dates for the classes, but I'll provide updates here.
The Society of American Mosaic Artists' annual conference is in Arizona at the end of March. I know I'll come back from it inspired and trying out new ideas and techniques! I'm particularly looking forward to workshops with some of the Italian artists. I have wanted to study the Roman mosaics, and work with smalti, for some time now.
January 2007
Happy New Year! The Christmas Inspirations in Glass and Clay show in December was a success. We were also joined by several other glass and clay artists. Thanks to everyone who came out!
I'm looking forward to this year. I took a promo package to my favorite Florida gallery and got a very good response. It looks like I may be exhibiting my work in three Florida galleries. Great news because I love the art and colors in much of the work I've seen in these galleries. And some of my work is influenced by my trips to the Florida Gulf Coast area anyway. When I'm there, I comb flea markets and shops for items to include in my work, including brightly colored glass fish and glass gems, and I usually do some sketches, including beach items like shells. More news and details to come . . .
December 2006
The Christmas Inspirations in Glass and Clay is December 9, 2006 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Universal Stained Glass in Oak Park, Michigan. Brenda, Michelle and I (and one guest artist) will have a variety of work available in all price ranges- perfect for gifts. I hope to see you there!
October 2006
Richard Kubinski Art Competition and Exhibit, Friends of Polish Art
Heaven and Earth took Honorable Mention and People’s Choice awards at the 21st Annual Richard Kubinski Art Competition & Exhibit presented by the Friends of Polish Art at the Galeria of Orchard Lake. This was quite an honor, not only because there were some very good artists participating, and a wide variety of art, but also because my pieces were the only mosaic pieces in the show. As some of you mosaic and glass artists might know, glass art is not always recognized as a fine art form and I believe that in some shows and exhibits, the lack of knowledge about these art forms really cuts against us (no pun intended).
Regarding Heaven and Earth, judge Sharon L. Dillenbeck said "The elemental power of this work is expressed by its subject matter." Now, time to get to work for the December Inspirations show.
Ruth Swartout and Heaven and Earth were featured in The Polish Weekly, October 12, 2006, pgs. 1, 3, 13 (click for English or Polish) and Orchard Lake Good News, Winter 2006, p. 38.
July 2006
Second Annual Inspirations in Glass and Clay Art Show
I participated in my first Inspirations in Glass and Clay art show with artists Brenda Supuwood and Michelle Smart. I have grown more as a mosaic artist from this experience than any other. I was challenged to balance work and art to create enough pieces for the show. And nothing develops skill like practice. Lots of it. My art was featured in a Detroit Free Press article along with Brenda and Michelle’s art. Thanks again to Brenda for inviting me to be a part of this. It has done more for my mosaic art than she will ever imagine and both Michelle and Brenda are an inspiration to work with. Everyone pitched in time and energy to make the show a success. Thanks also to my husband Vince and friend Sonya for all of their help getting ready for the show and working the show! I could not have done it without them.
April 2006
Christine Stewart’s Class
In April 2006 I took Christine Stewart’s Glass Mosaic Teapots class. Christine is great. She got me thinking more like a mosaic artist than a stained glass artist. I completed the teapot project, called "Thaipot" due to the Thai and elephant theme. Thaipot is featured on this website and in a later newspaper article (now in a private collection after the July 2006 art show). I was in the middle of the piece Heaven and Earth when I took Christine’s class and, as a result, Heaven and Earth changed quite a bit from beginning to end. I added more to Heaven and Earth than I would have prior to Christine’s class. I think it turned out less structured and with more movement and interest to the piece.
April 2005
Gaborone, Botswana
In April 2005 I worked with friends Jay and Jen Zerbel to design and install a mosaic tile floor in a dome bathroom building in Gaborone, Botswana. Jay, husband Vince and brother Ben worked on the plumbing for the building. It takes a village to raise a bathroom, right?
This mosaic project was a defining moment in my art career. I sat under a tree in Botswana, creating designs from bits of tile I had smashed on a brick with a hammer. It was the first time I really felt like an "artist." There is nowhere better for creating art than outside with the hot African sun, fresh air and a crate of found tiles. Africa clears the head.
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