As the
daughter of a Vermont stone mason I have always admired the contrasting
shape and textures of stone and mortar. In 2000, with the help of my
father, I learned to lay tile and found the process deeply satisfying.
After tiling the bathroom and mudroom of my Montpelier home, I
experimented with mosaics. My first mosaic was created during an
afternoon project with my eight year old daughter. The mosaic plates
that we created that day incorporated shards of glass and porcelain,
buttons and marbles, shells and costume jewelry, beads and staples. I
discovered then how limitless mosaic art is.
What started as an experiment with some broken dishes and a hammer, quickly became a passion. Working with glass, tile, and porcelain I create mosaic pieces that are both beautiful and useful. I take particular pleasure in creating Pique Assiette* mosaics from unwanted chipped dishes. The china and porcelain I use are of differing styles and time periods, with their own history and charm.
In 2004 I expanded my glass work to include fused glass. My fused glass work involves cutting layering the glass in my designs, and firing them at temperatures of up to 1500 degrees to achieve various textures and color combinations I am unable to achieve with mosaics. This type of glass work seems a natural extension of my mosaic art.
I draw all of my designs freehand finding inspiration in the beauty of Vermont gardens. Each piece is one-of-a-kind. My unique method of creation includes smoothing all sharp edges of a piece. This provides a smooth and touchable surface while providing the eye with contrasting shapes and textures.
My mosaic art and fused glass work sells in craft galleries in Vermont. My work also includes commission work and mosaic restoration work.
* Pique Assiette(also called Shard Art, Memoryware and bits and pieces mosaics) is a folk art of recycling broken glass, pottery and porcelain and found objects to create decorative pieces for the home and garden. The French term Pique Assiette quite literally means "stolen from plate" and is a reference to Raymond Edouard Isidore. Born in 1900, Isidore began collecting glass and pottery shards in 1938 from the fields near his home in Chartes, France. Like anyone who works in this craft could understand, he got a little carried away and compulsive with his calling and covered every surface of his home, inside and out, with mosaic designs. His neighbors famously referred to him as "Picassiette" - plate stealer. Today the term Pique Assiette is widely accepted and used to describe this fascinating folk art medium.
