I’d like to call this exhibition ‘Beauties and Beasts in Mosaic Art’. On the Beauty side, I’m continuing to take a lot of inspiration from the fabulous garden I sit in - mosaicing flowers, greenery, and birds. My artist-colleague Alan Brouder cut some really lovely bird shapes for me from MDF so I’ve been making rather a specialism of these recently, decorating each one individually in hand-cut pieces of stained glass. I’ve added a dance theme too, because trying to portray the energy and movement of dance in glass pieces is such fun. On the Beastly side, I am still very keen on scenes from mythology and the darker side of the natural world, although most of the work I’ve produced has been on commission and has gone elsewhere. I tend towards flowing lines rather than geometry, with plenty of colour and intricate detail - very decorative, with lots to look at in any given piece.
I was totally inspired by a tour around Oxford Artweek several years ago, at the number of interesting people creating beautiful things in sheds! So here I am, striving to do the same in a wonderful split-level shed I had specially made. I love taking commissions, as well as working alongside other people to help them make their own mosaics, but left to myself I really enjoy upcycling old pieces of furniture (tables, trays…) with mosaic art. This year I am studying at Mosaic School in London, learning to mosaic portraits among other things - portraits could be some of the work-in-progress on hand during this year’s Artweek. Mosaic is generally an overlooked art form, but its use of colour and ability to depict movement and flow make it unique. I am truly excited to be able to share my passion for it and look forward to meeting many neighbours and new friends in early May.