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I am participating in the DIPTYCH PROJECT, where approximately 20 New England mosaic artists have been paired off with 20 New England encaustic artists. We each create a panel, then the other artist reinterprets it in her/his medium. I will post my encaustic partner's response to this piece when she creates it. And yes, as the title suggests, there are 8 bird silhouettes in this mosaic. I created the sketch from previous mosaic sketches, decided color palette as I went along.

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Another bird mosaic, I made this one as a demo piece for a presentation to the Newton Artist's Association in 2009.

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I experimented with using more broken pottery in this piece, and like the way it gives a sense of texture to the owl.

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Creating a bird mosaic is always an enjoyable process for me.

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In this mosaic, my starting point was a line drawing of stochastic mixing layers. What the heck is a stochastic mixing layer you might rightfully ask. 'Stochastic' is a greek word, and according to Wikipedia, "A stochastic process is one whose behavior is non-deterministic, in that a system's subsequent state is determined both by the process's predictable actions and by a random element." The 'predictable actions' are the layers which start out as vertical mosaic columns on top and bottom. THe silver and green mirror bits are the random elements. How they interact and are thrown about when they meet evolved with the laying of the mosaic. As with my other abstract work, I am trying several differnet things at a time; in this case I was also working the composition in a series of 1 1/2 inch horizontal rows, wherein the expanded grout line becomes an important visual element.

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I began working on this mosaic after learning that an acquaintance had just begun receiving hospice care. I approached the work as if this were the last fall season one would experience. At the center are mirror bits in black grout that when counted, add up to 3 months. The mirrors flicker when you move past lending emphasis and a sense of movement.

These abstract mosaics are very challenging to create. I love the process. It involves much adding and subtracting to get it 'right', and then the grout comes along and adds a new look, changing it again. In this work I used 4 different grouts to achieve the desired effect.

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I have wanted to do a completely abstract piece of my own for YEARS and finally got around to it. Inspired by the way pavement breaks up, I thoroughly enjoyed the process of assembling this mosaic with just a small idea of where I was planning on going with it.

**Won Best in Show, Somerville,Museum Art of Mosaic 2009

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I envision this as part of a 4 seasons 4 panel mosaic. The graphic light/dark areas will continue onto the previous (winter) and next (summer) panels. Some of the elements include Lady Slippers, a bird's nest and robin's eggs, fringed polygala and an eft.

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Inspired by Sulphur Shelf mushrooms.

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Once again, this scene came about while on a bike ride. I often get ideas while out riding or walking, then think, think, think about them and what I want to portray. I experimented with grout lines, different ways of laying tile shapes - in particular the idea of stacking tiles vertically but having color more horizontal (this is what is going on with the green midsection.) I also got the sky to be more chaotic and tempestuous by switching out tiles here and there so the lines didn't run 'straight'. And finally, the handling of the goldenrod was inspired by a student of mine's mosaic.

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A small mosaic, yet one of my favorites of all, I did this as a sample for the Honors College mosaic at the University of Maine. I ended up going in a different direction with the final mural.

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My intention before starting this mosaic was to do another underwater scene from a different perspective and to do it wihout any blue. While searching for imagery, I came upon a photograph of spawning salmon that I kept returning to. To sum up, I changed course and this is the result. It is my favorite work to date. Also, there are mirror bits throughout that do not appear in photos, but lend another element of motion to the work.

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Male and female goldfinches.

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When I do my personal work ( that is, NOT a commission), I like to experiment with getting away from strict representational imagery. I still am drawn to depicting the natural world, but doing so in a way that takes advantage of the medium, and evokes a more emotional response.

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I got ideas for portions of this mosaic while x-c skiing this past winter. I kept hoping I'd be lucky and see a Barred Owl, the most common owl in our vicinity here in western Massachusetts.

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This is a re-do of the migration piece I did in 2003. I changed some things and am pleased with the effect of light and dark in this version. If I ever did a THIRD take, I'd make further changes as well!