Mosaic Art

Mosaic art is a relatively new passion for me, sparked by a lifelong love of glass. I work with a rich collection of glass smalti and tiles, natural stone, and stained glass. I'm still early in this journey, focused on the joy of making while I develop my personal style.

Crustose

Named for the lichen that inspired this piece, look closely in the field and you'll find one of nature's most dimensional and complex surfaces, full of color, texture, and surprising detail.
Clever Lizard

A portrait of my beloved bearded dragon, Lewis. A meaty project with 40 hand-pulled threads, but in the end, Lewis approved! Visit my blog to see how this piece was made.
Inner Piece

A single piece of uramaki sushi, my favorite indulgence, rendered entirely in hand-pulled malmischiato. Because some subjects demand nothing less.

Behind the Work

Some thoughts on the materials I love and the space I work in. Check out my Mosaic Blog for more.

Color Me Rad

Malmischiato is the technique of intentional, beautiful chaos… torch-blending different smalti colors and pulling them into filati threads. I make my own, which is hands-on and a little unpredictable. The colors always surprise me, and I love finding a place for them in my work. It results in tesserae that are richer, sharper, and more complex than anything a single color could achieve.
My Studio

My studio has two spaces — indoors where I play with materials, work out the details of a project, and finish pieces, and a garage where I fire up the torch, open the bay door, and pull threads. My Uplift desk adjusts from sitting to standing, which makes a difference when I'm deep in a piece for hours. Each space has its own energy, and I love moving between them.
Smalti Love

Color is everything to me, and nothing delivers it quite like smalti. I work with both Mexican and Italian smalti, each with its own strengths depending on the application. For torchwork, Italian is my go-to, less temperamental and steeped in the history and tradition of Murano glass, largely unchanged for centuries. I always love getting a smalti shipment at my door — it feels like Christmas!
Lost and Found

Pulling threads is where I lose track of time completely. The torch drowns everything out and my mind wanders — it's one of the few places where I'm completely present without trying to be. Torch work is a little unpredictable by nature, and every pull is different. I never quite know what I’ll find when I cut into them, and it never gets old.