Gallery: 3-D Mosaic Torso
Glass comes to life when placed at angles upon a 3-D substrate. Just when I think it is the familiarity of the human form, I am reminded of the light energy that moves within and around us every day. It’s a study in and of itself to set a torso in a sunny room and to watch as it completely reinvents itself depending upon the angle of the sun throughout the day.
THEY ONLY SAW HER TRUE COLORS AS SHE WAS WALKING OUT THE DOOR…
As I was working on this piece, my first attempt at 3-D mosaic work, there were many conversations with a dear friend transitioning out of a job situation that was no longer nourishing her soul after many years of loyal service. I think it shocked the people she left behind when she cast a big ole YES vote for herself.
Sometimes it takes an uncomfortable place to nudge us into growth but the wisdom we gain explodes into a riot of color when our eyes are open to see it…
We realize again what a beautiful and vibrant place the world can be….
22″ x 13″ Mother of pearl, stained glass, opalescent beads, amethyst and carnellian stones, fused glass tile
THE TROUBLED HEART
No matter how we as American citizens may have processed or denied the events of September 11th, it seems forever emblazoned upon the hearts of our soldiers.
And while the purple heart is sometimes awarded to those who demonstrate true courage on behalf of our freedom to express all of our thoughts about war, I often think about the lives of those, both military and civilvian, whose blood has been spattered in the name of peace. It feels right to honor their lives rather than to focus on their deaths.
Representative of the faces of so many young generations, my own father, at age 18, once stood beside the Rhine River, a grateful survivor of the Battle of the Bulge during WWII. At 84 he is now a fledgling healer, beginning to come full circle with his own life experience as a soldier.
Some mornings are easier than others, but he continues to rise each day with gratitude for another day to live, an ache for those who never made it home into the arms of their loved ones and a determination to hang his own flag out on his porch for all to see.
Thanks, Dad.
HER SPIRIT REMAINS INTACT
This project evolved as a friend, and former teacher of my two daughters, underwent a double mastectomy this past October. As my friend began to schedule chemo treatments, I started laying tesserae, each piece with a mantra for wellness and healing.
I estimate 8,000 pieces of frosted pink beach glass. The piece also includes shards of stained glass, beads, spheres of rose quartz, and dichroic fused glass tiles. Handmade clay face tiles represent the seven chakras of healing and the voices of women with wisdom to share. The butterflies rising up off her right shoulder symbolize triumph and the birthing of new endeavors.
Many blessings for wellness ~
FATIMA
I purchased the statue of this lovely lady from Margaret Wilson who owns Many Hands Trading in downtown Corvallis. She seemed a bit drab in her cement garb so I enlivened her with some shards of broken china, pearl embellishments in her hair and completed her look with a pearl necklace.
