In 2000, Ella Rhoades walked into the world of mosaics through the back door like an old familiar friend. Facing her first rainy season in Oregon with two young children, she listened to the voice within that suggested she start a pointillist painting upon her family rooms walls. Upon completion, her spirit lifted and she transferred her energy into working with a variety of tesserae to create mosaics.

Rhoades is quick to connect with the creative spark that calls to each of us; her mosaic work serves as a catalyst for reminding us that beauty and meaning often come to us during the times when we experience the greatest fragmentation. At the core of every piece is an understanding that the shards of experience always come together to create something infinitely more beautiful and interesting than we could have ever imagined if life had remained predictable and without change.

As an advocate for public art, Rhoades is especially interested in the concepts of traffic calming and place making. She is a professional member of the Community Built Association.

Rhoades has worked professionally as a Recreation Therapist in psychiatric hospitals, as a therapy dog handler at the National Institute of Health and as a gardener at the U.S. National Arboretum. She is a professional member of SAMA (Society of American Mosaic Artists) CMA, Contemporary Mosaic Artists, and offers a variety of workshops from her Corvallis studio, Sacred Shard Mosaics.