Artist Statement
In the year 2000, Ella Rhoades walked into the world of mosaics through the back door like an old familiar friend. Facing her first Oregon rainy season 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.
Ella 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 a knowing that the shards of experience always, always come together to create something infinitely more beautiful and interesting than we could have ever imagined if life had remained dull and predictable.
Ella loves the quest for unique items at estate sales. She finds inspiration in the changing colors and textures of her garden as well as in the wild plants that grow along her favorite wetland trails. She spends many hours searching for agates along the shores of her beloved Oregon coast and loves hunting for special pieces of gnarled driftwood to add to her cottage arbors.
Ella lives & works between the land grant, college town of Corvallis, Oregon and a small cottage near the Siletz Bay on the Oregon coast. She lives with her husband of 20 years, two children and several fur people. Her pug, Sweet Annie, is a constant presence at her side.
Be Well.
Every moment is sacred.