Sketchbook Study

Smalti and filati on Wedi board

Mosaics are very time consuming art adventures, so when I'm not making mosaics I'm doodling in my sketchbooks. My favorites are the ones I draw with no plan and just let my hand wander around the page. It's a relaxing way to create art, taking only minutes to explore an idea without committing weeks or even months. When considering what to create for this exhibition, I went through my many notebooks and found a drawing I thought would make an interesting mosaic. Graphic and bold yet simple and straightforward, it's a study of line and the intersections that occur when we let ourselves wander.

For the background and color blocks I used Mexican smalti, which is made from colored glass that is heated in a furnace then poured into slabs and allowed to cool. Once it's cooled it is hand cut into squares, giving it an organic look when used in mosaics. The black lines were created using filati, which are made by heating smalti and pulling thin strands. Filati can be cut vertically and be used to create micromosaic jewelry and tiny micromosaic paintings.