Artist Spotlight: Part One Hundred and Seven

I could be wrong, but I don't think you've met Monika of MyEuropeanTouch here before.

You'll note that her banner says "mosaic art," but that may be an understatement.  This woman is an artist with a capital ART.

A mosaic artist for 10 years, she's been working with different mediums quite literally all her life.  Mosaic is natural for her, though.  Growing up in Germany shortly after WWII, she watched her parents reuse, recycle, and reinvent.

She's come a long way since post-WWII Germany; her work has been seen on HGTV!  But on to more mosaics!

Would you believe she's completely self-taught?!  It's not just about the mosaics, though, no matter what her banner says.  This chick's got serious talent.  And she's come a long way since her childhood, knitting, crocheting, and sewing clothing for her dolls.

She still experiments with her diverse talents and the many types of art that have been a constant presence in her life.  Even the fine arts, which I love because it's close to my heart too.

Wanna know where else you can find her?  Try her blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and her About Me page.

Artist Spotlight: Part Sixty

Wow, I've done quite a few of these, haven't I?  Well, I've got a treat for you this week, something different.  Glass (and clay) artist Kay, of Kayz Kreations.

Kay has been doing stained glass and mosaics for several years and enjoys both, especially her ability to create unique and charming items for home and garden.  Hailing from Killeen, TX, she definitely has an affinity for items with Texas themes.

Like so many of the artists I bring you, Kay is multitalented.  She started with a stained glass class at a community college and was hooked.

(Have you started your holiday shopping yet?  How perfect would this be to decorate your home for your holiday dinner or party?  Or as a gift for someone you love?  Find it here.)

A year later, Kay took a mosaics class and started to run with that too!

I love the humor in that one.  So cute for a kid's bedroom or clubhouse door!  Or heck, there are days I'd love to hang it on my own door!

About 2.5 years ago, Kay took a fused glass class and added that to her talents too.

As a lover of gardening, a lot of her items and themes are for the outdoors, like these fun garden stakes in stained glass and clay.

Or these great birdfeeders.

And this really pretty birdhouse.

She used recycled bottles for this fun wind chime.

And she's even expanded into the world of jewelry!

You can read on her blog how she won a contest with this cool and interesting necklace.

And you can shop her wares in her Etsy and Zibbet shops.

I've Been Lucky!

Remember Christine, this awesome mosaic artist I spotlighted back in April?

Well, she hosted a giveaway on her blog, and of course I had to enter, I love her work so much!  The giveaway was for a beautiful vanity tray... and I won!  I was so excited to get it in the mail the other day.

She does not kid around with the wrapping.  This is what I got in the mail:

See all that tape?  Every single seam in the plain brown wrapper was taped up to the hilt, so I had to pull out a sharp-pointed scissor to get in.  I was laughing at my own impatience and the fact that she foiled me so well.

Inside that, the box.

It was like opening a present!  Which, I guess, is what it really was...

That was taped too, end to end.  Once I got inside, lots of wrapping to protect the tray.

I've already re-used all the bubble wrap, splitting it among four outgoing Reef Botanicals orders!  (Because yes, while the primary RB site is still down during renovations, you can shop at our HAF Shop.)


And then, the part I'd been waiting for, I got to my tray!

Isn't it pretty?  Even Eric commented that it was really cute, and he's not exactly a fan of the flowers and floof.  And here it is, sitting nicely on the corner of my dresser.  I'm almost loathe to put anything into it and block the view of the mosaic!

Want one of your own?  Check out Chris' shop!

Artist Spotlight: Part Sixteen

Because of our craft fair and the MS Walk this weekend, I'm a little late spotlighting this week's artist.  The artist I have for you today is Christine of Memories in Mosaics.  And what an artist she is!

Her work is just phenomenal.  It's hard to believe that she is a self-taught artist, specializing in th "pique assiette" or "broken plate" style of mosaics.  It's an extensive process to make each of her pieces, and takes her several days to complete each one.

First, she designs the mosaic and cuts the base from plywood.  She then begins the process by cutting away at each tile so it will fit into place.  Once the entire design is laid out, she glues down each piece and has to let it dry overnight.  She then adds the grout and has to let it dry overnight again.

During the first few hours, she has to spray it with water to keep the grout from cracking, and then once it's dry, she carves around each tile, gem, shell, and other object with a toothpick to be sure it's residue free and has a clean line.  Finally, she sprays the whole thing with a grout sealer and buffs the tiles.

Everything in her Etsy shop is a one-of-a-kind creation with it's own personality and color scheme that she designs with a ton of thought and care.  She primarily uses tiles that she hand cuts from plates she first selects. In her mosaics, though, you'll also find glass gems and tiles, ceramics, jewelry, doorknobs, and other found objects to keep things interesting.

I especially love her mosaic furniture and home decor.

To learn more about Christine's work and life, be sure to visit her very interesting and informative blog!