After a 1913 painting by
Alexi von Jawlensky (1864-1941)

In 2004, mosaic art became an increasingly important aspect of my work.

I draw inspiration from the great Fauve artists like Matisse, Derain, and Jawlensky and enjoy the challenge of finding mosaic equivalents in opaque stained glass to express each painter's singular way with color and line.

Currently I'm moving in a more abstract direction. My recent mosaics use modulated color progressions and variations in the shape and texture of the tesserae to create visual metaphors for complex ideas.

The two-panel mosaic composition shown below, November 3, 2004: Darkness Descends, was begun the day after the recent presidential election and reflects my vision of a nation divided and headed in the wrong direction. It is created entirely in handcut opaque glass. The colors are deliberately muddy and toxic, though modulated color progressions and subtle variations in shape and texture create a surface that is dramatic and darkly beautiful. Flashes of metallic and iridescent glass invite viewers to look into the piece, see themselves, and reflect. This mosaic was chosen for the 2005 International Juried Exhibition of the Society of American Mosaic Artists, held March 17-June 4 at the Ellipse Arts Center, Arlington, Virginia.

After a 1906 painting by
Andre Derain (1880-1954)