Blue Heron and Hamsas

Here is a blue heron clay piece I made while directing the ceramics program at Camp Chateaugay in upstate New York.  I worked there for the last three summers.  Unfortunately a crack formed on the left side.  I'll be using it in a mosaic and the crack will fill in with grout so I think it will be okay.  This is porcelain with underglazes on the herons body.  The background is regular glazes.  I absolutely love blue herons!

  

These are hamsa hands and were created by me as samples for a project I had the campers work on.  The children made them by placing their hand on the clay and tracing around it.  They then cut out the pocket and attached it to the hand.  

The oldest hamsas originated in the Middle East. They are believed to bring their owner happiness, health, good luck and fortune.  I hang mine on the wall and put fresh cut flowers in them.  One of my students told me that in Jewish homes they are hung on the wall near the front door. Then a prayer is written on a piece of paper, folded and placed in the hamsa.

Bird/Sconce Mosaic

Here's a wall piece I made a couple of years ago which incorporates a bird tile made by another artist named Parran Collery and  a glass wall sconce shade.  I also used broken cups, plates, and glass beads.  There are leaves surrounding the entire piece which I made out of clay  All of the empty spaces between where filled in with stained glass.  It looks very nice a night when the sconce is lit. The whole piece measures approx. 24 x 30 inches.

I really enjoy making ceramic/glass mosaic murals which incorporate light.  It adds another dimension to the piece.

Yosemite Valley School Mural

Here's the Yosemite Valley School Mural.  It's much further along than this now.  I expect it to be finished and hanging up by the end of  May, 2010.  My friends Laurie, a teacher's aide at the school, and Catherine Soria, the principal, have been painstakingly cutting and gluing small pieces of stained glass to insert into the background around the ceramic pieces. Laurie's father, daughter and several other's have helped as well.  This mural is six feet in diameter.  My husband welded a huge metal frame for it and it's going to weigh a lot when it's done.  It will be mounted on a wall at the front of the school and a native plant garden will be planted around it.  We've been working on this one for about 3 years now.  It was inspired by a "tree of  life" mural we saw in Dunbar, Scotland 4 years ago.  It's kind of a sister school which the Yosemite School visits every 3 years.  John Muir was born in Dunbar but as a child immigrated to Wisconsin with his family before moving onto the west coast as a young man.  The Dunbar school visits Yosemite as well.

Mariposa Library Mural

This is a mural I supervised and helped create with the Mariposa Homeshool Coop.  It is ceramic and glass.  In the center of the mural is the Mariposa County Courthouse which is the oldest, continuously operated courthouse in California.  On the tower is an actual working clock.  Students created at least one piece for the mural and I did the courthouse and other pieces as well.  The border is composed of native plants and birds from the area.  Much of Yosemite National Park is withing the county borders so Half Dome is included.  This mural was donated to the Mariposa County Library where it is hangs now.  There is a tiny library just to the left of the Courthouse.

Janette's Yosemite Ceramic Mosaic Mural

Here's an earlier mosaic I did for Janette Gamble's retirement. She was the principal at the Yosemite Valley School for a number of years. This piece is approx. 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 feet. The green lady (which resembles Janette) below Half Dome has a light in the top of her head which reflects on the dome. There is also stained glass in her eyes so they glow when the light is on.

Gymnastics Mosaic Mural

Hello all. Thought I'd join the crowd and start blogging. Actually it's a great forum for me to share what I've been up to creatively. I'm new to this so patience please.

The image above is a mural I created for Camp Chateaugay. I was the director of their ceramics program for three summers beginning in 2007. It measures approx. 4 x 4 feet square and is mounted in their gymnastics area. I'm currently finishing a six foot diameter "Tree of Life/Four Seasons" ceramics and glass mural for the Yosemite Elementary School in Yosemite National Park, Calif. It's a collaboration between students, myself, teachers and the local community in Yosemite and has been in process for 3 years. It should be finished by May of this year. The school is creating a native plant garden and the mural will be on a wall facing it. I'll post pictures of it when it is finished.


I've moved from Yosemite to Vashon Island in Washington State. I'm hoping to create murals here and am currently setting up my studio.