Mosaic Class for Garden Flowers

O.k., moving along with the mosaic garden of flowers.
These will look great as individual mini mosaic projects too.

They are four inch squares. Classes for this project are currently available with Me through Mosaic Class at diMosaico.com

I'll demonstrate a different technique for each square such as background patterns, media, application.

Glass Mosaic Flower Garden - SueBetanzos.com

Mosaic Flower Garden - SueBetanzos.com

Sunset Nebula Mosaic - Sold

Tucson sunset are some of the finest - they can take your breath away in the seconds before twilight (my favorite time :) )
Last year I did a series of small mosaics created from tempered glass and inspired by - you guessed it - StarGazing and nature.
They ranged from small squares to small rectangles. This one was part of two mosaic pieces submitted for the Small Works exhibit at Tohono. I am happy to say it has found a new home - SOLD

The rest can be seen in an Earlier Post. All have the fantasy elements of glitter, jewel colors, gem stones and are signed by the artist (me!).

Sold

Valentine Postcards

Some mini Love notes for Valentines. My fun cookies, mosaics and my aussie muse, sweet Risa.

Meeting Risa:

My sister had purchased two aussie puppies, one for her family and one for me. A little boy and a little girl. When she let them in from playing in the yard the little male barreled thru the door past me and into the kitchen. The little girl ran thru the door and and straight into my arms. She "had me at hello". I knew she was coming home with me and she is the BEST gift I have ever received. Now, at 11 her body has slowed down even though she is still such a puppy at heart. She is the world to me and I have changed my lifestyle and work to be with her.

Aussies do not do well alone - they are a breed that needs to be with their human most of the time. the herding breeds are incredibly intelligent, active dogs.

AZ is having it's 100th birthday and I have the honor of exhibiting my mosaic Gila Dream at Tohono Chul Park.

And in this auspicious Year Of The Dragon I have taken a part time job making Moonlight Cookies!

Really fun to make and eat "~)

National Geographic BioBlitz 2011 Wildlife!

This weekend I attended and participated in this year's special event BioBlitz sponsored by National Geographic. Each year a different national park is selected by National Geographic for an intense two days of collecting, identifying and recording the flora and fauna of that area. As the environment is always changing, adapting, the natural world is adapting and evolving new species from fungi to new insects, plants, animals.

Saguaro National Park was selected for 2011 BioBlitz. It was an honor to have three of my wildlife pieces chosen and displayed in the visitors center of Saguaro National Park at this amazing and special event. I can only hope that through my wildlife artwork the public will gain an appreciation of the beauty and frailty of our natural world and above all the message that everything is connected in a vast skein - a network of life. Every thread that is broken weakens the whole.

Get ready for some serious glass mosaic - I am also working on a large mosaic sign for Tucson Wildlife Center. They are a non-profit organization who's mission is to rescue, rehab and release wildlife that has been injured or suffered the impact of urban encroachment. Let's face it - we already know that wildlife habitat is shrinking at an alarming rate and with it the bio diversity.

My goal - that my artwork will help change perceptions. Next time people look at one of my bat paintings, or Gila monster mosaics their perception of that species will change from "Eeeww, ickk!" to " Oooh, beautiful, fascinating animal!"

Heart Song

Years ago in high school I remember
a teacher saying "don't die with your music still inside you." Of course we all were like "what is he talking about?" Well years later the phrase stuck with me and often chased away doubts of pursuing art as my day job. Funny but to this day I always associate it with song birds, birds in general.

Like one of those fortune cookie tapes that say something like "sing badly if you must, but SING."

Song birds will feature in some of my new pieces and this is the first. Cabinet door frames and tempered glass put them in my 'recycled green' series.

Working in series helps keep focus on a particular subject matter and is the way my brain seems to flow. I have one more in the Abstract series in progress, with two more designed for a total of five for the five seasons in Tucson - spring, summer, winter, fall, monsoon. Finished spring and fall, summer in progress here. It is called Heart Fire - Summer Passion. Mixed media of reds, oranges, yellows on a recycled cabinet door. It will be rich and passionate with color and movement. Plus it will be more 3-D , a bit sculptural. Can't wait to start!!

The November show will have a lot of new work that I am eager to show because it has been such a fun learning process to do them. Art is the heart that beats inside me.

** On Another Note: This summer has been very challenging for my mom health wise and now she is having surgery for cancer so I will go immediately to be with my family. Did not realize how stressed I have been until today when the veneer cracked as I told someone "my mom has cancer and she is in surgery right now." Suddenly I was trying so hard to keep from having a small meltdown and had a teeny one anyway. I hate it when that happens - how embarrassing!! And I imagined myself to be one of those cool, calm, self composed individuals - Ha! Meanwhile my mom is the one suffering through everything and she is the cool one, so strong - what a champ!

Aaanyway, enough boo - hooing - enjoy my works in progress (WIP's for short).

Mosaic Stars Grouted

Some grouted stars ready to install!

Blue Coyote Mini mosaic WIP

Still playing with tempered glass in the mini mosaics. Made copy of my painting to for mosaic. No glass on it yet. This one will be sent as a sample when finished. The appeal of the TG is that it allows painting as well as mosaic. Painting, drawing, design is the foundation for my artwork. The visual "comfort food" that always soothes and restores the creative juices.

Think I am drawn to trickster tales in general. A great book on trickster tales I just finished - The Coyote Road Trickster Tales edited by Ellen Datlow. An anthology of tales by popular fiction authors and illustrations of Charles Vess. Introduction and Preface was fascinating and I learned much about the history of trickster folklore in different cultures.