Menu
Like so many of us, Cathy had the drive to create – and she tried a number of things before she discovered her love for mosaics.
For her, it was the perfect medium to express both her creativity and her left-brained, mathematical expertise.
I have to admit…this is the part that excites me the most! A legitimate reason to break up stuff!
But I could get in trouble because it would give me a reason to save every chipped piece of china and every stray button. Uh oh.
A brief disclaimer: all of Cathy’s pieces are designed to be used indoors. So for outdoor use, you would need adhesives and a substrate designed for that purpose.
This is the stuff that fills the spaces between the attached pieces of glass. The consistency is like toothpaste.
I think all of her work is amazing, but I had to choose a few of my favorites. Here they are:
On this one, I did a close-up view so you could see the intricate work, and also the variety of things she incorporates into a piece! I spy a button and some beads.
Of course, I had to go to Cathy’s workshop to see how she organized all her bits and pieces. Whew, that’s a lot of glass!
I hope you enjoyed this presentation of Mosaic work. Please share with us any pieces you create – you can show your work on our private Facebook page HERE.
I may try my hand at it one day soon – well, at least try breaking a few plates. I’m gettin’ a hammer!
See more of Cathy’s work on her Facebook page.
You can also send her messages and enthusiastic appreciation!
On our private Facebook Page, I’m sharing the ideas and some of the path of the creative life. Come and join me there! Click HERE to join!
Neuroscientists are studying exactly how our brain allows us to be creative – and this is a field that fascinates me! There’s still so much to learn, but one thing that has become clear is that creativity is a process and that it doesn’t originate in only one place in the brain.
Antonio Damasio, a neuroscientist, and director of the Brain and Creativity Institute at The University of Southern California, says “there is a very high level of cooperation between different parts, different systems of the brain so that they orchestrate the creative process.”
So what systems are necessary for creativity?
Imagination is one cornerstone, and imagination depends on memory. Imagining something new requires that you play with what you already know. This is why it’s so beneficial that you expose yourself to new learning and new mediums.
Emotions are intimately involved in creativity also. Artists have long been associated with a visual expression of emotion. It’s rewarding and therapeutic to be able to have art as a tool to “work through” some of your emotions, and just the act of creating a work can be calming.
Give yourself time to think and daydream, and exercise your imagination. Turn down the critical, self-censoring part of your brain – you know, the judgemental side of you that is likely to knock down a new idea the second you have it.
Make a piece of art – even if it’s just a doodle!
Cheering you on your creative journey,
Elaine