J. Brossart

From a young age, I have sought out a variety of methods to express my creativity.  As a child I was involved with arts and crafts through school, and always incorporated the basics into inventing my own home projects.  My journey of self expression has led me to fabric and needlecrafts, sketching with charcoal/ colored pencil, ceramics, floral wreaths, plaster crafts, woodworking, and painting.

A desperate need to remodel my own kitchen led me to the fascinating and unlimited art of mosaics.  I admired the new kitchens with terra cotta floors, granite countertops, and wall tile accents. I decided on a ceramic backsplash for the wall behind the stove.  I was too nervous to tile directly to the wall on my first try, so I checked out a few mosaic books from the library and felt confident about tiling on to a board, and then hanging it.  I purchased several large ceramic flooring tiles, smashed them up in my garage, and I was hooked!

Since then, I’ve found vitreous glass tiles with a wide range of colors allow me to “paint” pictures with pieces cut by my own hand to fit the flow of a design.  Being particularly fond of animals and outdoor beauty, nature themes are most appealing for me to create. My mosaics are currently available for sale at the Scrap Exchange in Durham, NC.  I teach Introduction to Mosaic classes at the Scrap Exchange, and Michael's Craft Stores in Durham, NC.  My original art works have been accepted to many juried art shows, and traveling exhibition for the American Mosaic Project.  I am a member of the Society of American Mosaic Artists (SAMA).  I have created many custom projects for private commissions in various locations around the U.S.

But of course, mosaic art has been around for centuries depicting human and animal scenes, floral motifs, and stunning geometric patterns.  So I feel privileged to have discovered this ancient art for myself and hope that you are inspired by its creative possibilities.