Jeannette 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 the most appealing for me to create. My original artworks have shown in solo exhibits in Chapel Hill and Durham, as well as many juried shows, featured online, in printed publications, as well as a traveling exhibition for The American Mosaic project sponsored by The Society of American Mosaic Artists (SAMA),  I have also created many custom projects for private commissions in various locations around the US.  I have many years of teaching experience, and am currently offering private lessons at my home studio in Durham, NC.  Most recently I have been working on sculptural forms with repurposed materials, fiberglass mesh, and custom cement mixes for mosaic application.  This additional skill opens up a new genre of work potential for my mosaic artistry.

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.