These almost surreal, fine art mosaic pieces are heirloom treasures created from rare, precious, hand-cut materials, like bicycle gears, river stones and ceramic tiles. Created by artist Laura Harris of Melonhead Gallery, they bring light to every room, like stars dancing across a summer sky.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1961 and daughter of the late Midwest sculptor/painter, Walter Lenz, Laura Harris, a school teacher, was diagnosed in 1985 with multiple sclerosis, which forced her to quit her job. That same year, she took up the fine art of creating mosaics, a wise decision.
“Today, the world can appear fragmented and its people disconnected. Mosaics allow me to fuse the pieces together to create something cohesive and beautiful, what I wish the world could be. I can’t feel when i cut myself… so, I guess this is what I was meant to do”.
– Laura Harris
She uses a direct method of application whereas each piece of tessera is permanently adhered to a substrate. After sketching out a design, each individual piece of tessera is hand cut to create unique mosaics. Her tesserae include venetian and dichroic glass, 24 Kt. Italian gold smalti, porcelain, ceramic tile, mirror, stone and salvaged or recycled materials. Laura’s work has been compared to some of the great European mosaic artists of the 21st century.
Although handicapped, Laura has risen above her physical limitations to create fairy mosaic pieces that encapsulate the heart and soul of the subject matter. Isn’t this the very evolution of a wish?
