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Functional handcrafted gifts featuring animal designs

in stained glass and mosaic, including pavers, hearths, and wall hangings

Hearth Mosaic, Koi Pond, $750, 60" by 19½"  NFS

Mosaic is uniquely functional and decorative at the same time.  It is an ancient art form that has survived and evolved to modern times.  Many ancient cultures, widely dispersed among different continents, developed mosaic art using natural items to create geometric designs as well as pictorials.  Symbolic mosaics made from pebbles adorned walkways and floors in ancient China long before the advent of Christianity.  Over time, to make the mosaics more detailed, artists began painting the pebbles to increase the range of colors.   They also began to cut stone into small geometric shapes called tesserae, which allowed them to fit tiles together more closely, rendering their images more lifelike.  As this art evolved, glass tesserae were developed further and used in mosaics, adding color as well as a new effect as light hit the glass.  During its evolution mosaic art has been used to depict natural as well as sacred images in widely varying shapes and sizes from small panels to include entire floors and walls.  The Minoan culture on the island of Crete produced beautiful examples of the art, which not only appeal to the aesthetic sense but also provide much of our knowledge of the Minoan civilization.  Mosaic art is quite popular today, allowing any person to adorn a house or garden with the simplest of materials and tools.

A large mosaic for nearly any application can be created to your taste.

Stained glass originated in Egypt with the invention of glass.  The ancient Egyptians were able to transform by use of fire the simple natural material of sand into a jewel-like substance that captured light.  However, stained glass was not used in Europe until it appeared in religious panels around the eleventh century A.D.  At this time colored stains were applied to the glass, which were arranged to depict sacred images.  Eventually, color was incorporated by adding minerals and metals to the molten glass, resulting in what is known today as “Cathedral Glass.”  The glass, although tinted, remained transparent. This glass began to be used in secular windows during the Victorian and Edwardian periods of the 1800s.  In the late 1800s and early 1900s American glass makers expanded on “Cathedral Glass” with the development of a translucent milky glass known as opalescent glass.  The availability of opalescent glass extended the range of stained glass as an art form.  The most noted opalescent glass artist was Louis Tiffany (1848-1933), who used this medium to adorn such common household items as lamps, clocks, and fireplace screens.  Also, Tiffany’s development of the copper-foil method of stained glass construction freed artists from the constraints of using heavy lead to join glass pieces, allowing them to create more detail in their glass depictions.  Mosaic artists have begun to use stained glass in their work, enabling them to bring together the beauty and versatility of cut stained glass with the simple construction method of mosaics.

Stained glass is another medium the artist uses in custom designs
for her clients.  These include favorite animals, landscapes, and composites.

For additional information on mosaics and stained glass pieces, please contact Joan Hewitt.

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Each piece is custom crafted to meet the wishes of the customer.  To find out what is possible for you, and for any other information, please contact Joan Hewitt

Hearth Mosaic Detail

Mosaic Paver, $45, 12"

Alpaca, Stained Glass Wall Hanging, $275, 20" by 24" unframed

Mosaic pavers are available in a wide variety of animal themes, shapes, and sizes.
Stained glass pieces are created in different sizes, ready for framing. 
All are custom-designed to incorporate virtually any element of nature or a favorite pet.
Prices depend on your individual requirements; please contact Joan Hewitt for information.

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Hand-painted Children's Furniture | Stained Glass and Mosaics | Pet Portraits | Seasonal Gifts

children's furniture • hand-painted children's furniture • high chairs • children's rockers • children's tables and chairs • hand-painted high chairs
pet portraits • mosaics • animal art • scratchboard pet portraits • mosaic pavers • custom pet portraits • mosaic animal pieces • stained glass