Mosaic New Mexico

Phyllis Kempter

I am a retired science teacher who has always enjoyed everything artistic.  As a child I spent countless hours using my dad's drafting equipment (which I still have) to draw homes and fantastic buildings.  I always thought architecture was to be in my future, but high school science lab work pulled me in another direction.  Perhaps it was the need to look closely at things and work with my hands that has drawn me specifically to mosaic art.

 

I'm just a rookie; having taken Jill Gatwood's Intro to Mosaic class through UNM's Continuing Ed program after retiring from science education.  I'd recently been to Pompeii, where I was fascinated with the mosaics that continue to survive despite their continued exposure to the elements.  When Jill showed some of the same images during our first class, it resonated with me.   I've taken great inspiration from the artwork of Milton Avery (1885-1965) and used several of his many landscapes to create various mosaic pieces.  I find my substrates at thrift stores and work to give this old items a new purpose. I call myself the "Queen of Tissue Box Covers" having completed numerous examples by request.  With allergies that never stop in this part of the world, you might as well pull your tissue from a piece of art. 

 

I have great hopes for what I can learn and accomplish in this next phase of my life; one that allows me to simply explore the creative side of myself