Mosaic Animals

Item Description

Size: 6”x6” / 15.2x15.2 cm

Tesserae: Stained glass, iridized glass, glass bead on recycled picture frame

"I wanted to capture the aerial maneuverability of these little creatures with this mosaic.  I've always been impressed and fascinated with their ability to stop on a dime, investigate something then dart about completely uninterested in what caught their fancy in the first place.  I hoped that by stacking the glass and having the wings coming off and out of the mosaic, I could reinforce this sense of action." 

Shonda Bottke began working in the medium of mosaic art in 2005. She took a few introductory classes with master mosaic artist Yulia Hanansen of Mosaic Sphere Gallery and has since been on an artistic journey of self-discovery and expression through the mosaic medium. 

As a mosaic artist she gets inspired from nature and the minutiae in everyday objects.   Shonda’s artistic objective is to look for the unique qualities or hidden spirit of the tesserae (mosaic materials) she selects for a mosaic and uses the materials as a catalyst to create an organic and fluid mosaic, with emphasis on creating depth and perspective to her work.  (She also makes it a point to include at least one recycled item in each mosaic.)  

Shonda’s work has recently focused on environmental issues, specifically focusing on sea life and the oceans.  Her artistic goal is to educate the public about environmental issues in a very positive and non-confrontational way.  Her mosaics have evolved to capture her subjects in a natural setting; meanwhile she provides factual information about her subjects and their fate. Providing this additional layer of information and depth to her work is what drives and fulfills her as an artist.  She carefully researches her subject matter to create mosaic art, which is both visually and mentally interesting and dynamic.

Shonda has been exhibiting her work around the state since 2007 with the Mosaic Artists of Michigan.  She has also exhibited as a solo artist at the Ann Arbor Art Center and the University of Michigan’s Duderstadt Gallery.  Her work has also been shown at the Dallas Fort Worth Airport’s National Art Foundation Exhibits, God’s Kitchen for ArtPrize 2009 and The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum for ArtPrize 2010.  Shonda has also been selected to have her work published in the 2011 World Wide Art Book’s Artist Dictionary.  She will be having a solo exhibit at the Firebrick Gallery in downtown Rochester, MI, August 2012.

Shonda Bottke

Email: sbottke@comcast.net

Website: www.mosaicartistsofmichigan.com/members_gallery/bottke/bottke.htm

Michigan, USA