Medium: Mosaics
Studio: 1838 3rd St
Phone: 425.822.3837
Website
Have you ever looked at something broken
and thought about using the pieces to make something
new? If so, then you might be a mosaic artist!
Mosaic art is the process of laying pieces of glass,
ceramic, stone, or just about anything else into an
adhesive such as cement. Mosaic art can be created from
almost anything including: broken pieces of glass,
china, keys, and even dice!
Seattle artist Rebecca DeVere creates mosaics. She
mosaics everything from garden turtle molds to a Buck
statue. Rebecca always knew she wanted to be an artist.
She says, "I loved the world I could be in when I
made art. I have always been short, but when I was
making art, I felt tall and smart. Art was the only
place where I felt like it was my language. I was
awkward as a kid and art was my world."
Growing up, Rebecca's parents were both artists. Instead
of watching television, Rebecca was always doing
interesting art projects at home. At the time, Rebecca
wished her family was just ‘normal’ and drove a station
wagon instead of a motorcycle. However, Rebecca excelled
in art. Rebecca's first grade principal hung one of her
drawings in her office, and Rebecca won Best Cook Book
in fifth grade.
For high school, Rebecca attended The Colorado Springs
School. When she struggled in math, a teacher had her
learn M.C. Escher's tessellations. Tessellations are an
art form that requires math. Rebecca says this saved her
and after high school, she went on to art college where
all her classes were art-related.
As a student at the Minneapolis College of Art and
Design, Rebecca continued to follow her art passion and
took a painting class. However, Rebecca's paintings kept
becoming fractured and without a focal point.
"Shapes were all over the place,” Rebecca says.
"I kept trying to pull the painting together and make it
something it didn't want to be."
Her teacher suggested that she go with the fractured and
stop fighting it.
Rebecca's introduction into mosaics happened when a
shelf fell down as a bus rumbled past. Rebecca picked up
the broken treasures and ended up making ‘bits.’ After
that, Rebecca continued to learn about mosaics. She
checked books out of the library and asked a lot of
questions at the hardware store.
Today, Rebecca runs a successful mosaic business. One of
Rebecca's well-known mosaic pieces is "Lucky Garden
Turtles." The turtles are made from hand-cut glass tiles
and antique china, placed onto shells of concrete
turtles. Rebecca stumbled into the turtles by accident,
and again, taught herself everything she needed to know
by going to the library and checking out every book on
turtles.
Last year, she made 1,483 mosaic turtles. Although
Rebecca creates many turtles, her favorite project is
"Recycled Queen." She created the piece from found
objects and recycled parts. Rebecca says, "I got to
experience a cool thing in art where things fall into
place—serendipity, synchronicity."
Rebecca loves being an artist and says, "I really
have felt I was born an artist and every time I have
tried doing something else, I am not being truly me and
I end up unhappy in the situation. To me there is no
choice. I was born this way, this is who I am, an
artist.”
