KAREN SASINE always has been very visually inclined. She took painting classes at 7, studied interior design at Savannah (Georgia) College of Art and Design and even wanted to be a fashion designer.
But mosaics, it turns out, are the Moultrie, Georgia artist's passion.
Going in that direction a few years ago seemed to happen quite by accident.
"A friend offered me a bag of tiles and beach glass, and I was hooked," Karen says. "I never thought I'd have such passion for anything.
"The colors and variety of the art form fit perfectly for me," she says. "Mosaics feed that need in me to be ever changing."
Likewise, her mosaics are continually evolving. She makes them in every style -- from traditional to abstract -- and a variety of sizes -- from 14-inch-tall statuettes (her interest in fashion lives on) to murals. Karen's creations are available along America's First Coast at Mineral City in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and at Stellers Gallery in Jacksonville. |
Although the process might seem tedious to some, it's relaxing to Karen.
"Some people find peace watching TV," she says. "I break tiles."
The painstaking part of the process is in the design itself, according to Karen. "It really takes the greatest amount of time because . . . you're designing an art piece."
"I do color boards and have to find the materials for the mosaic," she says. "I use the finest glass tiles in the world, most of which come from Italy."
Karen's first piece was a dragonfly trivet, but she aspires to greater things -- such as a window at Tiffany in New York.
"That would be the ultimate for me," she says.
For information about her mosaics, call Mineral City at (904) 285-4784 or Stellers at (904) 396-9492.
- Scott Simpson |
