Moonlight Mosaics

Unlike much of the work Johannah has been doing lately, including the two series we posted about last fall, this series doesn't have any deep philosophical or political meaning. Instead, these pieces were inspired by the blue porcelain tile featured in all three, especially the darkest blue. Isn't that a gorgeous color? Especially paired with shades of white stained glass and black mortar.

Night Waves

Unglazed porcelain, vintage vitreous glass, and stained glass set in tinted mortar

Moon Glow

Unglazed porcelain and stained glass set in tinted mortar

Night Clouds

Unglazed porcelain and stained glass set in tinted mortar

These mosaics celebrate a deep love of the moon and the night sky. "Night Waves," the first piece in the series, was inspired by the glow of a full moon over an open body of water. "Moon Glow" depicts that haze of glow around the moon, perhaps on clouds, perhaps on a clear night. The most recent piece, "Night Clouds," was inspired by the rushing movement of clouds on a windy night, and the way a star sparkles between them for a moment.

"Nature Therapy" mosaic series

Is there anything more soothing than scenes from nature? For us, like so many artists, nature is the siren call of art subjects. Whether it's to remind ourselves of the everyday beauty that surrounds us, or to connect with others so they might more strongly feel the call to protect our environment, nature is a subject that is at the heart of who we are and what we do.

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This series I call “Nature Therapy” was an unplanned, spontaneous journey. "Leaves" was the first piece to arise, driven by a need to create something green and lush, and inspired by my talented friend Emily Herr's Thrive series, especially some of the leaf shapes in this piece and the colors in this one.

"Trees" and "Mountain" came next, designed with the simple, graphic shapes and similar color scheme of the first piece. As with all unplanned journeys, this one took me to unexpected places. When I got to the end of this series, I realized that the point-of-view moved further out with each consecutive piece, from leaf to tree to forest.

As I worked on this series, I thought about the idea that time spent in nature heals and nurtures us, even nature viewed through a window. The political climate during the Trump administration had me thinking of the inequities of this idea, the fact that access to nature has become a privilege for some rather than a right of all, that the lives of some populations are unduly burdened by their lack of access to clean nature. So a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this series will go to Green for All, whose mission is to build an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty.

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"Domestica" mosaic series

It all started with a teapot.

Looking back over some older work, Johannah came across this teapot and thought, "Hmmm. That was fun. Where could this go?" (The most satisfying series are always unplanned journeys.) Remembering a photography project she did a few years ago, she thought a return to the topic of mundane domestic objects might be interesting.

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At the time of the earlier project, I was forced by the circumstances of being the primary care-giving parent to two very young children to mostly shoot items around the house. But as the project went on, I found it piqued my feminist interest in domestic objects. Many of these items are kitchenware, associated with the traditional work of women. True, they are mundane, everyday objects. But might it be their very everyday-ness that gives them their power? We need these items, we keep them close to us because of their necessity or utility in our lives. Many of them we come to love, because they were passed down from a great grandmother or because they bake the perfect batch of ginger snap cookies.

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So I devoted this series to portraits of individual pieces of kitchenware. Set alone in silhouette, we can admire the shape of the objects, consider their use, appreciate their utility in our lives and yes, even their beauty.

And while I worked, I thought further of other domestic items or happenings we might take for granted. Eventually I couldn't help but associate "taking for granted" and "domestic" with the idea of domestic abuse. I suppose it doesn't hurt that with the political temperature of the nation during the Trump administration, I'm more aware than ever of the changes I want to see, and striving always to do more toward that end. The result in this case is that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the pieces in this series will go to a group like the Virginia Anti-Violence Project for survivors of domestic abuse, especially those in the LGTBQ+ community

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