I played with Trace today. He is part bulldozer, part slobber monster, and very fun. I came home soaking saliva wet and a tad sore from his body slams. We had a blast.
Trace is Mary’s guide dog. Often he is working. So he loves play time. Mary is a mosaic artist. Her work is beautiful. Below, I’ve posted in her own words what it is like to be a mosaic artist.
Here are four of her mosaics. You can see more of her mosaics on her website – http://www.dignanmosaics.com/index.html She is teaching a beginning mosaic workshop at Spirit in the Arts at 650 El Camino Ave. on Saturday afternoons May 7 – May 21. The class is only $25. Their phone number is 648-1803.
In Mary’s words:
“My mosaic career began in 1997, after my brain tumor surgery exacerbated my hearing and vision losses from Usher
Syndrome, and knocked me out of my legal career. Indeed, the brain tumor knocked my entire life to pieces.
As I began to put the pieces of my life back together, I was drawn to the mosaic process. Putting my mosaics together
piece by piece grew into a healing journey that continues to this day.
I wasn’t really aware that my “mosaic thing” was anything other than something to do until I set out to make a
gold-trimmed porcelain plate that was badly cracked into a spiral mosaic. But it just wouldn’t go for the spiral
shape. Instead the pieces kept jutting out into a star, so I finally just let it grow into one. As I completed the
piece, I realized that I had been trying to put my life back together much as one would glue a chipped and broken plate
back together. That way, you end up with a chipped and broken plate that’s been glued back together. But if I go
for the break, my chipped and broken plate transforms into a glowing Phoenix Star mosaic.
That mosaic gave me the courage to let go of my previous life, and to go for my own transformative breaks.
There are times when I still miss the life I used to have, mainly the people I used to work with and the fun I had with
my work. And of course, the ease I had when I could see and hear better. But as I look at my life today, I see that
I am surrounded by love, art, and a community that nourishes me spiritually as well as physically.
And besides, I have more fun practicing art now instead of law anyway.”
these are lovely! the mosaics and your dog portrits. i’m bookmarking this blog. what a joy to stop by here!
i’ve tried commenting a few times. i hope it goes through this time! 🙂 as a photographer and cat/dog rescue person, i adore everything about this blog! lovely work!