Post-op Update

Hello Friends, I am finally writing a post nearly a month after surgery on my left thumb. A bone was removed from the thumb joint, tendons were taken from my…

Forest Chapel Restroom

In August 2023, I was beginning to develop a design concept for a small restroom not yet built for a park in Olympia, WA. It was to be the most…

Going Live with MAO on August 25!

Join me and Tami and the Mosaic Arts Online community this Sunday, August 25, at 4pm Pacific Time for a live-streamed interview offering insights into my installation process. If all…

Vietnam: majestic nature and mosaic surprises

We spent half of June and the first week of July exploring Vietnam and it was fantastic! It’s impossible to convey the beauty of this small, narrow country without experiencing…

Subduction Zone

I’ve posted about my osteoarthritis over the past couple of years on my social media platforms, but in case it didn’t reach you, here’s an update. In 2018, I began…

Find me in TWO magazines this June/July!

I’m very excited to share that I am featured in, count ’em; TWO magazines for their June/July issues! 1889 Magazine is a Washington State style magazine, and issues will soon…

Join me on Patreon!

Why Join JK Mosaic’s Patreon? Joining is free if you are curious and wish to be part of this online community. How to Get Involved: I’ve set up my Patreon…

New workshop: Meshing Around!

I’ve been working on a new class that will cover two approaches to working with fiberglass mesh for mosaic. I’ll be teaching this in Detroit in September for the Society…

Osteoarthritis and upcoming surgery

I’ve posted now and then about my Osteoarthritis woes, and it is heartwarming how much response I’ve received; well-wishes and recommendations are all very much appreciated. In many cases, the…

More Patreon Developments!

Last week, I sent out a newsletter with information about my Patreon account. I posted this with some trepidation because it felt murky and strange…I really didn’t expect much response…

A Patreon Experiment

I’ve been very overwhelmed by the tasks I need to accomplish, which include the clearing of my studio and the completion of this current commission. One thing that would be…

CMA2 Conference 2024

CMA2 refers to Contemporary Mosaic Art, an online platform that was started by Pam Givens many years ago to create a community space for mosaic artists. The reason for the…

The Rejection of Art (and Art of Rejection)

About 25 years ago, I was working mainly in paint and collage, with some printmaking, ceramics and other mediums tossed in. I put my work on display at cafes, in…

Olympia Renaissance

When I first moved to Olympia, WA in 1988, it was right on the verge of becoming a vortex for the music scene. Being an introvert, I was only on…

Presentation: The Business Side of Mosaic

Embarking on a journey from childhood dreams of artistic endeavors to the reality of a thriving mosaic business, my path has been as diverse as the mediums I’ve explored. Initially…

photo collage

Wrapping up 2023!

Each year, beginning around Thanksgiving (which usually falls within a few days of my birthday), I begin reflecting on the year. I find it is very affirming to acknowledge everything…

JK Mosaic Shop Options

This fall, I decided to add mosaic tools and supplies to my shop in order to make it easier for students of my online classes to purchase everything in one…

Tree of Life with Peacocks, and the process:

A couple of years ago, I created this papercut design inspired by Baltic style folk art: In 2020, we welcomed some spectacular new friends to our menagerie: So, as I…

Continued Transformation of Metamorphosis Mural…

Those who attended the #MetamorphosisOly mural dedication in October will probably remember Austin Davis, the young artist who gave a spontaneous, inspirational speech about the significance of the mural, the…

Going Live with Mosaic Arts Online this Sunday!

I’m pleased to announce that I will be in the esteemed company of Rachel Davies, Arianna Gallo, Kelley Knickerbocker, Rachel Sager, and Anabella Wewer for a live MOA online event…

Metamorphosis

A community mosaic mural in Olympia, WA completed in 2023 In January 2023, I concocted a plan to facilitate a large-scale, exterior, public art mural incorporating mosaic butterflies from as…

Stained glass mosaic depicting photorealistic image of Capital Lake in fall colors

Olympia Fall Arts Walk: a Milestone Event

For most attendees, this weekend will be just another fun Fall Arts Walk in downtown Olympia. For me, this is a significant and meaningful moment that I’ve been looking forward…

Metamorphosis; a community mural

Metamorphosis Mural Dedication Saturday, October 7 at noon! Watch a 3-minute video interview by Steve Bloom of The Olympian HERE. October 3, 2023: I’ve been away to teach at conferences…

LoveOly Community Mosaic

LoveOly Summerfest took place during the weekend of June 23-25 in downtown Olympia, WA. I was there with a community project that was made through participation by festival attendees over…

Community Mosaic Consultant

Are you part of a group of mosaic artists or another organization that would like to create a participatory mosaic project together, but you aren’t sure how to fabricate and…

Glass Craft and Bead Expo 2023

I was all set to teach at the Glass Craft and Bead Expo in 2020 for the first time, but, well, things didn’t go as planned. I learned to use…

Pattern and Flow in Stained Glass Mosaic

My newest course involves an exploration of methods of directing the flow and energy of your stained glass mosaic. My approach to stained glass is a blending of ancient traditional…

February 2023 – State of the Studio Address

It’s the middle of February already and I wanted to post a project update. The year started off with the launch of a new, exciting project with a big community-engagement…

Glass Craft & Bead Expo in Vegas

After more than three years of only teaching mosaic virtually, I have agreed to teach at the Glass Craft & Bead Expo in Las Vegas this spring. For years, I’ve…

2022: It’s a Wrap!

Here’s a quick run-down of my work in 2022. The year started out so busy, it hurt – literally. My winter project had a steep deadline that forced me to…

Cascadia Mosaic Collective

Cascadia Mosaic Collective is a group of mosaic artists in Oregon and Washington who met through conferences and events over many years, united by our shared interest in mosaic, as…

New Glass-on-Glass Course on MAO!

In October, I flew to Santa Barbara to film new courses for Mosaic Arts Online. Tami and Jerry have been working to edit everything together and it is finally ready…

Glass Craft and Bead Expo Spring 2023

I’m very excited to finally have some in-person classes on my schedule! I was lined up to teach at the Glass Craft and Bead Expo in Las Vegas for the…

Open Studio on December 3rd

I’ve been planning to hold an open studio event for many years, but I never feel like my space is ready for a public event, so I’ve kept putting it…

Event Dates for September-October

I have a few dates on my calendar for public events that I’d like to share with anyone interested in attending: Monday, September 12: This isn’t really a public event…

Fleuressence – a sculptural mosaic project

Over the past 9 months, I’ve been working with the Edmonds Floretum Garden Club to develop a design, have it approved by multiple committees, and finally to fabricate this set…

People’s Choice Winner!

I am so honored and excited that Fertility is the People’s Choice winner in the Something New IV outdoor sculpture exhibit on Bainbridge Island! Voting took place online and I…

Bird of Zhar – in support of Ukraine

The Bird of Zhar is a Ukrainian folktale involving a bird with magical fire-feathers that give the protagonist the ability to accomplish impossible tasks. I created this design as an…

A heart for Ukraine

It has been so devastating to witness the tragic events of this past month as Ukraine has become the target of such horrific attacks. I’m sure you all feel as…

Studio Azul, the latest commission

On March 15, I completed work on the mosaic I’ve been working on steadily for the past 3.5 months. This commission is located on the 3rd floor of a corporate…

2021 Review for JK Mosaic

Wow, for me personally, 2021 was a year of milestones, meaningful experiences, and fulfilling work. Here are the highlights: January 2021: I was working on my studio foyer, which had…

Mosaic Arts Online Holiday Cyber Sale!

If you have been waiting for an incentive to enroll in a course on Mosaic Arts Online, now is a great time to take the plunge! The Holiday Cyber Sale…

studio in cottage garden

52 and Utterly Grateful

I feel like I’m in a moment and I want to share with you all of the amazing things that are lining up. I’m sitting down to write this the…

Online Mosaic Instruction

As my commission schedule has become consistently jam-packed, you may have noticed I’m offering fewer in-person mosaic workshops. For everyone who has been waiting and wondering when the next class…

Tentacle Mosaic Mural

I started work on this mosaic mural for a private home in late July, 2021. The client had a cinderblock wall on one side of the courtyard of a home…

Underwatery Mosaic Mural

I want to share installation progress on a commission I’ve been busy working on since mid-July. There’s still a small section left to fabricate, but I felt compelled to take…

Olympia Fall Arts Month 2021

October 1st – 31st, 2021, I”m showing non-mosaic work as part of a 4-person group exhibit at 222 Market in Downtown Olympia. The space is a lobby area, so it’s…

Stained Glass Mosaic Virtual Workshop September 25!

The Society of American Mosaic Artists (SAMA) is hosting a Fall 2021 Virtual Artist Gathering the weekend of Sept. 25/26. There will be artist talks and workshops, including my class…

August 6th, event on Bainbridge Island

On Friday, August 6th, there will be a celebration of the Something New IV exhibition in downtown Bainbridge. My sculpture has a space between the egg and the plinth that…

425 Magazine Article

The most recent issue of 425 Magazine, a lifestyle magazine for the Eastern area of Seattle, features an article about the location of my most recent mosaic installation, “Rivulations.” You…

Jiggity Jig!

I’ve been away from the studio and home for about a month, and I’m just getting back into the swing of things. For those who didn’t catch it, we took…

Nat and Thelma Jackson Portrait Completed

Back in December, I announced that I had been selected to receive a grant from the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. Sixty regional artists were chosen to create new work…

Awards & Recognitions May 2021

I’m off to an exciting week so far, so I wanted to share my good news. First, I learned yesterday that my “Fertility” sculpture will be part of the Bainbridge…

Rivulation, a river of mosaic

This mosaic inlay is located on the back patio of a private home in western Washington State, overlooking the Puget Sound. To me, the artwork is part of the landscape:…

Stained glass fireplace surround

Stained glass fireplace surround

This week I had the pleasure of installing a fireplace surround in an 8th floor condo overlooking Tacoma. I had fabricated the mosaic in my studio ahead of time and…

YouTube Newbie

It started with my decision to create recorded instructional videos, in part because I’m finding it very difficult to make time for teaching, whether on zoom or in-person, and partly…

Introducing: Made by Anariel

My daughter began expressing her creativity before she could speak, and it has been so fun watch her grow over the past 18 years. She makes a lot of different…

Translucent Stained Glass Mosaic

I hadn’t worked in glass-on-glass in a while, mainly because I’ve been busy with other types of projects. But I really love the effect of glass-on-glass. Many people mistake this…

Happy New Year?

Friends, I have a draft of a New Year post that I never published because, as I was working on it the Georgia elections were taking place, quickly followed by…

Mosaic Stepping Stones

Back in 2019, I had the opportunity to participate in a Home & Garden Expo in Portland. My main goal was to connect with designers, builders and home owners, but…

Rivulations: a river of mosaic

If you follow my social media, you will have seen progress pics of a large commission I’ve been working on since September. This is for a private client and will…

Mosaic portrait of Breonna Taylor

Black Lives Matter Grant Recipient

Update: The mosaic is finished and featured in a newer post. I’m so honored and humbled to be one of 20 artists selected to create new work for an exhibition…

Butterfly Mosaic Mural Project

In 2016, my small family had the privilege of traveling to the mountains of Michoacan, MX to visit the site of the Monarch migration. We rode horseback up ruddy trails…

Westport Quilt Community Mosaic Mural Installed

On October 17, 2020, we celebrated the completed mural in Westport, WA! To recap: This project launched in December 2019 during the Santa by the Sea event, with visitors to…

YouTube interview with Mosaic Arts Online

On Saturday, September 26 (2020), Tami Macala of Mosaic Arts Online hosted me in a live streamed interview to launch our newest course, Professional Mosaic Installations. In the interview, I…

Print on Demand Options

Print-on-demand sites offer a range of items that you can purchase featuring my original artwork, including mosaic and other designs. Some of these sites even print images onto canvas, wood…

Personal Update

A few years ago, I met with a small business advisor, and he immediately pointed out that I did not include myself in any of my marketing materials. In fact,…

New Sculpture on Percival Landing / OlyWA

Last fall, Carrie Ziegler and I had a brainstorming session to discuss submitting to public art opportunities as a team. The challenge is that juries and committees are reluctant to…

Mother of Exiles – newest mosaic

I started planning this mosaic at least a year ago when immigration was still making headlines. I began work on the mosaic itself in early June, and just completed it…

Hex Sign / Barn Quilt

Throughout this spring and summer, I’ve managed to create a few projects for my own home and garden. I’ve wanted to add another Hex Sign to the house for a…

Mosaic portrait of Breonna Taylor

Breonna Taylor Mosaic Portrait

UPDATE: This mosaic now belongs to Tamika Palmer, Breonna’s mom. I hope it brings her some small solace. As the mother of a daughter, I cannot imagine the pain of…

Tigard Outdoor Museum Trail Project

In 2020, I installed seven basalt boulders, inlaid with glass mosaic, onto three locations along a new walking-biking path in Tigard, OR. Watch a video about the project here: https://youtu.be/AQmyaWB4b3Q…

Spring Garden Projects

In the face of so much negative news and incredible uncertainty in the world, I’ve been coping by making colorful, fun mosaic projects for the garden. With each of these,…

Mosaic supply resources:

If you are looking for supplies to make your own mosaic at home, or you are taking one of my workshops and want to supplement the supply kit, here is…

Westport Quilt Mosaic – A community mural project

In December of 2019, a new mural for the coastal community of Westport, Washington was launched. During Santa by the Sea, Stitches Quilt and Craft shop hosted the first participatory…

Finding your creative voice in mosaic, part 4.

Embrace your materials. When the mosaic bug bites, you often start with a particular material because you took a class or had access to a source for tile, glass, porcelain,…

Finding your creative voice in mosaic, part 3.

If you read my first two blog posts on this subject, you will hopefully be thinking about ways to practice “looking,” and identifying and collecting the things you are most…

Finding your creative voice in mosaic, Part 2.

In my first blog on this topic, I wrote about learning to look at things more deliberately as a first step in developing artistic skill. Over the past few days,…

Finding your creative voice in mosaic, part 1.

I’ve had numerous requests for a workshop about designing for mosaic. Often, students in my classes mention that they hope to get some insight about how to work in my…

New Benches for City of Auburn part 2:

See my last post showing how the mosaic designs were created with kids in an after-school program at Auburn’s Teen Center. Now all three of the bench tops have been…

Westport Community Mural March Update

Last week, I finished the 3′ x 5′ center section of the Westport mural, then took it out into the sun to snap a photo. About half of the 12″…

What is Andamento?

Oh my goodness, you guys! I just happened on this old post, which I forgot I wrote in 2020. Since then, there has been a growing question around this topic,…

New Benches for City of Auburn, step one:

On February 25, I headed to Auburn, WA to lead a mosaic project with kids in the after school program at the Parks and Rec Department. What a great program!…

Westport Community Project Update

The community mural project in Westport, WA is slowly developing. Through feedback from local businesses and sponsors, the design keeps changing a little bit at a time and a couple…

And now I’m a contractor!

Back in 2002, I was working at The Evergreen State College half time, making arts and crafts as a hobby the other half. I had been selling my work here…

Studio Mosaic Entryway Finished!

Well, the mosaic panels are all installed, anyway. I will need to caulk where the grout meets wood trim and paint the wood sections when weather permits this spring, but…

Studio Changes and Progress

I dedicated the month of September to a big change; moving out of my lovely little garden studio, which I handed over to my 16-year-old as her new bedroom, and…

Community Mosaic Bench for Monarch Sculpture Park

On Friday evening of the recent Olympia Fall Arts Walk, visitors to Arbutus Folk School were welcomed to engage in several participatory arts/crafts activities. I had prepared a small-scale project…

Thoughts on future community art projects…

As you may know, engaging community through mosaic has been an important component of my work. Through the Society of American Mosaic Artists, I’ve met many colleagues who are offering…

Plum Street Village Community Mosaic

During summer of 2019, Arbutus Folk School and I facilitated a participatory mosaic project at the new Plum Street Village, a small complex of tiny homes in Olympia. Participants included…

May 2019 – New Work: Alice Paul

Just completed: a 12″ x 14″ mosaic portrait of Alice Paul. She was imprisoned and force-fed as a suffragist activist, and she co-authored the Equal Rights Amendment, and re-wrote it…

SAMA conference in Nashville (2019)

The 2019 Society of American Mosaic conference was held in Nashville this year at the end of April, and I taught two day-long versions of my Precision Cutting Stained Glass…

Chiapas Trip 2019

I am often asked how I come up with my stylized designs. Honestly, there’s nothing original about this work! I have a passion for folk art and traditional crafts, and…

Best of Olympia 2019 “Visual Artist”

The other night, I received a message from a friend in India passing on a screen shot from someone in Olympia with a section of the Best of Olympia list…

Tile Mosaic Fireplace Surround

In November 2018, I created and installed this fireplace surround in a home with a subtle color palette. The client had a lot of off-cuts from their pale grey ceramic…

Diversity Mural for Orlando

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] The dedication for the Diversity Mural in Orlando took place on Sept. 21, 2018. There is a second version of the Diversity Mural in progress for Orlando, FL. For…

New Project in Bellingham

Af year-long project for the City of Bellingham, located along Maplewood Ave. in the Birchwood neighborhood.

Mural for Mud Bay pet supplies Headquarters

On May 21, I had the pleasure of attending the opening ceremonies for Mud Bay’s annual “MudStock” event, which is a day that all 45 of their branches throughout the…

Dedication of the Diversity Mural in Shelton

Diversity Mural dedication at Choice High School on June 14, 2018 The Diversity Mural at Choice High School in Shelton, WA was dedicated in June 2018, though it wasn’t quite…

Diversity Mural in Shelton, WA

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] In 2012, I approached Choice High School hoping to work with students to create a large mural on a blank exterior wall on the school, located in downtown Shelton,…

New banner design for Olympia, WA

I’m very excited that one of my papercut designs has been fabricated as a metal banner for the South Capital Neighborhood in Olympia, WA. The banner is now mounted right…

Skatepark Memorial Mosaic

I installed this mosaic panel on May 31, 2017 at the South Kitsap Skatepark in Port Orchard. I love this project because it is in a public space used by people from all walks of life, yet it is deeply personal.

2018 Schedule of Events

2018 Schedule 3/3: Opening of Chiaroscuro; Creating Shadows in Mosaic at Wallow Gallery, Carlton, OR. The exhibit will be on display through May. 4/27-28: Olympia Arts Walk: Wycinanki-style papercut designs…

New mosaic mural in Walnut Creek, CA

This 15.9 x 5.6 foot mosaic was installed in Walnut Creek, CA in November 2015.  It is made of stained glass, and was fabricated from a design provided by the…

Art/Mosaic Program for Teens in Shelton

Choice Mosaic Program , a weekly drop-in class at Choice High School in Shelton, WA.  This began as an outreach program for homeless teens and my position was funded by a grant from the McKinney-Vento Act.  The program has been very successful, so the school has found funding to continue for yet another year, and we are no longer under pressure to serve only homeless youth.

Commissions

I have created commissioned fine art panels, public art, and installations for homes and businesses since 2001. Some clients requested a custom backsplash or fireplace surround for a private home,…

Available Artwork

I have mosaic pendants available at Off the Walls Gallery in Shelton, WA and at Hot Toddy in Downtown Olympia, WA. My work moves around to various exhibits and galleries.…