Baker Artist Portfolios

John Ellsberry is a Baltimore based visual artist whose primary medium is stained glass mosaic tile portraiture. Drawing inspiration originally from transom repair work as well as his photography background, John began to wonder if stained glass could be used to create more painterly/photographic images. He began experimenting using the glass to create mosaic tile portraits and has been working in the medium for more than thirty years. Each stained glass tile is hand cut utilizing the unique colors in the glass to create a mosaic portrait. Much of the work has been inspired by current and past historical events and resides largely in private collections.

John received a BA in visual and performing arts from UMBC with a primary focus on photography and film. The portfolio is evidence of John's incredible creative breadth that includes stained glass mosaic tile work, several murals, photography, installation, drawing and painting, pottery, a comic strip, and several short films. The varied body of work speaks to the ease with which he moves within a wide range of different artistic mediums many of which, but not all, are displayed here, as well as his ability to collaborate with other artists on a myriad of projects.

Coinciding with his formal studio work, John made many photographs for Baltimore's City Paper and edited a regular column "Whose Responible" for many years as well as co-authoring a regular comic strip that ran in The City Paper and The New York Press called "The Dork Brothers". He has also worked in film over his career as co-creator, collaborator, and actor. John's work has been shown in numerous galleries over thirty years in Baltimore, Annapolis, and New York City.

Photo credit: John Dean