History is more than dates and facts; it's about lives lived and memories made.  In 2021, Lisa invited the public to send her trinkets and material to include in a mosaic that would commemorate Historic Ellicott City's 250th Anniversary.  Along with the items, the contributers were asked to send a note explaining how the town was special to them.  Lisa received more than 80 items and their accompanying stories.  She created a 6-part wall hanging depicting iconic images of Historic Ellicott City and incorporating the memories of the community into the work.  The community-sourced mosaic is composed of material: slate, stone, glass, ceramic, china, smalti, and found objects.  Mirror is the unifying material in each of the 6 pieces and reflects the viewer as also being part of history. The overall work is approximately 95 'wide by 65" high and is currently on display in the window of 8095 Main Street, Ellicott City.  The accompanying "stories" can be read here: https://www.piecefuldesignsmosaics.com/blog

Smalti is opaque glass made in Italy and Mexico that is traditionally used in mosaics. Lisa hand cuts each piece using a hammer and hardie and places it in a bed of thin set mortar. The andamento (directional flow) of the pieces give it movement.

Using stained glass to create a realistic picture is challenging because colors cannot be blended as in a painting.  Chosing the right color, texture and transparency is as important as cutting the right shapes and sizes of the pieces.  The spaces in between give the work its depth and movement. These stained glass pieces vary in size from large vintage wooden windows to 8"x10" or smaller for the individual flowers.

Working with slate is so satisfying.  Lisa love's getting her hands dirty cutting slate tiles into rods with a wet saw.  Each rod can then be shaped or splintered to create different shapes. These organic pieces can easily depict the Earth or create abstract pieces adorned with colorful glass bits or other organic material such as marble and shale.

Pique assiette or broken dish mosaics give new life to cast-off items.  Finding just the right design, color, pattern or texture in various dishes is a challenge that creates beautiful artwork from something that would otherwise be trash.