Irina Charny

As a child growing up in Russia, even before I knew they were called mosaics, I created collages from pieces of broken glass found in the street, rocks, paper, seashells, and bits of crockery. Through the years I tried various media for artistic expression but have now returned to my origin — mosaics. This medium gives me a chance to explore color, shape, and texture, to experiment with different materials, and satisfy the passion to integrate unrelated small bits into a single work of art.

I am a self-taught mosaicist. While I am inspired by the rich history of the medium, I strive to build a unique and personal art form on the base of classical mosaic. In addition to traditional mosaic tesserae, I incorporate unusual materials in my work — mirror, pebbles, found objects, beads, buttons, wire, handmade ceramic pieces, and broken plates. I never return home empty handed from a walk on the beach or a trip. Beach glass, pebbles from a path on Hampstead Heath, broken glass from a studio in Seattle, a bit of bone found on the shore are special little bits that are inserted into each mosaic to give it a special, personal meaning.