I have a deep need to make things with my hands and will use whatever materials I can find.  Thankfully I have access to more than the toilet paper rolls and pipe cleaners of my youth.  I work primarily in the mosaic technique, but I’m also learning to sew, make books, fuse glass, and bake bread (which is definitely an art).  People often ask “how did you get started?” and I usually have to stop and think.  It feels like I just naturally arrived at mosaics, kind of like having brown eyes and loving mushrooms.  I’ve tried all kinds of artistic mediums and I think mosaics stuck over the years because it’s such a catch-all of whatever I want it to be.  My view of mosaics is broad, which fits with my tendency to look at how things relate rather than drawing lines of separation.  The first mosaic I saw and loved was when I was 4 years old and my family went to the Grotto in West Bend, Iowa for my big brother Matt to get a patch for Boy Scouts.  That was about 29 years ago and I still think about it sometimes.  (I wonder if he does.)  Funny how some experiences stick with us.

Contact me at maria@mariarickemosaics.com

Spanish Arts Village, Balboa Park, San Diego