Mosaics

This collection illustrates my artistic journey from vitreous glass tiles and smalti to stained glass in my mosaics. I have been exploring painting beneath glass and adding foil to create variations in colors, reflections, and depth in my work. (Click on any image to get the details and story behind the piece.)

My work serves as a "time capsule" of Brooklyn’s communal and personal landscapes, capturing the soulful energy of neighborhood anchors—from the historic Commonwealth Bar to the intimate stoops of Prospect Park West. My practice is uniquely informed by a 25-year career in science, leading me to view the city through the lens of physics and chemistry. I focus on the technical intricacies of how light is reflected and refracted within urban environments, immortalizing local landmarks and family histories through the shimmering permanence of glass.

These samples demonstrate my signature "sandwich" technique, which bridges the gap between traditional Italian mosaic and contemporary painting. To achieve multidimensional depth, I paint base scenes—such as bar interiors or park reflections—in acrylic on the substrate. I then layer translucent stained glass over the painting, often adding secondary details like neon lights or wallpaper patterns directly onto the reverse side of the glass.

The mosaics invite the viewer to look into the windows. A core element of my work is "reactive illumination." By incorporating light-sensitive materials such as gold foil, Murano millefiori, crystals, and fossil beads, the pieces are designed to be experienced in changing natural light. They "wake up" as the viewer moves or as the sun hits them, mimicking the flickering vitality of the city itself. Collectively, these works represent an ongoing body of work dedicated to preserving the "gritty" yet jewel-like beauty of Brooklyn life.