Posted by Amanda Edwards on Friday, August 3, 2018,
Summer is in full swing here on the Maine Coast! Ocean breezes, beach days, long distance ocean swims, gardening, kids running around the yard, bonfires, and visiting friends and family. - AND the start of a 10' x 8' mosaic mural!
Right after my last summer mosaic class here at the studio ended, the folding tables came out of storage, and the design for the new mural got laid out. This mural is going to be installed in the entryway of a new High School being built in Sanford Maine. A long ti...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Wednesday, June 20, 2018,
March, 2018 How exciting to once again be in a glass show at the Somerville Museum in Massachusetts. THEN, after the show, my piece is returned to me with a People's Choice Award attached to it. Out of the 60+ mosaic pieces in the show, it's a MASSIVE honor to get this award!!
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Sunday, July 23, 2017,
I'm excited to announce that I was recently selected for an artists residency in Ireland! I'll be traveling there in March of 2018, and staying on this amazing estate, painting, sketching, mosaicing, and drawing to my heart's content! The estate is owned by an artist and a historian... complete with old church ruins, beautiful gardens, meandering cows, and SO MUCH food for your imagination!
I will be the only artist in residence, and just can't wait! When my residency comes to a close, my chi... Continue reading ...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Thursday, April 20, 2017,
How is it possible that it's been so long? Where does the time go? Rather than try to back track, I'm going to just jump right into telling you about 2 cool projects I'm working on right now.
First, I had the total pleasure of sharing the art of mosaic with the women at Florence House a few weeks ago. Florence House is a home for chronically homeless women in Portland Maine. All of the women were so welcoming, and I loved seeing them get their creative juices flowing. Each woman made a mosaic... Continue reading ...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Thursday, September 24, 2015,
Well, Summer of 2015 is now over. How did that happen!? Although I made a true effort to enjoy & get the most out of every day, it still seemed to go by faster than ever. Days spent in the studio, in the garden, hanging out with two of the coolest kids ever (which happen to be my own), splashing in the waves, exploring the ever-changing cove we live on... summers in Maine are magical. But now, as Summer ends, I'm getting excited about what Autumn brings: sunny but cooler days that make you wa... Continue reading ...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Friday, October 17, 2014,
It's been such a long time since I was here, so I'm not going to fool myself into thinking that I can update this blog in one post. :) Instead, I'll do something much more reasonable, and plan on writing here once every couple of days for the next few weeks. For now, I'll jump right into the exciting news that Groutline Magazine ran an article about my project for the Ronald McDonald House of Portland Maine! To see more about the project, head here.
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Wednesday, November 28, 2012,
I'm
very happy to announce that my design, "Everyone's Tree House" has been
selected as the winning design for a 5-story mosaic mural at Boston
Children's Hospital. The proposal phase was long, and so many amazing
artists applied. I'm still stunned that my piece won the contract... but
beyond that, I'm thrilled & honored. I'll be a very busy camper for
a while now! I'll be sure to post many work in progress shots along the way.. so stay tuned! In the mean time, here is my design.
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Wednesday, September 5, 2012,
I don't believe I've ever written about my children on here... but today I was asked by someone what inspires me. The first thing I thought of was, "my children". They remind me to enjoy life... to laugh A LOT, to jump over the waves, to roll down hills, to not take myself too seriously, and to give love freely & as much as possible. The lessons I've learned from them come through in every piece of art I make. My work has no big hidden meanings.... it's just simply color, joy, love, and mome... Continue reading ...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Saturday, September 1, 2012,
I
took my 12-piece exhibit down this morning, and the folks at the
library gallery said it was one of their most popular exhibits all year!
Apparently, different large groups came by to see it.. and often. They
said that a group of 8 people from Canada came in, and that they came to
the area just to see my work! I was floored, honored, and so
unbelievably grateful to everyone, every kind word, every wonderful
email... THANK YOU for making my exhibit so successful! xoxox
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Monday, August 20, 2012,
Doves are coming in all the time, from all over the world, for the Florence House Dove Mural. It's so exciting to open the boxes... and then I always get a little teary-eyed when I see the beautiful creations. Click here to head over the Florence House page and see the wonderful pieces that have come in so far!
I've been very busy with commissions, and putting together a proposal for a large mural for a New England hospital. More to come on that! I was thrilled to find out that I'm a finalist...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Thursday, August 2, 2012,
Summer is half over now... and what a busy summer it's been! Doves for the Florence House mural have been showing up at my doorstep, and each one is just so lovely & moving. There will be 17 doves in the mural when all is said and done. I'll be posting photos of the doves I've received so far VERY soon!
Yesterday, I hung 11 pieces of work at the Thomas Memorial Library, here in Cape Elizabeth, for a summer art show. My son is almost 10 years old, and he asked if he could be my assistant. He ...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Wednesday, June 27, 2012,
A few weeks ago, I was VERY excited to be juried into the Art is Community III art show, in Buxton Maine. It was my son's first time going to an art show opening (he's 9)... and he was the one who first noticed that I had won First Place in the Mixed Media and Sculpture category! I think it was just as exciting for him as it was for me!
First Place! Woo-hoo!!
I was beyond surprised, and totally honored! To make things even MORE exciting, I received an email the next morning that I also was vot...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Saturday, May 26, 2012,
It's Memorial Day weekend... the official start of summer here at the beach! - and what better way to start a new season than with a new big project? If you haven't heard of Florence House, in close-by Portland Maine, then please take a look at this video:
It's an inspirational place... and when you see a group trying to start over, and banding together in a place of support, love, and sympathy, you want to jump in and do something. As an artist, my mind always floats to mosaics... and so I ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Wednesday, March 28, 2012,
Yesterday, I went back to the Children's Hospital, with photographer Kelly Ash, to take photos of my mural. Kelly is taking the photos that will be in Vidro Impresso Magazine. It was great to see the mural again, now that it's all settled into it's new home. Along with Kelly, I snapped just a few pictures of my own... because how could I not? Enjoy them!
.. and just a couple of detail shots.
I have also finished putting the last of the glass onto a window for a holistic medical practice in C...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Tuesday, March 27, 2012,
I got a wonderful email last week from the Art Editor of Vidro Impresso magazine. They are going to publish a piece about my mosaics. I'm thrilled! A wonderful photographer, Kelly Ash, came by yesterday, and today we're heading to the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital to photograph the mosaic mural I did for them. I'm not sure which month my piece will be in, but I'll be sure to post more information about it as soon as I know more details.
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Thursday, March 15, 2012,
This week, I've been busy working on a window for a holistic physical therapy studio in Colorado. The idea behind this window was to give the tree a mandala feel. The area outside the circle will be full of the many colors of water. Within the circle is the Spring/Summer tree, full of swirling leaves, and from behind it is the glow of the sun. I've hand cut over a thousand leaves for the tree... and seeing them come to life in the tree makes me so happy! I'm very excited to be working on this...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Friday, March 9, 2012,
This week, I've been working on a new window.... a shell surrounded by a burst of color. The window is complete, and yesterday I started the install. Although the edge work now needs to be completed, I couldn't resist taking a picture when I saw that late morning sun pouring through it for the first time. Once the window install is completed, I'll take another photo... but in the mean time, enjoy the glow!
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Thursday, March 1, 2012,
It's finally snowing here in Maine!!! We've waited a long time for this storm, and my kids are over the moon that school was FINALLY closed for a snow day! While they play in the snow, periodically come in for hot cocoa & dry mittens, I'm trying to organize my studio & myself. Lots has been happening in the art world around here lately... and it time for me to lay it all out for myself so I don't loose track of anything.
The Surfboard I created for Surfscapes was recently part of a photo shoot...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Thursday, February 16, 2012,
UPDATE: The finished frame & eggs that I wrote about below. :)
****************************** Things are busy in the studio... life is plugging along... and I'm trying to enjoy every minute of all of it! I've got a number of projects going on right now, and am trying to keep a few non-commission pieces going at the same time. Here's a little look at whats been going on the studio this past week.
This mirror frame has been hanging around in my studio for the past year. I finally got around to f...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Sunday, February 5, 2012,
Wow... time keeps on chugging along. Here in Maine, it's been a very mild winter. Even now, I can see grass outside when I look out the window. What a strange thing that is. Spring will be here before we know it... and I can't wait to open the windows, hear the birds, listen to the waves at night, and lay in the sand again. But, for now, I'm taking full advantage of the colder months, and working on a number of projects in the studio. First, there was a studio move back in the beginning of Ja...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Tuesday, January 17, 2012,
So far, it's been a busy year! Two commissions have already left the house, and two more are getting going this week. One is a cool garden stone, and the other is a window heading out to Colorado. Both are fun projects, and came in from great customers! Also, in the very beginning stages, is a 5-story mural for a Children's Hospital. More details on that to come, as things develop. These two smaller commissions will be the last commissions I take on for quite a few months though... with a 31...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Friday, January 6, 2012,
Starting a new year is always so exciting! It's fun to look back at what you've accomplished over the past year... and start making plans for the new one! Here's a look back at my 2011... what a year of new experiences, artistic growth, meeting artists, and of course endless inspiration.
This was the year of the pennies! I completed my penny floor, and even ended up on the front page of the Home & Garden Section of the Portland Press Herald.
One of my mosaics went off to London, to be added t...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Monday, December 12, 2011,
If you're within driving distance (or even if you're not!) you should go check out the Christmas festivities happening in Kennebunkport Maine this holiday season. They call it "Christmas Prelude"... and it's amazing. HGTV voted Kennebunkport #2 Christmas Town USA even!
Maine Art Gallery is right there in the center of all the festivities, and they had some wonderful singers at their store the other day. My Autumn Tree Mosaic was the backdrop, which made me SO happy to see!
Although I have 3 mosaic orders sitting on my desk, I felt the need to start a mosaic for me. After almost a year of creating mosaics for other people, I just needed to at least have one of my own under way. :) I've been thinking about this piece for months... it's a mosaic of my favorite elements from the wardrobe of Queen Elizabeth I. There are elements from many of her pieces that I adore.. her coronation robe, her dress in the Rainbow Portrait, the lace designs, the h...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Friday, November 11, 2011,
In :
Surf Board Project
It's DONE! This is the finished Surfboard Mosaic, to be turned into a bench &
auctioned off to local business' in Portsmouth NH. Money raised will be
donated, and help to keep New Hampshire Beaches clean! The sea creatures
were donated by the PieceMaker Mosaic group (see the P.M. blog here). I organized the collaboration, designed the piece, added the creatures, and created the background.
It's been a fun process... and I've learned a lot! The PieceMaker Group is truly unbelievable.... fu...
I went to see the mosaic I did for the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital today, and it looks wonderful in it's new home! It's located in the atrium, which is not a public area. The children's rooms open up on to the atrium, and it's a lovely big space, flooded with natural light from it's glass ceiling. It was so nice to see my piece hanging.. and the carpentry department did a wonderful job building the frame! I hope it brings a lot of enjoyment to everyone who sees it!
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Monday, October 31, 2011,
Snowflake Mandala
We had our first snow over the weekend... and although it was just a powdering, my mind is swirling with ideas for mosaics inspired by snow, wind, christmas lights, pine, fireplaces, etc. Funny how all it takes is seeing that first snowflake, and it officially becomes Christmas Time. :) My first Christmas custom orders have come in as well... so bring on the Santa!
This weekend, I'm delivering my Autumn Tree mosaic window, and a few other pieces, to "Maine Art Gallery", in Kennebunkport Maine. It's always exciting to start working with a new gallery, and I've heard wonderful things about them. Here's to hoping that my window will find a new, happy home this Autumn.
If you're around Kennebunkport, stop by... it looks like an amazing gallery space!
The Barbara Bush Children's Hospital Mural was picked up today by the Carpentry Team. They're almost finishe...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Tuesday, October 25, 2011,
It's been busy in the studio the last few months, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. I'm going to try to finish putting the glass on the surfboard over the next few days, and get it grouted within a week. Then, it's on to 3 commissioned orders that are coming in. The mural for the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital is being picked up tomorrow at 11! As soon as it's installed, I'll be running over to check it out & will post lots of photos.
So, now for a little update on the surfboard, whic...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Sunday, October 23, 2011,
It's a beautiful Sunday here on this Maine beach, but after days of playing and frolicking in the Autumn sun, it's time to anchor myself down in the studio. I've got five pieces I'm currently working on, so there's plenty to do! :) It's a small studio space, but it's my favorite studio so far. I've had 5 other spaces, and this one is wonderful for a lot of reasons:
I like being able to reach most of my glass shelves while I work. There is a lot of natural light. Small spaces force me to be mor...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Tuesday, October 18, 2011,
I am sometimes asked where people can see more of my work. So, click the above mosaic, and it will bring you to my flickr account, where you can browse all day. Some creations are small, some are large... and each one has a different story of inspiration behind it. Enjoy!
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Tuesday, October 4, 2011,
Months of work & 12 hours of
grouting, and it's done! The next photo I post will be of it hanging
in it's new home, in the atrium of the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital. Measures 5 feet x 7 feet.
A few more detailed shots of some of the creatures:
The process of making this mosaic was months and months in making. First, it was approaching the hospital with my idea, and from there just trying to think like a kid again. - which, frankly, isn't very hard for me. :) Throughout the design, I ...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Sunday, October 2, 2011,
It's been a busy weekend around here! In amongst daily life with a husband, two kids, pets, and activities, I've also been working like crazy in the studio. Two of the three Children's Hospital mural panels are now grouted! That's 5 feet x 4.5 feet of grouting done yesterday. The total of all the panels is 5'x7'. I'm grouting the final panel today, and then tomorrow I'll be working on the many color washes that will be applied to the grout. I can't wait for that step! Here's a little look... ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Friday, September 30, 2011,
Slowly, the surfboard project is coming together! I now have all the creatures for the board, from Etsy PieceMaker mosaic artists all over the country (and one from Switzerland as well!). They're all in place, and the background started to appear today.
Grouting is underway on my Barbara Bush Children's Hospital Mural as well! Photos to come over the next few days!
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Saturday, September 24, 2011,
I finished up my tree house mosaic yesterday... 6 grout colors later. Yes... there are 6 grout colors on that piece. I was commissioned by Latitude Gallery (Newbury Street, Boston) to do this piece. It's going to be installed in the general medicine department of the Boston Children's Hospital. This lucky one will be put behind a glass panel. Will be interesting to see the finished installation!
This week, I also sent off a house number sign to Washington State. I think that I'm taking a brea...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Thursday, September 15, 2011,
The surfboard is officially under way! For a few weeks now, I've been getting donations for the board from all over the country... and even one from Switzerland! I'm waiting for one more creature to come in the mail, so I decided to start putting them on the board today. I'm working with a thinset adhesive, which isn't much fun, but boy is it doing the trick!
I've started to add some of the rock, but still lots more to go. Rock, seaweed, coral, and lots of blue water will all fill in the back...
Posted by Amanda Edwards on Saturday, August 13, 2011,
In :
Surf Board Project
There is an organisation in Portsmouth NH that contacted me. They are
called Surfscapes, and are gathering
old, used surf boards, and giving them to artists to "beautify". Then,
they will gather the boards, and turn them into public park benches. The
benches will be auctioned off to Portsmouth businesses. The businesses
will install them outdoors, and with a plaque of the artists the created
each one. I'm honoured that they asked me to do a board for them!
For the past months, intermingled with moving to our wonderful new 1800's beach house, and summer vacation, I've been working on a mosaic mural for the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital. I'm hoping to have all the glass put on it over the next week, and I'll post more photos of my progress along this mosaic marathon coming up. The mural measures a little over 5 feet x 7 feet. I've loved seeing this one evolve!
I'm a stained glass & mixed media mosaic artist living on a beautiful beach in Southern Maine, with my husband & two children. Simply put, I love glass. I love the textures, variety of colors, shapes, sizes, reflections, even the sound it makes when I’m scoring and cutting it. Glass allows me to take a thousand little pieces of color and turn them into a flowing representation of my very active imagination.
I'm a stained glass & mixed media mosaic artist living on a beautiful beach in Southern Maine, with my husband & two children. Simply put, I love glass. I love the textures, variety of colors, shapes, sizes, reflections, even the sound it makes when I’m scoring and cutting it. Glass allows me to take a thousand little pieces of color and turn them into a flowing representation of my very active imagination.
