Jeanne Kelley-Brown
I never thought of myself as creative however I have always been drawn to the arts. I love all forms of art; music, dance, theater, photography, pottery, you name it. I felt as though these individuals were given a very special gift, almost as if it were a vocation they could not say no to.
I still feel this way to some degree but what I know now is that we are all creative beings; we merely need to explore and tap into that creativity. I began exploring this side of me when I took a class in mosaics. I had no idea it would become my passion!
Mixed media mosaic is where I find my joy. It is a way for me to express myself, challenge myself, and discover the many facets of “me”.
The joy is in the process. I love the hunt for materials. They can come from anywhere, garage sales, a friends basement, thrift stores, just to name a few. I have spent hours at Powell’s looking through art books. I use art from some of my favorite artists such as Chagall, Klimt, Dali and Kostabi in my work. The moment when an idea presents itself is magical. The actual process of creating is very much a letting go experience since the finished product rarely resembles the original thought. Last but definitely not least is the grouting process; I call this “the unveiling”. I never really know what a piece will look like until all the excess grout is wiped away.