Mireille Swinnen Interdisciplinary Art - Society of American Mosaic ...

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eJournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists ContentS
Spring 2013 • Volume 14 Number 2
1
Colorado Mosaic Artists
30 Members and Growing
Shipping Internationally
What You Need to Know
Wet Saws
Types, Tips, and Tricks
Mireille Swinnen Interdisciplinary Art
Photo: Mireille Swinnen

eJournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists
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President’s Column
I was exhausted yet exhilarated after
attending the twelfth annual American
Mosaic Summit in Tacoma, Washington. This year’s attendance-breaking group wasn’t
disappointed when they arrived. The Pacific Northwest hosting committee rolled out the red
carpet, planning mosaic tours and even a trip to the Spectrum Glass Factory. The tours, the
wonderful workshops, the unbelievable MAI Exhibition at the stunning Museum of Glass, and
the presentations by well-known artists all made the conference unforgettable. Topping if off
was the SAMA Mini-Salon, exhibiting approximately 140 pieces of mosaic art and breaking
yet another record.
Photo: Tim Stassines
The 2013 American Mosaic Summit in Tacoma, Washington,
has come to a close. Thanks to all the volunteers who chipped
in to make it an overwhelming success.
Inside Spring 2013
President’s Column 2
Lead StorY
Shipping Internationally 9–10
Departments
Inspiration
Secret Confessions of a Collector 3
Regional
Colorado Mosaic Artists 4
Artist Profile
Mireille Swinnen 5
Step By Step
Cutting Glass with a Wet Saw 6
Ask a Pro
Dalle de Verre 8
SAMA NEWS
2013 Contributors 11
Volunteer of the Year 11
SAMA Leadership 12
Our keynote speaker, Japan’s Toyoharu Kii, charmed and inspired us not only through
his presence at the conference and his informative presentation, but also through his art,
displayed in the museum alongside that of our members. We hope to forge a lasting bond
between SAMA and the Mosaic Art Association in Japan (MAAP).
At the general meeting, SAMA honored Karen Ami, President Emeritus and eight-year
board member, who is stepping away from the Board of Trustees to concentrate on her
artwork. We owe Karen a huge debt of gratitude for her passionate service, and I hope you
will join me in thanking Karen for her devotion and support. Fortunately, she will continue to
serve as an integral part of the exhibitions committee. While we will miss her on the board,
we look forward to the new art that will be emerging from Amiba Studio. Thank you, Karen,
for a job well done!
The conference concluded on Saturday with the annual raffle and the first-ever “Have a
Ball for SAMA” dinner and auction. Amber Pierce conducted the raffle this year, beginning
with an impassioned plea for everyone to donate $5. From all corners of the room, people
streamed to the front and placed money on the podium. In less than five minutes, donations
totaled $2,400! That night, “Have a Ball” attendees enthusiastically bid on the donated items,
raising nearly $10,000 for SAMA’s general fund.
What a night, what a week, what a conference! I thank each of you personally for
supporting our organization, and I hope to see you in Houston next year!
Find us! facebook.com/americanmosaics
Follow us! twitter.com/americanmosaics
Join and learn more! americanmosaics.org
Shug Jones
In addition to being president of SAMA, Shug Jones is the president/founder of
Tesserae Mosaic Studio, Inc. in Richardson, Texas, where she creates fine mosaic art
and installations and offers classes and workshops. tesseraemosaicstudio.com
ON THE COVER : . Charlotte, by Mireille Swinnen, 2011. 10”H x 13”W. Smalti. Privately owned by the
artist’s daughter, Sara Veestraeten.

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INSPIRATION
Secret Confessions of a Collector
by Barbara Dybala
Are you a collector? Not a person who acquires fine
art, but a collector of glass, tile, smalti, stones, tools,
found objects, broken pieces? A good way to find
out is to sell your home and move your studio and
all its supplies. If your boxed-up studio fills more
space on the moving truck than the combined contents of your
living room, dining room, and kitchen, then you are a collector.
“But no, not me!” I thought. I convinced my sweet husband
that every square inch of glass and tile was needed for that
someday project, but I secretly asked myself, “Am I a collector
of sales items, leftover glass, broken dishes?” I have major art
projects under my belt, but the roomful of mosaic “wannabe”
products made me gasp in disbelief. I wondered sadly whether
that was all my mosaic classes and travels had been about.
At that moment, Raymond Isidore, Antoni Gaudi, and
Friedensreich Hundertwasser came to mind. Mentally and
physically, I experienced a breakthrough mosaic moment and
a heartfelt creative release: “I’m going to use up all my random
glass, tile, smalti, and plates, as well as try out that Diamond
Laser 7000 Heavy Duty Wet Band Saw I just ‘had to buy’ on
craigslist!” I thought excitedly.
Photo: Gary Coots
Entwined, by Barbara Dybala, 2012. 18’H x 15’W x 3”D. Stairway wall. Glass, mirror, plates,
saucers, figurines, coins, smalti, and porcelain. The handrail is a 2-by-4 piece of lumber
adorned with signatures of all who have ascended the stairs.
Suddenly I looked up, and there it was: a fresh, new, 18-by-15-foot stairway wall. Suspended from the ceiling above the landing, an
oversized, 3-foot-round light fixture glowed, showing me the way. Slowly, as I lifted my hand and followed the light’s circumference with
my index finger, I repeated the mantra of a game played on countless summer nights: “The moon, the moon, the great big moon. Two eyes,
a nose, and a mouth.”
At that point, I didn’t even need a knife to open all those boxes. I began ripping and tearing—nothing would stop me. It had begun.
One day … three days … twelve days and nights. Scissors lifted, mesh, glue—it was exhilarating—glass flying. “I’m on fire!” I thought.
A few Band-Aids to cover nicks, a pain pill for my back. I was obsessed; already, the project was too big to photograph.
Finally, stepping back, I was done. Peace and freedom filled me. “Someday,” I thought, “I may even grout it.”
Barbara Dybala, mosaic entrepreneur and optimist, is currently building the Mosaic Sculpture Garden Studio and Shop in Rockwall, Texas. There she works with a landscape architect
to create custom mosaics; she also holds mosaic workshops and classes. She lives in a land where all colors match, and a weed is just another lovely flower.
pieceloveandsmalti.com, barbaradybala.com

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REGIONAL
Colorado IS Mosaic
by Deborah Williams and Kathy Thaden
As we prepare for our September 2013 regional exhibition,
we can’t help but reflect on how our Colorado Mosaic Artists
(CMA) community is like a giant mosaic itself. From our initial
sketch to our upcoming exhibition, the layers of creativity
build upon each other until what’s revealed surprises even us!
It’s been nearly a decade since a small group of mosaic artists formed
CMA, a successful not-for-profit association dedicated to the promotion and
education of mosaic as fine art.
Many of CMA’s founding members were part of an international online
forum, which led to the desire to meet in person. Sharing ideas and
encouraging each other with all things possible is how it started, and how
it’s kept going and growing. CMA President Kathy Thaden commented, “You
can learn a great deal online and from books, but meeting in person and
seeing each other’s art is exciting and stimulating.”
We have about 30 members in our group, and our active board of
directors includes a president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. We
meet once a month in homes or studios, and we alternate agendas of handson
activities with business or educational topics. And, as Colorado mosaic
artists, we’re fortunate to enjoy an annual summer retreat at a member’s
fabulous mountain abode in Breckenridge. Grout dries quickly at 8,000 feet!
In September 2012, we adopted a formal mission statement that ensures
our support and advocacy for mosaic art in Colorado,
encourages mosaic artists to grow through meetings and events, gives
visibility to the mosaic art form by providing exhibit opportunities, and
contributes to the community by donating mosaic art to recognized
charitable organizations.
For a recent charitable project, we created a mosaic quilt for Project
Angel Heart, a local non-profit that delivers nutritious meals at no cost
to people coping with life-threatening illnesses. A team of three
spearheaded the logistics and created the design; 14 more members
each contributed a section of the mosaic. Now visitors, volunteers, and
staff enjoy the prominently displayed, proud representation of Project
Angel Heart’s mission.
As we strive to expand our exhibition opportunities, we’re excited
to host our first regional show this September. Through our
collaboration with Lakewood Cultural Center, we can provide a
venue large enough to invite our neighbors from Idaho, Montana,
Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. The award-winning
international mosaic artist Julie Richey is our esteemed juror
(juliericheymosaics.com). Julie will also host a half-day professional
development workshop. The deadline for the fall exhibition is
July 1, and you can find details online at coloradomosaics.org.
Photos: Bob Taylor
Created by 15 CMA members, this 72-square-foot mosaic “quilt” visually
represents meals and other events provided by the Denver, Colorado,
nonprofit Project Angel Heart.
Deborah Williams is a new member of CMA and SAMA. She looks forward to becoming a
contributing member of this great community of mosaic artists. omgwhiz.etsy.com.
A 2004 founding member, CMA President Kathy Thaden is also a Professional Member of
SAMA. thadenmosaics.com
Information sharing at a CMA meeting at Barbara Cohen’s studio in Denver,
Colorado. Left to right: Marlea Taylor, Jean Wilson, Laurie Adams, Kathy Thaden,
Cindy Miller, Joan Schubert, Lynnette Kupferer (hidden), Barbara Cohen, Barb
Arne, and Misha Moore.

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ARTIST PROFILE
Mireille Swinnen
by Jane Denison
Mireille Swinnen hesitantly describes
herself as a child of the Spilimbergo
school of mosaics. She hesitates because
she also views her idiosyncratic work as
incorporating the lessons of many
mosaic artists.
“I’m a sponge when it comes to learning,” she confesses.
“I absorb whatever is around me.”
The Belgian artist’s willingness to experiment with new
techniques lends a unique vibrancy to her work. Following
her first solo show in Los Angeles and the selection of her
work Motherhood in the MAI exhibition, Mireille is rapidly
gaining recognition in today’s mosaic art scene.
Art has always featured prominently in Mireille’s life.
From age 10, she attended art school, where she learned
to draw, paint, and sculpt. Since taking up mosaics in
2001, her focus has been to integrate her core artistic
skills into her mosaic practice. Her work has led her into
extensive study with artists from Spilimbergo, such
as Ambrogio Zamparo, Mélaine Lanoë, Marie-Laure
Besson, Carolina Zanotti, and Paola Gortan. In a series
of workshops at Orsoni, she absorbed further lessons
in working with smalti. She attributes her painterly and
expressive style to the influence of both schools.
The painterly effect is evinced in Motherhood, a
composition that shows a mother bird proudly watching
over her young. The subject is self-referential and
concerns her identity as an adoptive mother. Foregoing
the lines and rhythms usually seen in mosaics, Mireille
creates the sculptural form of the bird’s body through
an ad hoc mix of tesserae that resemble an artist’s
spontaneous brushstrokes. She also treats the young
hatchlings in an unorthodox way by reducing their form
to a series of open mouths conveyed through the irregular
placement of pink smalti. The demanding mouths of the
hatchlings, combined with their mother’s love and fiercely
protective stance, show emotions familiar to all mothers.
Photo: Mireille Swinnen
Motherhood, by Mireille Swinnen, 2012. 15”H X 17”W X 3”D. Smalti, rose quartz, gold smalti,
driftwood. Currently on exhibit at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington.
In another mosaic (see cover), Mireille projected the love for
her daughter Sara through the eyes of Charlotte, a work that she
made for Sara’s 21st birthday. It shows the technique she feels most
comfortable with, working from professional quality photographs, in
this case of her daughter’s favorite pet. She translated the vivid colors
and brighter areas using big chunks of smalti for maximum effect and
contrast with the fuzzy detail of the dog’s fur.
Mireille’s painterly style is also seen in Genesis, an adaptation
of Jenny Saville’s Passage (2004). The flesh tones take on a sensory
quality as large pieces of tesserae create a sculptural effect and draw
attention to the lightest hues on the model’s abdomen and thighs.
In contrast, the genitalia are partially obscured in a mass of shadows
formed by small, irregularly shaped tesserae.
Mireille sees a parallel between her subject and an artist’s struggle
with (self-proclaimed) artistic identity: “The mosaic method, which is
a form of deconstructing and reconstructing, is in itself a search for a
new identity.”
The artist’s desire to keep her own vision while learning from
others has enabled her to develop a strong visual “language.” When
you look closely at her work, you’ll see the brushstrokes of a painter,
the form of a sculptor, and the skill of a mosaic artist.
Learn more about Mireille at her studio site and on Facebook.
Jane Denison, a freelance writer who specializes in art history, has a keen interest in mosaic art.
janedenison@hotmail.com

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STEP BY STEP
Cutting Glass with a Wet Saw
by Lou Ann Weeks
Rosie the Riveter, a cultural icon for
female factory workers during World War II,
is still relevant for women today. Using hand
tools to shape glass may not have daunted
Rosie, but I know it’s frustrated me. Wet saws
can help!
Safety
It’s important to follow all the safety instructions you receive when you purchase a
wet saw. Do not remove blade guards or forget to use eye protection. Do not allow
water to run down the power cord and into your socket or electrical connection: That
could be a shocking experience!
Types of Saws
Most tile saws are “wet” saws. They have either an internal water pump and hose or a
bottom water tray to cool the blade and reduce dust during operation. Here are three
types of wet saws:
Table Saws cut straight lines on very hard tiles such
as porcelain, granite, and marble. The blade is a circular
wheel that runs through a bottom water tray for cooling.
Band Saws are perfect for precision cutting. The blade
is a long, narrow, flat metal band with diamond cutting
teeth on one side. It cuts granite and marble easily, and
has specialty blades for cutting stained glass; the blade is
cooled by the action of a water pump and hose.
Tips & Tricks
• Remember to coat your pattern marks with
lip balm or beeswax to prevent them from
washing off the glass.
• To save time and wear-and-tear on the saw,
trim away excess material by hand before
cutting on the saw.
• Don’t force material into the blade. Allow the
work to glide smoothly. Avoid twisting the
blade on tight curves.
• Don’t put cutting sludge down plumbing
drains. The sludge from glass, stone, and tile
may harden and clog the drain.
• To back out of a cut, turn the saw off and
slowly ease the material away from the blade.
• Protect your fingers with fingertip grips when
guiding the glass through the saw blade.
Ring Saws are versatile and portable. The blade, a
narrow ring covered in diamond cutting teeth that can
cut in any direction, runs through a water tray.
How to Cut Shapes
Draw your pattern on the glass with a marker in a color you can easily see. Coat your
pattern marks with lip balm or beeswax to keep them from “floating” away when the
water hits them.
Straight cuts – Line up your pattern mark with the saw blade and use consistent
pressure to guide the glass forward.
Curves – Following the pattern, feed the glass slowly into the blade, gently turning.
90-degree cuts – Easy to do with a ring saw; angle the glass sideways across the
blade. With a band saw, turn the glass slowly until you can work the glass around the
blade. Be careful not to twist the blade.
Unusual shapes – Same as the 90-degree cut, but you may have to make numerous
cuts in the glass to complete the shape.
Lou Ann Weeks is the owner of Lou Ann Weeks, Inc., an Orlando, Florida, mosaic business specializing in fine art,
large installations, teaching, and advancing the mosaic community. A SAMA member since 2002, Lou Ann will be
instructing in technical workshops at the April 2013 conference. louannweeks.com

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Worry-Free
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ASK A PRO
Dalle de Verre
by sophie drouin
Photos: Sophie Drouin
Above is an example of a dalle de verre and mosaic combination that can be hung in
a window. In the top photo, the light source is behind it, and in the middle photo, the
light source is in front. Bottom photo: A faceting hammer.
Q. I have seen more and more mosaics that use dalle de verre.
How is it cut, and what is the best way to use it?
A. Dalle de verre is French for “pave glass” or “slab of glass,”
and indeed it is, simply put, a slab 1 inch thick, 8 inches wide and
12 inches long, weighing in at around 8 lbs. Although this usually
translucent glass is suitable for many types of mosaic, it’s mainly
used as a form of stained glass, in a binder of either epoxy
or concrete.
Dalle can be cut with a wet saw, but this leaves the cut
surfaces permanently scarred with abrasion residue. A carbidetipped
hammer and hardie can actually do a better job. The
initial cuts to reduce the large dalle to a more manageable size
are accomplished with the hardie only. Wearing eye protection
and fitted gloves, use one of the two pointed edges at the side of
the flat carbide hardie to hit the bottom side of the dalle at least
a dozen times, creating a straight dotted line along the middle
of its width. Then turn the glass over and hit it decisively on the
hardie, aligning the flat blade with the series of hits you just
made. It should break into two pieces. You can repeat this process
until you are left with one-eighth of the initial slab, and then you
can switch to your carbide hammer.
The process of making a dalle de verre piece, suitable to hang
in a window or even to fit as a window, takes days, and is much
too lengthy to describe here. However, I should mention the use
of a special tool: a faceting hammer, which looks like a miniature
brick hammer, with a small carbide blade at one end of its head
and a flat carbide tip at the other. It’s used to add texture to the
exposed surface of the dalle pieces. The faceting for the flat tip
travels farther along the glass than the blade tip, making for
variety in the resulting surfaces created.
You can purchase dalles from Blenko Glass in West Virginia
or Kokomo Opalescent Glass in Indiana. Blenko sells the carbide
faceting hammers in store, but you can find them online at
Kraft Tool Co.
Sophie Drouin is a Canadian second-generation mosaic artist who teaches throughout
North America. She has exhibited at SAMA’s MAI exhibitions every year since joining
the group, winning awards within SAMA and in the U.S. as well as in Europe. She
is the editor for the English version of the French publication Mosaïque Magazine.
sophiemosaics.com

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LEAD STORY
The Ins and Outs of International Shipping
by Shug Jones
9
further afield to exhibit their works face a myriad
of international shipping challenges. If you’re
Mosaic artists in North America who venture
sending work overseas, you can benefit from the
experience of several SAMA members.
Last spring, I received an invitation to show work in an
exhibition in Italy. What an exciting proposition! I immediately
responded with a resounding “YES!” and set about having my
work photographed for the catalog. The Italian gallery’s delivery
deadline was in August, so I wasn’t in a rush to investigate
shipping. I expected it to cost a few hundred dollars and
imagined setting up an online shipment with UPS or FedEx, with
a printed shipping label included. That’s how I’d always shipped
my work to exhibitions in the United States, and the gallery in
Italy had suggested this method.
Boy, was I ever wrong! I sat down at my computer in early
August to find the least expensive way to ship my mosaic. My
package was 35 inches wide by 36 inches long by 5 inches deep.
I was shocked to find that the shipping alone—one way—was
$860. I was facing $1,720 round trip, plus customs charges and
probably other fees as well. That really gave me pause. I hadn’t
even figured in my insurance cost yet.
Researching customs, I learned that I could request the
landed charges (includes shipping, customs, and all fees) while
setting up my shipment. Imagine my horror when I discovered
that the one-way landed charges would be $4,500! If my mosaic
sold at the exhibition, the valued price of $2,800 wouldn’t even
cover the shipping. How disheartening. At this point, I seriously
considered backing out of the exhibition.
I reached out to Lynn Adamo, who was also invited to the
exhibition. She was in the process of arranging shipping, and her
experience was similar to mine. Lynn had consulted other artists
who’d shipped work to Italy; several were in this exhibition. What
resulted was a group of five artists keeping in touch over a threemonth
period to document the journey of our artwork to Italy
and back.
Photo: PhotoDic, Beyond Retro, 2B Custom Publishing
The ATA Carnet
Most governments don’t have international agreements
that allow artwork to travel easily from one country to
another on loan to exhibitions. The only solution is the
ATA Carnet, a passport for goods traveling to another
country and returning within a certain amount of time.
(A carnet is not recommended for work that will be sold
overseas.) Although the carnet helps grease the wheels of
bureaucracy, it’s an expensive option beyond the cost of
crating, shipping, and insuring. A carnet can be obtained
from a company specializing in international trade. Those
in our group who purchased carnets used two companies.
For detailed information, visit Boomerang Freight
Solutions or Roanoke Trade.
It’s important to choose a shipping company that’s
accustomed to working with carnets. FedEx and UPS are not
the way to go. I chose DHL because: 1) they’re familiar with
the carnet process, 2) they have the ability to set up export
and import accounts, which meant I would get discounts
on the shipping, and 3) having an import account eased the
process of returning the shipment to me at the conclusion of
the exhibition.
Continued on page 10

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eJournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists ContentS
continued – LEAD STORY
The carnet remains with the shipment throughout
the process, both outgoing and incoming. It’s stamped
at each checkpoint. When the shipment is returned to
you, the carnet is returned to the place from which it
was obtained.
The carnet’s price is based on the value of the goods
listed on it. My ATA Carnet listed my mosaic along with
the work of my business partner, Julie Dilling, which
was part of the same shipment. After we completed the
application and it was accepted, we paid $398.48. This
covered the basic carnet fee, surety bond fee, electronic
import of product list fee, warranty fee, convenience fee,
and handling and tracking fee. Then there was the fee of
$45.49 to overnight the carnet to us.
There’s much more to this story, so visit the SAMA
website for a checklist of things to consider.
Special thanks to the following SAMA members who contributed
to this story by sharing their experiences: Lynn Adamo,
Sophie Drouin, Kate Kerrigan, Kelley Knickerbocker, Julie Richey,
Lin Schorr, Carol Shelkin, Carol Talkov, and Kim Wozniak.
CMSGroutline_15C_FINAL.pdf 12/28/12 6:52:37 PM
Shug Jones, a mosaic artist/instructor working at her studio in Richardson,
Texas, looks forward to shipping with fewer hassles in the future.
tesseraemosaicstudio.com
VISITING ARTISTS
2013
Toyoharu
KII
APRIL
Margo
ANTON
MAY
Carol
SHELKIN
MAY
Antonella
GALLENDA
VIA ORSONI
JUNE
Guilio
MENOSSI
JULY
Verdiano
MARZI
SEPTEMBER
Please visit
chicagomosaicschool.com
for the latest updates about these
workshops and more!
773-975-8966
chicagomosaicschool.com
Advancing Education in Classical & Contemporary Mosaic Arts
To Exhibit or Not to Exhibit?
An invitation to exhibit internationally is both an
honor and an opportunity. But before you give that
resounding “YES!” ask yourself these questions:
• Will listing this exhibition on my résumé be worth the
time, expense, and stress?
• Can I afford to pack and crate my work properly and
obtain a carnet, documents, insurance, customs,
and shipping?
• Can the money spent on shipping take the place of
advertising dollars spent to promote workshops or
classes over the Internet?
• How would I feel if I put a lower insurance valuation
on my work to avoid the expense of paying a
high value-added tax (VAT), and then the mosaic
is damaged?
• After expenses, will I benefit financially if I sell the
piece at the exhibition or after its return?*
*If you use a carnet to ship your work and it sells at the
exhibition, the carnet is subject to a penalty of an additional
10 percent of the duties and taxes. A USCIB Claims Handling
Fee may also apply.
“A” Cut
is
back
in stock!
Modern and
Antique Pallet
Visit us at: pieceloveandsmalti.com

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sama news
As we pile our suitcases back into
the closets and carefully arrange
our Vendor Marketplace purchases
among our studio stashes, let’s
remember that we have two
special people to thank for the
conference memories: Kelley
Knickerbocker and Richard Davis,
SAMA’s 2013 Volunteer of the
Year recipients.
More than two years ago, both
made a commitment to bring the
2013 American Mosaic Summit
to Tacoma. With the help
of SAMA staff members
Dawnmarie Zimmerman and
Chris Forillo and firm support
from the Board of Trustees,
Kelley and Richard forged ahead.
The result was the most highly attended conference ever!
Kelley and Richard are quick to credit the galvanizing force
of the Pacific Northwest volunteers, who enthusiastically offered
their time and talents. These volunteers not only increased
SAMA membership in the region but also enhanced offerings
VOLUNTEERs of the year
Richard Davis and Kelley Knickerbocker
President’s Circle
LATICRETE International
Smalti.com
Museum of Glass
Photo: Donna Post
Perdomo Smalti Mosaicos Bizantinos
Bedrock Industries
Gold Circle
WitsEnd Mosaic
Silver Circle
SAMA Board of Trustees
Bronze Circle
MosaicArtistsOrg@Yahoo
MOSAICO Houston
Thank You, 2013 SAMA sponsors!
MILLEFIORE
The Chicago Mosaic School
MARBLE
JeanAnn Dabb
GLASS
Austin Mosaic Guild
Glass Accessories International
Sonia King
Robert Severino
PORCELAIN
Phyllis Akmal
Diamond Tech International
Jim Price
El Toro Restaurant
Carole Choucair Oueijan
Tiny Pieces
Jamie Pink Weisbrod
by organizing additional tours and
exhibitions.
“I am very proud of the changes
we made for the Tacoma conference,”
Richard said, “especially beginning the
Mosaic Marathon on Tuesday, holding
the very successful fundraising dinner
on Saturday, and offering more tours
on Wednesday and Thursday. I am so
pleased about setting an attendance
record, and I hope it’s a continuing sign
of the resurgence of mosaic popularity
for many years to come.”
Kelly chimed in, “Over the last two
years I’ve discovered what a large and
thriving mosaic community we have right
here in the Northwest (best volunteers
ever!), rediscovered the vitality of Tacoma,
enjoyed the hardest-working co-chair imaginable (you rock,
Richard!), and spent a week steeped in mosaic appreciation and
education along with more than 500 other practitioners and
enthusiasts. I came away incredibly inspired and grateful.”
Let’s all join in with a heartfelt “thank you” to Kelley and
Richard for a spectacular job.
–Donna Post
Sustaining Contributors Tessera ContributorS gift Bag Contributors
Austin Mosaic Guild
Diamond Tech International
El Toro Restaurant
GAI / Morton Glass Works / No Days
Judy Lee Mosaics
LATICRETE International
Maverick Mosaics
MosaicArtistsOrg@Yahoo
MOSAICO Houston
NGlassworks
Piece, Love and Smalti
SAMA Board of Trustees
Smalti.com
SWH Art Studio Inc.
The Chicago Mosaic School
The Swiss Restaurant & Pub
Uroboros Glass
WitsEnd Mosaic

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eJournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists ContentS
Join the
Society of American Mosaic Artists
Dedicated to Educating, Inspiring, and Promoting Excellence in Mosaic Arts
Visit our website and select “JOIN” to learn about five membership levels, and to use our
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SAMA Board and Officers
President
Shug Jones
Vice President
Gwyn Kaitis
Secretary
Yvonne Allen
Treasurer
Ruth Wunsh
Board of Trustees
Yvonne Allen
Karen Ami
Julie Dilling
Jacki Gran
Debbie Immel
Shug Jones
Gwyn Kaitis
Ed Kinsella
Sharon Plummer
Donna Post
Terri Pulley
Ruth Wunsh
Staff
Executive Director /
WebMaestra
Dawnmarie
Zimmerman
Operations Manager/
Advertising Sales
Chris Forillo
Membership Director
Jacki Gran
Volunteer
Coordinator
Donna Post
Conference and
Special Projects
Graphic Artist
Tim Stassines
Groutline STAFF
2B Custom Publishing
Design Director
Editorial Director
Associate Editor
Managing Editor
Copy Editor
Contributing Editor
Barbara Dybala
Barbara Coots
Theresa Brander
Karola Brookshire
Jennifer Blakebrough-Raeburn
Crystal Thomas
Advertising Sales Chris Forillo
advertising@americanmosaics.org
Groutline is published quarterly to promote mosaic
art in the United States and abroad.
© 2013 Society of American Mosaic Artists.
Reproduction or distribution prohibited without
permission.
Address: P.O. Box 624, Ligonier, PA 15658-0624
Visionary Members
Judy Davis
Jacki Gran
Patron Members
Denise Hartl Bavier
and Charles Bavier
Julie Dilling
Gretchen Fuller
Debbie Immel
Jacqueline Iskander
Ed Kinsella
Jane O’Donnell
Drucilla Perez-Tubens
Sharon Plummer
Deb Simonds
Kim and Jesse Wozniak
Donna Young
Jacki Gran Mosaics
di Mosaico
Tesserae Mosaic Studio
Crazy Diamond Mosaics
Jacqueline Iskander Mosaics
Drews Mosaics
Plum Art Mosaics
Smalti.com
Mosaic Art Source
Editorial queries may be sent to groutline@americanmosaics.org
Articles and opinions expressed in Groutline represent the views of the authors and not necessarily the views of SAMA, its board
of trustees, or the membership as a whole. Advertisements are purchased and do not imply endorsement by SAMA, its board of
trustees, or its members.
Do You Know
SAMA’s Advertising
Sales Rep?
Meet Chris Forillo
advertising@americanmosaics.org
or call him at (312) 560-6458