Stained Glass Mosaics
Michele L. Pooley
From an early age it became clear that involving myself in anything creative became my happy place. Whether it was helping my Dad with home improvement projects or drawing, playing guitar and piano, or singing in a band, sewing and crafting or photography, it seems I always had a creative endeavor going on.
As an adult I graduated from Design Institute of San Diego, and began a professional Interior Design career, with an emphasis on commercial and healthcare facility interior design and project management. The highlight of my design career was designing more than 150 pediatric interior spaces in hospitals throughout the USA for a non-profit international children's charity.
As a hobby I learned basic stained glass in 2007, and it was soon after that I discovered the art of mosaics. I was hooked.
Since then and basically as a self-taught mosaic artist, I have been creating mosaics using stained glass, beads, ceramic tiles, glass tile and found objects. With a lot of "stop and start" over the years as life sometimes got in the way, the last few years have seen my inspiration and mosaic skills skyrocket. My love of doing mosaics and striving to hone my skills to present the best work possible, keeps me inspired on a daily basis.
Originally from San Diego, California, I made my way to the island of Oahu in 2017 for a full-time project management position with a top healthcare company. M Studio Mosaics was founded in 2022 and I am looking forward to devoting myself full time to this labor of love which inspires me so.
I spend every available free moment in my art studio bungalow located on my property behind the home I share with a rottweiler and a little mutt - Lanikai and Ollie. And then there are those chickens....
Artist's Statement
In a painterly style, I create glass mosaic artwork using hand cut stained glass. I utilize the color variations and striations inherent in a sheet of stained glass to communicate color values, light, shadow, movement and flow; essentially painting with glass. After many hours creating, I then unify the finished piece by applying multiple custom grout blends that I create to compliment the overall composition.
Every mosaic is imagined, designed and sketched out before the stained glass is hand cut to fit the shapes that ultimately create the image. I use glass cutters, wheeled nippers and a glass grinder to finely craft my vision.
The natural beauty that surrounds me on Oahu has become my muse, and as I dig deeper into Hawaii's amazing history, deep rooted culture and family traditions, the magic that is Hawaii inspires me to include these elements into my work.
The process of creating is as much a spiritual experience as it is a creative one for me, as if the mosaics are directing me to share a story, a tradition or a bit of history. Every new piece becomes its own collaborative journey - beginning with the spark of an idea that is then developed into a story, and eventually beckons the participants
who are to be reflected in glass.
I am simply there to tell the story in glass.
The goal of my work is to honor the beauty and traditions found in Hawaii; to elicit recollections from those who are familiar or, perhaps to ignite a new desire in a heart that is ready to experience the multifaceted wonder that is Hawaii.
ALOHA!
Available for commission work.
