Artist of the Week: MJ Mosaics!

What's your real name? How did you come up with your shop name?

My real name is Marilyn Joan. Hence my shop name is my first 2 initials and mosaics cause it says what it is.

What inspired you to create your first mosaic?

I don’t really remember what inspired my first mosaic. I do remember my sister giving me some sunflower plates she didn’t want anymore and I smashed them up and made a rectangular tray for her to sit her tea, coffee and sugar jars on. I don’t think she was too excited when she saw that the plate had found its way back into her kitchen again.
A few years after that I was assisting our women’s pastor at my local church, she was invited to speak at a women’s retreat. Her theme was based on our life as a mosaic, so she wanted me to come along and run a workshop over the weekend where the ladies created a mosaic, so first I had to teach myself, there the flame was lit. The whole weekend was a very rewarding experience. Along the way, it has been my friends that have encouraged me to continue my mosaics and I’m so grateful they have because it’s become my passion.

Has mosaic art lead you to any other art forms/been a lead to any other passions?

Since being on etsy and meeting all my piece maker friends, I have tried mixed media, and creating my own tiles from paper glazed onto glass. I don’t know how you could hang out in this community and not be inspired.

Where does your inspiration come from?

My inspiration comes from every stimuli around me, from the cloud formations in the sky, sunsets, the beach, the rain forest, music, colors, beautiful buildings, patterns, other artists inspire me to try new things, the materials I use inspires me and often determines where I go with the piece I am creating. In ’06 I traveled to England and visited several examples of mosaic work, I’ll post pictures on my blog they were amazing, my favorite was St Pauls Cathedral in London, Now that was inspirational!

Do you have any mosaic daydreams?...... is there one thing that you dream of being able to create someday?

All the time. Some of them are out of reach right now, but one day! I have some old doors under a friends house (hope they’re still there) there’s 4 of them hinged together and they’re huge they came from a school building that was being demolished. One day I would love to mosaic both sides of them and enter them in a local sculpture festival they have here each year called SWELL. I would also like to do portraits.

Is being an artist your full-time job? What other jobs or hobbies consume your time?

Being a mum is my full time job and mosaics are squeezed into any spare minute I have, I’m also learning the guitar and as my instructor would tell you my practice has suffered a bit since I joined Etsy. I assure him I am practicing though.

Tell us ,briefly, about your family.

I am a single mum living with my 13-year-old daughter Erin, my son Lucas is 11 and my baby girl Abbimaya is 14 months. We have a cat Jireh who lives with my ex-husband and a horse Matilda who is agisted 5mins from home. Our dog Mufusa died last month she was 15 and had cancer she was a good dog. We live in a townhouse/unit on the Gold Coast, Australia. Life is good!