My work follows one of two paths. One path is narrative, a response to an aspect of my reality. These works reflect an interpretation of real conditions, whether of a personal nature, like aging, or the broader world environment, such as war.
The other path is less defined in the beginning, evolving until completion. For example, I am attracted to natural patterns. There may be something in the way the limbs of a tree intertwine or the light falls on marsh grass, which triggers an emotional response. As an image begins to form and reaches my consciousness, I will nurture its development, sometimes for months. There is a magical point when I know it is time to make it real. This process can be heady, intoxicating; the birth of an idea, there’s nothing quite like it.
( If you have googled my name, looking for the Charlottesville Realtor, Virginia Gardner, yes, that is me. I began selling real estate in 1988, following seven years in the arts management field. In 2005, following parental illnesses and deaths, I found comfort in the creation of mosaic art. Making art and gardening are the personal passions that keep me “even”, healthy, and excited about helping people create new lives through buying and selling real estate.)
Education
1980-1982 Completed all course work towards MFA, Virginia Commonwealth University
1979 BFA, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
Professional Experience in the Arts
1982 – 1986 Executive Director, Second Street Gallery, an alternative arts space, Charlottesville, VA
1979 – 1982 Assistant, Art Sales Gallery for Virginia Artists, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA
Independent Mosaic Studies
2014, Landscape class with Yulia Hanansen
2010, Creative workshop with Verdiano Marzi
2010, “Intensive Hammer and Hardie”, technical workshop with Matteo Randi
2010, Conference, Society of American Mosaic Artists, Chicago, Ill
2007, “3-D Mosaics: Polystyrene Forms and Polymer Fortified Concrete”, technical workshop with Sherri Warner Hunter
2007, “Design for Mosaics”, creative workshop with Emma Biggs
2007, Conference, Society of American Mosaic Artists – Phoenix, AZ
2007, Creative workshop with Ilana Shafir, Washington, DC
2005, “Winterstone for Sculpture”, technical workshop with Heather Dadek
2005. Workshop, “Mosaic Basics”, with Shug Jones and Karen Ami
2005, Conference, Society of American Mosaic Artists – Washington, DC
Exhibitions of Work
2013, Messages in Mosaics, three man show at the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, Richmond, VA
2012, International Contemporary Mosaic Art Exhibition, curated exhibition at Clauiano Art Exhibition Gallery, Italy
2010, Contemporary Mosaic Art 2010, international juried exhibition, Ciel Gallery, Charlotte, N.C.
2010, Vessels, C’ville Arts, a Cooperative Gallery, Charlottesville, Virginia
2010, Smaller is…, Maplestone Gallery, Creemore, Ontario, Canada
2010, Mosaic Arts International 2010, Society of American Mosaic Artists, Smith Stained Glass Museum at the Navy Pier, Chicago, Ill (catalogue)
2009, Contemporary Mosaic Art 2009, international juried exhibition, Ciel Gallery, Charlotte, N.C. (catalogue)
2009, Mosaic Arts International 2009, Society of American Mosaic Artists, Museum of Man, San Diego, Ca. (catalogue)
2009, Sticks and Stones, Ciel Gallery, Charlotte, N.C.
2008, INSPIRED BY… Contemporary Mosaics and the Historical Tradition, national juried exhibition, Dupont Gallery at the University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, Virginia (catalogue)
2008, Contemporary Mosaic Art, international juried exhibition, Ciel Gallery, Charlotte, N.C. (catalogue)
2007, A Handmade Season, group show, Artisans Center of Virginia, Waynesboro, Virginia
2007, Life in Pieces, solo exhibition, C’ville Arts Gallery, May 2007
2006, American Mosaic Project, group show sponsored by the Society of American Mosaic Artists, exhibited at High Risk Gallery, Chicago,Illinois
2005, American Mosaic Project, sponsored by SAMA, exhibited at Eleven-Eleven Sculpture Space, Washington, D.C.
Publications
2012 – Two works of art featured in book, 300+ Mosaic Tips, Techniques, Templates and Trade Secrets, written by Bonnie Fitzgerald and published by Trafalgar Square
2010 – Feature article about my work, with video interview, Artizen (an online arts magazine), May 2010
2009 – Two works of art featured in book, Mosaic Renaissance: Reviving Classic Tile Art with Millefiori, written by Laurel Skye and published by North Light Books
2008 – Three pieces of art featured in book, Mosaic: Finding Your Own Voice, 2008, written and published by artist and author, Brit Hammer
2008 – Art featured with article in Washington Spaces Luxury Interior Design Magazine in D.C.; Spring 2008 issue, “Modern Style in Age Old Tile”
2008 – Art featured with article, “City Styles, Country Miles: Charlottesville, Va., is brimming with art and architecture” by Margaret Lucke, American Style magazine, April 2008
2008 – Mosaic Art Now, New Directions in Modern Mosaic Art: An International Perspective, by artists/publishers Bill Buckingham and Michael Welch, February 2008
2008 – Art featured with article, Daily Progress newspaper, January 2008 (click here for article)
2005-2010 – Mosaic Yearbook, published by Bill Buckingham and Lynn Moor
2005 – Art featured with article, “Mosaic: Tesserae” by Tammy Wise, Glass Craftsman, Aug/Sept 2005
Organizations
Society of American Mosaic Artists
C’ville Arts: an Artists’ Cooperative