"Hot Mosaics" by Patricia Kearney

written by Sydney Francis, MFA-IA

I met Patricia Kearney about 13 years ago when I was teaching in the Fine Art Department at Coconino Community College.  I was teaching painting and drawing and she was teaching stained glass at the time.

Patricia Kearney, "Sailing Among the Stars", fused glass

Kearney’s work is beautiful, detailed, and precise. You can see her years of experience in cutting and shaping glass for the meticulous art of stained glass. The result of her expertise is finely crafted fused glass artwork.

Patricia Kearney, "Stories in Stone", fused glass

We invited Kearney to be our September artist because of her exquisite craftsmanship and dedication to quality. We are inspired by her geometric use of dichroic glass in colorful abstract designs. We are honored to host Kearney’s work here at Liquiterra Fine Art Studio.

Patricia Kearney at work

Here is her artist statement describing her current body of work, “Hot Mosaics”:

I am fascinated with the mysterious.  As an artist, I love creating art with glass because it is so challenging to work with.  I am now focusing exclusively on glass fusing where there are many techniques available. One of my favorite techniques is called, “Hot Mosaics.”  With this technique, I use primarily dichroic glass because it glitters and changes colors when viewed from different perspectives and the changing light.  I cut the pieces to fit and glue them onto a blank or background piece of glass which can be clear, black, or colored. I then turn the glass artwork over and full fuse it in the kiln upside down.  This allows the background to fill in the spaces, similar to grout used in a mosaic. Because of the changing nature of dichroic glass, it is the perfect medium for creating a mysterious work of art.

Patricia Kearney, "Foggy into Light", fused glass

The art opening for Kearney’s “Hot Mosaics” will be on Friday, September 6th from 6-9 pm at Liquiterra Fine Art Studio as part of the First Friday Art Walk.  We are located next to Mother Road Brewing Co. at 7 S. Mikes Pike in the warehouse. There will be live music by the Earthtones from 7-9 pm. Food and refreshments will be provided and beer and wine will be available from Mother Road Brewing Co.

Fused Glass by Patricia Kearney, "Relics"