Cassie Edmonds

Edmonds is mostly self-taught; she has only taken one day of “broken china mosaics” class at Tyler Museum of Art. And she sees that as an advantage for her work. “The difference between me and the people that take classes is that I've never been told I couldn't do it,” Edmonds explained. “I literally came home and threw out every piece of broken China I had. I didn't really have any proper tools. After many years of reading lots of books, hours of trial and error and boxes of Band-Aids, I’ve finally got a handle on it.” 

This art form differs from others, such as drawing and painting, because it's more labor-intensive; there's more to mosaic art than charcoal sketching or mixing paint. Edmond's pieces demand even more work because she doesn't always use grout to fill the space between her materials. “My work is very tight,” Edmonds said. “The process is extremely time consuming, but I love the more refined results.” 

“With every piece I complete, my skills have improved and my love for this art form grows.  I am constantly stirred by my surroundings.  My ideas evolve from all over.  I’ve been inspired by everything from Matisse’ to tapestries, gardens to gift bags. Inspiration has also come from my many travels to Turkey, Greece, Thailand, China and Mexico.  With almost everything I see I can envision it in glass.”

“I work on wood panels for most of my wall hangings; I love to recreate “found” objects, like mannequins, woodcarvings, terracotta sculptures and musical instruments.”

Edmonds has received attention for her skull-shaped mosaics made of longhorn skulls. She uses natural stones, stained glass and Swarvoski crystals – along with other materials – to make these signature pieces. “I love taking the old and making it new, so I guess I was somewhere when I saw some turquoise skulls, maybe in Santa Fe, and that's when it hit me,” Edmonds said of her signature pieces.