Artists Christina Macaulay and Marian Shapiro exhibit a range of imaginative works that bring a new perspective to the art of mosaic. The exhibition of fine art mosaics and spontaneous drawings will coincide with the Glen Street Theatre’s production of The Merchant of Venice.

Christina Macaulay runs a working studio at Newtown in Sydney where she undertakes architectural and private commission work, conducts workshops and exhibits her work annually. Christina has undertaken formal training in the mosaic medium in Ravenna -Italy, the UK and Australia. This formal training is combined with an instinctive creativity and a keen eye for colour and design. The result is the creation of unique art pieces that present an element of engaging spontaneity. Christina works in mixed media, predominantly Italian glass tile and smalti. A continued creation of wall installations is recently expanding into a focus on three dimensional sculptural pieces. A collection of quirky spontaneous pen sketches and drawings are another facet of the work of this versatile artist. (Christina also runs regular mosaic workshops with Mosman Day and Evening College and Kur-ing-gai Arts Centre.)

Marian Shapiro makes hand-crafted, original, art and architectural mosaics. Originally trained in art and theatre, she became fascinated by the possibilities of mosaic and now creates them full time. She has participated in numerous group shows in New South Wales, some pieces winning prizes. She has completed many mosaic commissions for both public and private clients in Australia and also private commissions in the UK and USA. Marian is inspired by the quality of light in Australia and is also strongly influenced by the texture of the materials she works with and by the contrasts that can be achieved by using different textures in the same piece. Some of her work explores the play of colour over a large area and the way in which colour lends movement and dimension to an otherwise flat work. A major theme in this exhibition is the transformation of concepts from one medium to another: soft quilts expressed in metals, fused glass and pebbles; computer circuitry as marble and metal strip.

Foyer Exhibition
Cutting Edge: Mosaics & Spontaneous Drawings
Glen Street Theatre
Glen Street, Belrose, NSW 2086
4 – 16 September 2006

Read Marian Shapiro's profile on artsConnect