In 2022 I was commissioned to create a glass mosaic background for a St. Joseph statue at Sancta Clara Monastery here in Canton, Ohio. A family had donated the artwork to the monastery as a memorial to a loved one. The wall and arch had already been built by the monastery's groundskeeper, and the statue had been completed by another artisan. My role was to create something that would make the statue truly stand out, something more special and alive than leaving the plain wall behind it.
The wall and statue before the mosaic was installed.
The groundskeeper brought the statue out and propped it up on bricks to the exact height it would sit on the finished pedestal so I could photograph it straight on. That photo became the foundation of my entire design process.
Digital mockup of the sunrise design placed into the site photo.
I told the client that the family had always loved bright colors, and asked if a sunrise palette of reds, oranges, and yellows would be too bold for the setting. She loved the idea immediately. On the other side of the same wall is a traditional Italian smalti mosaic, so I knew from the start that I wanted to incorporate smalti to create a visual connection between the two works. What I didn't know yet was exactly how.
Designing Sancta Clara Sunrise Mosaic
Because the mosaic needed to complement a statue that was already finished, the design had to work around an asymmetrical figure. I couldn't simply center the colors and call it done. I printed my design at full scale, cut out the silhouette of the statue, and placed it over the design as I worked so I could see exactly how the colors would read on either side of the figure and make sure nothing felt lopsided.
Full scale design with statue cutout used to check color placement.
Once the sunrise design and stained glass colors were approved, I had the idea of adding gold smalti in three tones, bronze, gold, and silver, radiating as rays from the center of the composition. I put together a layout to show the client before committing.
Layout showing the planned gold smalti ray placement.
Gold, silver, and bronze smalti shown against the stained glass colors.
She approved it, and I'm so glad she did. The three tones of smalti catch the light differently throughout the day and add a shimmer and depth that stained glass alone simply couldn't achieve. They also tie the piece visually to the Italian smalti mosaic on the other side of the wall.
Creating Sancta Clara Sunrise Mosaic
The mosaic was built on fiberglass mesh in my studio. I started by laying in all the smalti rays radiating from the center point, working as far out as I could reach before filling in the stained glass between them. This approach established the structure and rhythm of the composition first, with the color filling in around it.
Smalti rays laid in first to establish the structure of the composition.
Stained glass filling in between the smalti rays.
Throughout the process I periodically placed the printed statue cutout over the design to check the color placement as the piece developed.
The statue cutout placed over the mosaic to check color placement as work progressed.
Installation was a true collaboration with the monastery's groundskeeper. The mosaic was applied with white mortar rather than grey, since even opaque stained glass has some translucency and grey mortar would have dulled the brightness of the colors. We started at the top of the arch and worked downward, marking each section's placement carefully before applying mortar, working quickly but precisely to make sure the sections aligned on the curve. At the bottom I left pieces slightly longer than needed and trimmed them to fit exactly on site. Black grout was used throughout to give the finished piece depth and definition.
One unexpected and lovely touch came at the client's request. I don't sign my work as often as I should, but she asked me to include a signature. I made a small tile from bronze Sculpey clay, stamped my name into it, and darkened the letters with black enamel. It sits quietly in the corner of the mosaic.
Artist signature tile made from bronze Sculpey clay with name stamped and darkened with black enamel.
The monastery community was warm and welcoming throughout the entire process. They prepared food for the groundskeeper and me during installation, and held a dedication ceremony afterward to which they kindly invited me and my family. It was a meaningful project in every sense.
