FOUNDER/ GLASS MOSAIC

I first learned to do mosaics at Ghost Ranch with Kathy Thaden more than 10 years ago. I love the meditative nature of the work, but also really enjoy it as a group activity, drinking wine and chatting with friends as we glue and learn together.

I have gravitated toward using stained glass in my work, and specialize in glass-on-glass mosaic pieces and tables. I collect beads, fused glass pieces, stones and other elements that I can build into my work. I also love mosaicking objects (like a deer skull and an old-fashioned porcelain cast-iron sink!) and building sculptures with glass and mosaic elements incorporated.

One of my favorite things about doing mosaic art is the ongoing learning – from my peers, books, master instructors and my mosaic students. There is so much lovely sharing of ideas and helpful tips among mosaic artists. I am learning to fuse glass and create innovative elements for my mosaics as well!

PET PORTRAITS, KNITTING, COLLAGE

Alison Robbenhaar is a colorist and landscape oil painter. She tries to capture the unique beauty of New Mexico. She specializes in plein air painting and leads painting excursions around Taos and across New Mexico.

She has lived here since 2004, and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

She will be teaching folks how to make a portrait of their pets at our “date night”events, for students of all ages and abilities.

EMBOSSED METAL ORNAMENTS, RECYCLED PAPER ART, RIBBON ORNAMENTS

High mountains and indigenous cultures surrounded my childhood; I was born in La Paz, Bolivia. I grew fond of the bright colors and textiles that have inspired my artwork for many years. My continued curiosity for new cultures, language and design led me to pursue a master’s degree in Architecture.

The beautiful sunsets and landscapes of my New Mexico querido keep inspiring and evolving my art. I use continuous color gradations and textures to help my art pieces move, sometimes creating little optical illusions, sometimes the composition changes according to the orientation of the piece.

I paint squares and rectangles that resemble the weaving of a textile. If you zoom in on a textile it dissolves into those squares and rectangles, but as you move farther away the composition will tell a story.

KILN-FORMING OF GLASS

After living and making glass for 16 years in tropical Costa Rica, Lavae Aldrich, of Gecko Glass Art, returned to the US in 2022 . Now, she works out of her studio in Los Lunas, New Mexico. Her art is inspired by the landscape around her but is always informed by her 30 year career as an architect in the Pacific Northwest.

Aldrich delights in the wealth of technical possibilities for making art with glass; She is constantly exploring traditional tools, fresh materials, and innovative processes. Much of her art is driven by the medium itself. To share her love of glass making, Aldrich enjoys the opportunity to teach frequent classes at The Groove Artspace.