Mosaic Art Source Gallery - Mosaic Artist - Irina Charny Mosaics

Fortuna
28" x 49"
glass, porcelain, mirror, gold
2004

Slaves to Fashion
35" x 38"
glass, porcelain, milefiori, gold, mirror, chain
2004

Color Burst
30" x 24"
glass, porcelain, beads, milefiori, gold, copper wire
2005

Acrobat
28" x 40"
glass, porcelain, millefiori, gold, beads
2005

Ballerina on a Pony
33" x 60"
glass, porcelain, millefiori, gold, beads
2006

The Dance (Earth, Water, Fire, Air)
35" x 47"
glass, porcelain, stone, millefiori, gold, beads
2006

Companions
27" x 36"
glass, porcelain, millefiori, gold, beads
2006

Mirror Image
20" x 27"
glass, porcelain, milefiori, gold, smaliti, semi-precious beads, mirror
2005

Ancient Airs and Dances
24" x 18"
marble, smalti, gold, pyrite sun, glass, beads, millefiori, stones
2006

Astronomers I
18" x 24"
marble, glass, millefiori, gold, beads
2006

Astronomers II
24" x 18"
marble, smalti, gold, pyrite sun, turquoise, stones, shells
2006

Irina Charny

As a child growing up in Russia, even before I knew they were called mosaics, I created collages from pieces of broken glass found in the street, rocks, paper, seashells, and bits of crockery. Through the years I tried various media for artistic expression but have now returned to my origin — mosaics. This medium gives me a chance to explore color, shape, and texture, to experiment with different materials, and satisfy the passion to integrate unrelated small bits into a single work of art.

I am a self-taught mosaicist. While I am inspired by the rich history of the medium, I strive to build a unique and personal art form on the base of classical mosaic. In addition to traditional mosaic tesserae, I incorporate unusual materials in my work — mirror, pebbles, found objects, beads, buttons, wire, handmade ceramic pieces, and broken plates. I never return home empty handed from a walk on the beach or a trip. Beach glass, pebbles from a path on Hampstead Heath, broken glass from a studio in Seattle, a bit of bone found on the shore are special little bits that are inserted into each mosaic to give it a special, personal meaning.

Irina Charny lives in Irvine, California