Love Seat

BY SAMANTHA ROBERTS

Inspiration
Creating something beautiful without buying new materials.

Unique Elements & Features
My "Love Seat" was inspired by my love of vintage items, such as dishes and linens. On their own, old plates, a jewelry box top, a coffee stained tablecloth and a handful of ruffle trim don't inspire much. But, by breaking the plates into smaller pieces, cutting the beautifully embroidered flowers and birds from the cloth and painting the ribbon trim, then rearranging them into a mosaic of colors and textures, I've created something brand new and beautiful. I was inspired by the 'pique assiette' form of mosaic where the artist takes discarded items and uses them to create something totally new and unique.

Message & Emotion
The message I'd like to convey is that there is beauty in the seemingly broken, useless or discarded.

Creative Process & Insights
I think it's appropriate to say here that you don't need to know how to do something before you start. All you have to have is an idea, time and materials and the path will present itself as you go. I encourage anyone who wants to create art just to start. I believe every person is creative, but a lot of people think you need to know how to do something before you start it. You don't. You only need to start and you learn along the way. This can apply to almost anything in life, but especially art.