Cement and stained glass sculpture, suitable for outdoor display. Temporarily mounted in a half-ton moss boulder. Available for purchase. $8500 plus delivery. Moss boulder size varies, can be included if purchaser pays for delivery.

Created during the 16-day Sardinia Contemporary Mosaics Symposium in August, 2017, "Il Maestrale" is a reflection on the elemental and cultural influences of Sardinia. The Symposium theme was "Sardus Pater," the father/diety of Sardinia, whose mythic actions formed the cultural base of the island's inhabitants for millennia. From the Bronze Age Nuraghi to the Carthaginians to the Romans, the idea of Sardus Pater had great influence.

The mosaic is in two distinct parts: the left side reflects the influence of wind and water on Sardinia: bringing foreign influences by sea and air; dictating the climate and sea life that sustains its people. The right side represents the land; crops, cuisine, settlements, and the destructive nature of wildfires. While we were in Ploaghe, wildfires raged in central Sardinia, fanned by the hot Scirocco winds. A record-breaking heat wave baked the island. Suddenly, the Maestrale wind arrived, bringing unseasonably cold weather. Materials used include a native cork tree branch, sea shells, e-waste, coral beads and fiberglass cloth.

A figurative dress sculpture made from a found store display mannequin, La Corrente (The Current in Italian) is clad in marble, glass smalti and pristine white seashells called dentalia. La Corrente is about beauty amidst destruction. It was created during the Gulf oil spill and it alludes to the many destructive forces, both man-made and natural, that creep in with the current.

La Corrente was created for a longtime client and friend who loves to vacation at the Texas Gulf Coast.  I researched various sea life forms that could be used in the design and began reading about Giant Asian Sea Kelp.  Prevalent in the Gulf of Mexico, the kelp is an invasive species choking out native plants.  This then became the anchoring image for the skirt - beautiful and elegant green kelp, made from 24k gold Venetian glass smalti.  

La Corrente photos by Stacy Bratton, stacybrattonphotography.com

As I created the sculpture over the summer, disturbing stories about the Gulf Coast oil rig explosion ran continuously in the news.  Major headlines told the story of the man-made destruction of the environment, livelihoods and wildlife of the Gulf Coast.  Meanwhile, another destructive force, sea kelp, continues to creep in with the current.

La Corrente was selected as the 2011 "Best 3-D Mosaic" in the Mosaic Arts International Juried Exhibition hosted by the Society of American Mosaic Artists at the Mexican American Cultural Center in Austin, Texas.

Italian and Mexican smalti, stained glass, millefiori and 24k gold leaf smalti on mixed media base.  Winner of the 2009 Orsoni Smalti Veneziani Grand Prize for Mosaic.  Winner of the 2008 Juror's Choice at Mosaic Arts International, San Diego, CA. 

Private Collection

Night Shirt photos by Stacy Bratton, stacybrattonphotography.com

Night Shirt was selected by jurors Lucio Orsoni and Pino Bisazza noting an “exceptional ability in depicting an atmospheric landscape of pure poetry that harmonizes with the sculptural form of the clothing.” In particular it was the “appreciable touches of light” that Richey included, creating two reflections, one
of the 3 a.m. sky over San Francisco and one of deeply felt memories.

Night Shirt is an image I've carried with me since a 2004 conference in San Francisco.  Briefly: 12 friends, a limo, a park overlooking the city, moonlight at 3 a.m.  I was mesmerized by the serenity of the city and had to be dragged from the view.  I used dark transparent smalti for the expanse of the bay and gold smalti mixed with dichroic glass to capture the sparkling San Francisco skyline.  The slouchy shirt form plays off the mood of the city in deep sleep: a comfortable, soft sleep shirt in the quietest, deepest blue creates uneasiness in dangerous cut glass.

Created during a period of intense "mosaic outreach" events in 2006, L'Ambasciatrice (The Ambassadress) began with a vision of a delicate child's gown encrusted with millefiori flowers.  She has traveled with me to demonstrations at an arboretum, a garden center art show, countless mosaic classes and even a local church whose pastor invited me to talk about mosaics for his sermon's theme on brokenness.   The Ambassadress has attracted curious onlookers and allowed me to spread the story of mosaic to a wider audience.  

Stained glass, millefiori and fabric on mixed media base.

L'Ambasciatrice photos by Stacy Bratton, stacybrattonphotography.com

Created for a client whose lifetime nickname is "Bunny," this Italian glass and seashell mosaic arose during one of Texas' most extreme weather events, Hurricane Harvey. He is everyrabbit. He's the invisible white rabbit, Harvey. The hurricane namesake. And Alice's white rabbit, referred to with a small Swiss watch face embedded in his belly.

Natural stone, unglazed ceramic and glass on hand-formed base. 17 x 10 x 10.5 inches. Suitable for outdoor display.

Both made on cast concrete garden sculptures, these enameled glass rabbits will never melt. Available by request.

Made from a cast concrete form, this garden-friendly rabbit won't melt, no matter how hot it gets. Enameled glass on concrete.

Sometimes you get an idea in your head and it won't get out until you make something of it. This is the case with Caramella, a "chocolate truffle pig." Ever since I started making mosaic "chocolate" sculptures, I've wanted to create a truffle pig.

Caramella is an homage to the celebrated French and Italian truffle hunting pigs, now being replaced in favor of dogs, which have more stamina and greater agility.

According to Charles Lefevre, president and founder of New World Truffieres, there are multiple reasons why dogs have surpassed pigs.  "Dogs are much less likely to try to eat the truffle once they find it. You don’t want to wrestle with a 300-pound hog when it’s interested in chowing down on a truffle." “The lore,” says Lefevre, “is that truffle hunters that use pigs don’t tend to have all their fingers.” ~ Modern Farmer

Caramella is suitable for outdoor display. $1800

Enameled glass, smalti and millefiori on concrete base.

18 x 10 x 9 inches

37.5 pounds

2016

She has a caramel swirl tail.

12-inch diameter mosaic orbs that float in your pool.  Can be used indoors or out.  Covered in glass and millefiori. 

Four Seasons Orbs photos by Stacy Bratton, stacybrattonphotography.com

Regardless of her resources or circumstance, a mother will do everything in her power to create a safe haven for her offspring.  And whether she is rich in imagination or real estate, her love and protection are worth more than gold.

24k gold smalti, sea spines and turquoise eggs on mixed media base. 

Nido Semplice photos by Stacy Bratton, stacybrattonphotography.com

Disco Inferno: the mosaic gives new life to an infamous pair of real disco mules.  Once covered in red fake fur, they have traveled to SAMA mosaic conferences, Montessori classrooms, Komen fundraisers, birthday parties and Halloween parades. It was only natural that they be given a second life, immortalized as icons of the disco era.  They're embellished with bright-hot blue and orange flames, a reminder that they (and their occupants, both male and female, gay and straight) once burned up the dance floor.

Italian smalti, 24k gold leaf smalti and millefiori. 

Disco Inferno photos by Stacy Bratton, stacybrattonphotography.com

This six-foot-tall tower of enameled glass mosaic is the first in a series of "up-cycled" mosaics created from the remains of other projects completed in my studio over the past 15 years. 

The sculpture is suitable for display outdoors, and the four middle section boxes can be stacked in different order. 

Available for purchase. 

Work in progress: from the Tower of Unmelting Truffled Chocolatey Goodness.

Sometimes an artist just gets an idea which has to be realized. A simple giant tabletop egg required a 24-k gold embellishment.