I Dream of the Beach

I Dream of the Beach

Technique: Multimedia Glass-on-Glass Mosaic & Copper Repoussé

I created this panel during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, a time when businesses were shuttered and the world felt entirely closed up. Marooned at home, I drafted two full-size design drawings—traditionally referred to as "cartoons"—entirely by hand to bring this vision to life.

At the time, my wife and I lived in Colorado at the very base of Blodgett Peak. Our home sat at 6,800 feet above sea level—higher than the highest mountain peak on the East Coast. Surrounded by mountains but confined by the world slowing down, I found myself dreaming of the ocean.

This multimedia piece is a glass-on-glass mosaic set against a beautiful, translucent white stained glass substrate. The foreground features a detailed beach fence crafted from copper using the traditional repoussé technique, which I chemically patinated and colored to mimic the texture of weathered, distressed beach wood.

A fascinating element of this piece is how it interacts with the elements. You will notice that in the second photograph, the image appears deeper and darker, evoking the mood of a coastline at twilight. This stunning shift happens naturally depending on the light; that particular photo was captured at the exact moment the bright afternoon sun was pouring directly through the glass.

It remains a poignant reminder of finding an escape through art, transforming a mountain winter into a permanent window to the sea.