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Sandy Beresford: Artist’s Statement
As a self-taught visual artist, I consider intuition to be my
most important ally in the artistic process. Since childhood, I
have enjoyed using my hands, incorporating tactile and visual
perceptions, as well as taking things apart and putting them
back together in an attempt to discover how they tick.
It
wasn’t until 1998, when I started painting in conjunction with
art therapy, that I began to focus on art as a possible
vocation. The journey that began with art therapy led me to a
place of untapped emotions that I was then able to articulate in
form. Initially my creative expression came through painting,
but my need for the three-dimensional tactile experience led me
to start adding papier mâché,
string and clay to the canvas.
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As I moved through this process I delved into the collective
unconscious, and images of the feminine archetypes, ancient
symbols, sacred geometry and nature influenced my work. This
coincided with my budding interest in mosaic art. I began
constructing and reassembling a variety of materials such as
tiles, stone, and glass objects into two- and three-dimensional
art, both decorative and functional. Since moving to the
Sunshine Coast – the land of abundant driftwood – the shaping
and sculpting of wood has become part of my process,
incorporated into my mosaic-tile pieces or as stand-alone works.
Above all else, my art is a very personal expression of my inner
world in reverence of the Earth Mother – Gaia – a living entity,
the
goddess of the soul. She reminds me that the soul develops in
dark places and that, ultimately, we are all connected to each
other through her. In the creation of my art pieces I am
privileged to be able to express and honour my relationship with
her. It is my intention that each of my pieces is created with
love and gratitude, with the belief that this energy can be
embodied in my work and carried forward into the world.
Sandy Beresford: Artist’s Bio
Born in 1955, Sandy Beresford was raised in Southern California.
Typical of many of her generation, after several years of
schooling (including Environmental Studies in college), she took
to the road and spent seven years traveling the U.S., Canada and
the Caribbean. It was during those travels that she discovered
the west coast of British Columbia – specifically the Sunshine
Coast. The thought of returning there someday remained with her.
After living the nomadic life, Sandy returned to
San Diego where she got a degree in computer programming, worked
in the IT field and raised her son Michael. In 2004, with her
son out of the nest, Sandy and her partner Linda decided to
leave the U.S. and return to their gentler northern neighbour,
Canada.
In 2008, Sandy
started her business, Gaia Works Mosaics, creating and selling
her functional and decorative mosaic art. She currently lives
surrounded by nature in Halfmoon Bay on the Sunshine Coast with
Linda, their golden retriever Buddy, and their calico cat
Princess Tweezey.
Mission Statement
“Beauty with
Purpose” Gaia Works Mosaics mission is to create inspiration,
beauty and purpose through their original art works. They
believe in the
power of creativity and that art can be a sacred expression
which can
transform individual lives and communities.
Gaia Works Mosaics Vision
- To
continue to explore the visual arts as a holistic, intuitive
medium.
- To
nurture and explore the artist within all their students and
create community and connections within their classes.
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