My work in mosaics uses simple geometric and organic shapes executed in vibrant colors of Italian glass tile and found pieces—details from ceramics and hardware—to explore patterns and interrelationships in nature and life. Grout not only provides the enduring binding for fragile tesserae but also becomes an element within the work in its own right, completing patterns in negative space. The work is influenced by landscape—both of my childhood in rural Alberta, Canada and the cityscape of Chicago—and art, from graffiti to Klee.