Artist's statement: Betsy Gallery's contemporary mosaics combine classical handmade Italian glass smalti and 24 karat gold tesserae with recycled porcelain, ceramics and found objects. Her use of noble materials and historical, psychological and literary references transform what was once considered a craft into fine art. Ancient wall mosaics were generally seen from a distance and individual tesserae were not carefully cut. Betsy shapes each tiny piece with a hammer and hardie defining harmonious edges. She diverges from ancient (mostly) anonymous mosaic artists in that she focuses on personal statements rather than religious or patrons' ceremonial themes. Betsy also makes replicas of ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine mosaics to hone her skills.

Bio: Betsy's formal art training began at the Art Institute of Chicago. She continued her studies in Madrid, Spain, as well as Ravenna and Venice,Italy. Although she originally worked in oil, watercolor and printmaking, since 1999 Betsy has worked primarily in mosaics. She contributed multiples of 100 assemblages to a number of editions of Art-Life Limited Editions, collected by museums and institutions, such as Yale University. Her mosaics are in private collections in Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Marin County and Madrid, Spain, as well as the Society of American Mosaic Artists Traveling Mosaic "Quilt" 2004-2006, the SAMA exhibit at the Museum of Man in San Diego, 2009, and many local art shows and venues. Betsy also holds a Master of Clinical Art Therapy Degree.

.