- By Bianca Day, AUT journalism student
Danielle Fernandez, the talented artist behind Mainly Mosaics Maraetai, has a unique gift for turning simple shards of glass into intricate and beautiful mosaics.
Born in Pennsylvania in the United States, she moved to New Zealand in 2009 and has been making mosaics ever since.
Danielle specialises in producing unique stained-glass mosaic sculpture paintings, pots, and hanging lights.
She’s the author of Brilliant Stained Glass Mosaics and works from her home studio in Maraetai. Her art is on show at the DiRasa House of Diversified Arts in Montclair, New Jersey, in the US.
- What inspired you to become an artist?
My need to be creative started when my children were young. I needed some ‘me time’, and something to do to wind down at the end of the day. It was actually a visit to the Smithsonian [museum and research complex in Washington DC], where I saw a Persian mosaic plate, and I just loved it. I said to myself “I’m going to try to create that myself”, and that’s where it started.
- What does your creative artistic process look like from start to finish?
Speaking specifically about my mosaic portraits, I view it as a four-step process. First, the artists themselves have to exist, say for example, Madonna. Then there’s the photograph which is taken of the artist. Then there’s the editor, who edits the image of this artist. The fourth step is where I come in, taking that edited image and creating it out of stained glass.
- How long do most of your pieces take to create?
The stained glass mosaic sculptural paintings take eight-16 weeks. It’s a long process!
- How have you expanded Mainly Mosaics Maraetai over the years?
When I started, I was just creating stained-glass mosaic pots and paintings. But I needed different price points in my studio, so I started creating small stained-glass mosaic lights and jewellery from the leftover glass scraps. It was a win-win situation.
- What’s been a highlight in your career as an artist?
Participating in the Franklin Arts Trail has been awesome, and has been such a great way to connect with other local artists in the community.
- How essential do you believe art is in our world?
I feel as if there’s almost a more heightened awareness of art nowadays. Art is what the world needs at the moment, especially with Artificial Intelligence (AI) becoming such a big deal. I think there’s going to be a real emphasis on artists like myself who create artwork that can’t be replicated by AI.
- And lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring artists?
It’s so important to stay consistent. Don’t lose your drive to create, keep pushing, and stay present doing what you love.
- For those interested in seeing more of Danielle’s work, her art collection can be viewed and purchased on www.mainlymosaicsmaraetai.com, and her home studio is open Monday to Friday from 12-6pm.
