Modern Mosaics:
Elise Calhoun's website

I began my career as a mosaic artist sometime before the millennium, while watching a late night "how to" television program on mosaics. I started out thinking, "I can do that" as I have mused many times in the past with various projects/forms of art that I often never followed through with. For some reason, this time I went for it, finding myself buying all the necessary supplies at the hobby store the next day. My first project was a tall votive candle holder using smashed wine bottles as my media. When I look at the piece now, which at the time of its production was what I considered a masterpiece, it makes me laugh. It is covered in haphazard chunks of glue and grout and jagged pieces of glass that make it too dangerous to even pick up without protection.

I continued from there making various pieces of art and furniture for family and friends, over time becoming faster and more confident, and eventually moved from working in my backyard, to an art studio in an artist's complex in South Austin. It was there that I began to develop and fine tune my style, which now mostly consists of using stained glass as my media. When creating a piece, I usually think about something I might like in my own home. I love modern design and working in the abstract, and I feel my work reflects my passion for color and design. Whether I create a mirror, table, home installation or wall hanging, I infuse a bit of myself into each piece. I also feel that what I create is quite different than the "smashed dishes" hobbyesque look that is commonly seen in mosaics. I wanted to bring a bit of youth and trendiness to the mosaic world...

So after a few years of the art show scene and selling pieces on consignment at great stores like Moxie and the Compound, Eclectic, and Pieces of the Past, and some inspiration from a visit to an amazing store in L.A. called Furthur (which sells these incredible mosaic tables... furthurla.com), I decided to open my own retail space. The original idea for Vanilla Girl Designs the store was just as a place to showcase and sell my mosaic work... but as I began to work on the space, I started to think, why not create a retail space that reflects who I am in other areas as well. So, I sold art and clothing from other local artists as well, now many of them listed in my "faves" on my etsy site.

The brick and mortar store is now closed, but I am still cranking out the mosaics in my lovely South Austin home studio now under the new name of Elise Calhoun Mosaics. I love to meet with clients there to conspire on custom mosaics or have clients arrange a visit for some shopping! I have many pieces for sale in my studio for you to come and take a look at. Sometimes choosing a mosaic piece requires seeing it in person and putting your hands on it, as mosaics are a very tactile experience.