My name is Amanda Rife and I am a mosaicist based out of Harrisburg, PA. Since 2006, my creative outlet of choice has been an ancient art form with a modern twist, where I cut sheets of stained glass into smaller pieces and meticulously arrange them to create my interpretation of the subject matter.

I have been drawn to a variety of different artistic mediums throughout my life, including drawing, collage, photography, and resin. But when introduced to mosaics, I felt compelled to work with glass. The challenge to recreate textures and patterns, and to interpret objects and natural subjects, is one I eagerly accept. In my creative process, I take an object and deconstruct it in order to figure out how the glass will be cut and where the grout will be. Many subjects do not have hard lines, so the glass’ edge and the grout need to imply every curve and detail in order for the entire piece to come together. Every cut of glass is planned, with each edge cut in anticipation of the piece that will be placed next to it.

Every mosaic is hand-crafted with great precision and care, and even if an image is produced more than once, there will never be two mosaics with the exact same cuts of glass throughout the entire piece. Every mosaic truly is one of a kind. My mosaics have been featured locally in shows at Perry County Council of the Arts, YellowBird Cafe, Creative Spark Arts, Vault + Vine, Metropolis Collective, Sheila Frank, ZeroDay Brewing, Moda Salon, Cornerstone Coffeehouse, Larsen Meadworks and Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center.

Website: https://www.MosaicMontage.com/
Contact: MosaicMontage@gmail.com.

Tell us briefly about your background & how you got started in your medium.
I have always been drawn to art for as long as I can remember. I took art classes both in and out of school and tried every medium I could get my hands on. Once I was introduced to mosaics, something just clicked inside me and that initial excitement I felt just never faded. It all started when I was making mosaic flower pots as a summer hobby. A friend of the family saw my pots and asked if I could create a Penn State logo out of glass on his coffee table. I brainstormed and told him I’d give it a shot, and the end product was just so much better than I had ever imagined it would be. And with that, my new passion began to grow and I haven’t fallen out of love with it since.

How does your medium inform your viewpoint? Or what do you like most about your medium?
I absolutely love the challenge of interpreting a photo or drawing into glass and having it make sense. A big part of that is picking out the right glass. There are so many different colors, shades, levels of transparency, textures and designs as options, and I love picking the perfect kind of glass to best express each aspect of the image. Every little detail comes together in the end to create the bigger picture. Those details are my favorite.

Who or what have been your artistic inspirations?
First and foremost is my mom. She’s a creative soul and has always encouraged me and supported my curiosity to try different mediums and I will forever be grateful for that. My husband is so incredibly creative as well. He’s a professional painter, but he’s also been commissioned for murals. Painting in itself does not come easy to me, so to watch him do it and on such a grand scale just blows me away. There’s also another local artist, Megan Hogeman of Miss Meggie Art, who does wood burning and resin art. We discuss ideas about art and she is always excited, supportive and has amazing ideas to take an artistic idea to the next level.

The mosaicists that inspire me the most are Linda Billet, another local mosaic artist that uses a kiln to create pieces of her mosaics. Her pieces are magnificent! I’m also very drawn to Siobhan Allen in the UK and Kasia Polkowska in Colorado. They have very distinct styles that I love.

Do you have a favorite piece in your portfolio?
One of my current favorite pieces is a 4’ long antique window with flowers of every color. I also recently created a geometric fox that I’m in love with. I love making anything with flowers, honeycomb, or mandalas.

What would be your advice to artists just starting out in your medium?
Be okay with your work not turning out exactly as you envision it. Everything is a learning experience, so no matter how a piece turns out, you can learn from the things you liked about the process and the things you wished you had done differently.