STAINED GLASS MOSAICS All of These Images Are Used with Laura Ruprecht’S Permission

Laura Ruprecht Local Artist of the Day – Unity/Variety STAINED GLASS MOSAICS All of these images are used with Laura Ruprecht’s permission. These images are copyrighted. This means that you can’t use or copy these images without permission from Laura. A little bit about Laura

• Laura went to the College of St. Benedict in Saint Joseph, MN and studied Art. • She currently lives and works in Saint Cloud, MN. • Laura not only likes to make art, but she also likes to teach art!

Laura standing next to a mosaic she made Laura uses a variety of shapes and colors to create unity between the pieces that make up her art. When you look at Laura’s art, look really closely at all the different shapes and colors of glass she uses. Then, look at how these shapes and colors work together to make one big work of art. Raven Blue Jay A Simple Plant Grackle crackle Silver Lining Interview with Laura How did you discover your passion for creating art?

“I have been creating art since a very young age. Cell phones didn't exist and we barely had any tv to watch when I was growing up. Most of my time was spent outside playing in the woods or inside creating drawings of animals. When I went to college, I studied painting, but when I graduated, I landed a job at an Art Center in downtown St. Cloud. Through my job, I had the opportunity to be an artist to help with the creation of some public art around the city that involved learning how to make mosaics. This is how I found my passion for creating what I do.” How do you incorporate the art elements of color, texture, shape, pattern, unity, or variety into your artwork?

Laura: “When I incorporate color, I try to find colors of glass that are not only bright, but can also set a tone for a mood I want to portray. With mosaics, it's easy to create pattern and texture by shaping pieces of glass to mimic that of the texture of feathers on birds or patterns that generally repeat to create the backgrounds.” Does nature inspire you to create art? If so, how? Laura: “There are some pieces in particular that inspired me to create them a certain way. Puffins main diet are silver herring. Since they live in a very cold environment, I wanted to mimic the colors that would represent a cold feeling. There's something very ancient about birds that inspire me, and mosaics are a very ancient artform that dates back to thousands of years. It's this correlation that inspires me to make my audience aware of the importance of birds in our ecosystems.” What would you say to encourage budding young artists? Laura: “Always be creative, always be inspired. Put the phones down and take a walk outside and take in nature's beauty.” If you want to see more of Laura’s art, visit her website: https://www.lauralizmosaicbiz.com