Using techniques dating to ancient Greece and Rome, Carol Krentzman has spent two decades assembling countless tiles and shards of colored glass into scenes and designs of luminous beauty.
For her first project, her student Nancy Rich fashioned a stunning portrait of a Moroccan woman whose bright eyes and coral hair shimmer in the light as if alive.
The two very different Natick artists have been chosen to show their recent work in a juried exhibit organized by the New England Mosaic Society (NEMS) opening this week at the Somerville Museum.
Krentzman recalled “gluing and pasting and putting things together like sea shells” as a child in a family in which her mother was a seamstress and her father owned a business that made pajamas and nightgowns.
Made from more than 500 ceramic and vitreous glass tiles, bits of stained glass and fused glass elements, her work in the show, “Laitzano,” depicts a multicolored harlequin-like figure, inspired by a collage made by her friend and frequent collaborator Helen Salzberg.
“I’ve always been interested in putting things together,” said Krentzman. “I really like the idea of starting with a lot of small pieces, like bits of tiles and broken plates to make an interesting work of art.”
Running from Feb. 22 to April 7, the NEMS Members Exhibition will feature work chosen by a selection committee by more than 60 artists from six New England states.
“Visitors will see a variety of mosaic techniques and styles at this mosaic art exhibition,” said exhibit co-chairs Karen Edlund and Cynthia Fisher.
Edlund said a growing numbers of artists have begun making mosaics in recent years because it uses skills and techniques from other art forms, such as quilting and jewelry-making, to offer challenges and rewards in an ancient practice transformed “into a whole new genre” of contemporary art.
“Contemporary mosaicists practice techniques dating back to the Romans and Greeks but use a wide variety of modern materials (such as) opaque glass tiles, stained glass, pebbles, gems, shells, found objects, china and glass tiles to create contemporary designs,” she said.
Edlund compared making mosaics to quilting because “it involves creating patterns and designs by placing different colors together.”
She urged people to see the show even if they have never made or seen a mosaic.
“I think this exhibit will inspire people to make art, specifically mosaics, because it’s a very forgiving art form anyone of any age or ability can enjoy,” said Edlund.
An opening reception will be held Feb. 25 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Somerville Museum at 1 Westwood Road.
Three internationally-known mosaicists, Cynthia Fisher, Isabel Margolin, and Lisa Houck, will show their work in the exhibit. There will be a salon where NEMS members can show and sell their work.
To promote mosaic art, the NEMS will be offering workshops at the Somerville Museum on February 24-25, March 3-4, March 10, March 24-25, and April 7. To learn about them or register, visit www.newenglandmosaicsociety.com.
An accomplished photographer, Rich only began making mosaics recently since taking a class with Krentzman after retiring from a 45-year career as a school administrator including several positions at the Dana Hall School in Natick.
She based her mosaic, “Sultana,” on a painting of the same name of a Moroccan woman who was a contemporary of her mother when they lived in Rabat before World War II.
“I’m in love with this woman,” she said.
Working from September to December 2017, Rich used about 900 pieces of stained glass, vitreous tiles and Egyptian beads for her stunning 14-by-19-inch work.
“I love creating beautiful things but don’t think I’d have the patience for painting. I found working with tiles to be very therapeutic,” she said. “There’s something very magical about putting two different tiles together to create a skin tone,”
Rich, who published ”Afloat on the Tide,” a book of striking images of small boats used along the Atlantic coast, said making mosaics provides “a very different kind of pleasure” from taking photos and viewing paintings.
“You can find paintings all over the world. Mosaics provide a unique kind of beauty,” she said. ”Mosaics offer a new way to see the world.”
New England Mosaic Society’s Member Exhibition
WHEN: Feb. 22-April 7
WHERE: Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Road, Somerville
ADMISSION: Free
INFO: 617-666-9810; www.somervillemuseum.org; www.newenglandmosaicsociety