Pressure...Let me Out - Growing up in the 70s and 80s of course I am a huge fan of Queen. Their music is legendary and I feel fortunate that my kids generation enjoys it as well. So when I went to see the movie that shows the life of Freddie Mercury I was very moved by all of the battles and life events that shape who we are and what we become. I wanted to create a mosaic that represents how people's lives change them but also help reveal who they truly are inside. Of course creating personal challenges are always a part of growth so since I always wanted to work with stained glass I decided that it would be the perfect way to represent several elements. It was important to have the stark blackness of solid glass with the sharp edges and pointy daggers of life's journey.  Freddies outfit did not play a part although finding this picture for this story seemed perfect.

This mosaic is full of vibrant colors and ever changing patterns flowing like a river through what starts as tight constraints at the beginning and slowly those constraints begin to loosen and open up allowing for more color and more movement. For me this represents how life starts out with rules and constraints based on your family, society and culture, but as you live life and are exposed to the rest of the world and so many more people you begin to discover who you are and allow yourself to create your own constraints. Constraints will always exist but how you navigate through those determines the flow of your life. I love the way the beads in this mosaic really demonstrate life's little events and how they all come together to create one composition which is ourselves.  All of our journeys are full of life daggers that cause us to change course and adjust ourselves but still we remain ourselves at the core and hopefully become more of ourselves as we age and realize how beautiful our composition really is. 

The actual creation of the mosaic helped me learn about cutting stained glass and to realize the challenges that creating sharp points posse.  It also tested my blending skills to the max. Trying to create a seamless transition of over 20 colors of beads is no easy task, however using paint behind the beads is my secret weapon.  All the color is in the beads but the color behind the beads eases those areas where two colors might be fighting each other for domination.  The final composition turned out seamless and I am very proud that the final design is what I envisioned.  Thanks for the inspiration Freddie.