One of the most unique qualities about Mia’s artwork is that she is not limited to any particular medium or single style in her work; she is as comfortable painting a traditional landscape in oils as in creating a contemporary piece using wet plaster with embedded pieces of broken glass, fiber and leafing. For one project she will produce a large-scale western oil painting in the “painterly” style, and for another she will apply oil pastels over troweled-plaster and embellish with iridescent pigments to create an Asian goddess.
The inspiration for Mia’s original artwork comes from her travels, important events in her life, her humanitarian interests and in many cases, her vivid dream life. When working with a client’s vision, she has an innate ability to translate the essence of that vision into artistic reality. Mia first seeks out those aspects of the project with which she can establish an emotional connection, and from there channels her creative energy into bringing that emotional connection to life. She then seeks out the true nature of the subject matter and the inherent beauty within, embracing the challenge to bring forth an authentic representation of those qualities. The results are always original and evocative. As with any of the creative arts, the heights of creative expression are manifested as a result of this kind of passion, creative inspiration and commitment by the artist.
Mia’s large-scale mural-sized paintings are commissioned works based on a client’s vision for a particular high-end home or business. These large works reflect the colors, style and content appropriate to the individual design project. These works are commissioned by architects, builders and interior design firms in Scottsdale and around the world.
When Mia’s elderly father lost much of his sight to Macular Degeneration, Mia began working in “sculpted plaster” as a way to allow him to continue sharing in her work through touch as well as sight. From there she began creating a whimsical series that offered a tactile experience for visually impaired children. Her 8ft x 4ft“Soire Papillion,” a sculpted-plaster piece detailed in iridescent metallic paints and gold leafing, is one example of this series. The colors are amplified in tone and reflectivity to offer maximum visual opportunity for those with limited vision, and are highly tactile for those without sight. This piece was donated to Blind Children’s Services in Phoenix Arizona and was auctioned off at a fund raising event along with an accompanying piece of Mia’s prose of the same title. In the gallery you may also view “African Blonde,” another whimsical 8’ x 4’ piece which was donated to the Phoenix Zoo.
These represent a variation of the sculpted plaster series in which Mia developed an intriguing rippled-water effect in wet plaster. Once dried, she painstakingly hand-painted the scene and washed the surface dozens of times with layers of translucent glaze to create the depth and beauty of these evocative water scenes. All of the works shown in the Gallery are currently in private collections, but Mia has plans to create another Waterscapes Series in late 2009.
Between the years of 2000 – 2004, Mia lost three of her beloved family members – her older brother, her father and finally her mother, who passed from lung cancer. The following spring Mia embarked upon a sabbatical to a cabin on the beach in California, where she scattered the ashes of her three late family members. While there she found inspiration in the wave-worn, imperfect chunks of colored glass glittering amidst the shells and kelp that littered the beach as she scattered her family’s ashes into the waves. When she returned to Arizona, Mia created a series of colorful pieces based on her dreams and memories of those experiences. This collection includes several works painted on burlap, whimsical contemporary pieces of sculpted plaster glazed in bright colors and gilded with leafing, and works that incorporate colorful chunks of broken glass embedded into sculpted plaster.
Living in Arizona, Mia could not help but be inspired by the organic matter, rocks and minerals that are indigenous to the region. But the other side of desert living is a vibrant and passionate urban lifestyle. The juxtaposition of this vibrant urban lifestyle upon the organic desert environment was the inspiration for this series depicting the physical textures of the desert in organic colors, and the sounds of urban night life expressed in the vibrant colors and textures of the night.
Mia frequently experiences powerful episodes of creativity upon return from her travels, inspired by the people, events and places she encounters along the way. Her trips to London, Paris, Canada, Mexico and China throughout her life have all impacted her work, resulting in artistic imagery that expands her previous artistic range.
Many of Mia’s individual creations originate from a particular memory, dream or experience that inspired her. These works are often accompanied by an essay, work of prose or poem that expresses the meaning and origins of the work.
On some occasions Mia is asked to create artwork for residential or commercial use in a decorative capacity (such as for model home shows, hotel lobbies etc.) In this case, a black-and-white enlargement of an artifact, historical landmark or other subject may be traced onto the canvas by an apprentice who will assist Mia with the basic production aspects of the project before handing it off to Mia for painting. These are labeled as such and are not sold as original works of art.
Due to privacy issues with some of Mia’s more exclusive clients, certain of her commissioned works are not available for public viewing and therefore cannot be included in this gallery. As of January 1, 2009, Mia no longer accepts commissions that prohibit her use of photographic reproductions and she retains the reproduction rights to all of her original work, unless the transfer of those rights is acknowledged in writing prior to execution of the project. Client names and/or locations of Mia’s work are never disclosed without the prior written permission of the client.
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