The Story
Foxworth Studio grew out of Westside Mosaics, founded in 2017. Two sisters, one who lived in Northern California and one in Southern California were walking on a bike path when one said, “I’m kind of bored. Let’s go into a neighborhood.” My house was the second one they came to and the sisters were attracted to the mosaic pieces in my front yard. They knocked and asked to see the studio, literally the day before I was giving my retirement notice to the nonprofit where I worked. On the spot, one of them commissioned 60 stepping stones and a huge planter. The other bought a story pillar in progress that I was making with a mosaic artist collaborator and friend, Jose Reyes. As my mom would have said, “The fingers of God.” There could be no better validation of my decision to retire and transition into creating a robust art practice. As a result of this serendipitous meeting, Westside Mosaics came into being, a collaborative practice with Jose.
In 2023 I decided to create Foxworth Studio. A move to a larger home with a legitimate outdoor studio was a great opportunity to create my own practice. While I love and continue to collaborate, building this studio practice more clearly defines and reflects my vision of mosaic art storytelling.
Artist Bio
I am a mosaic artist with more than 13 years of experience creating mosaic art. My love for art was inspired by a whimsical aunt in England and, later, an Aussie boyfriend artist I met in early my 20’s. Everything they touched was infused with creative energy. Their unique way of seeing the potential for artistic expression everywhere, to provoke wonder in large and small spaces alike, were early influences on how I wanted to be in the world.
While I always dabbled in some form of creative expression, it was in taking my nine-year-old daughter to a Color-Me-Mine pottery studio that I was first exposed to mosaic art. Instead of choosing to paint a ceramic mug or cartoon character, I was given the option of mosaicking a mirror. That was how my love of mosaics started. My family moved from Washington, DC to Los Angeles shortly thereafter and I made friends with some mosaic artists who welcomed me into their studios. They taught me many techniques and approaches to the work as I established my own style and passion for telling stories through mosaic art.
Prior to becoming a full-time artist, I worked in non-profit management and in higher education where I was a leadership and organizational development specialist. Listening deeply and learning the stories of others are skills that were honed professionally and in two master’s degree programs; one in Training and Organizational Development and one in Social Work. I use those skills now in customizing mosaic art for clients, and incorporating their stories into the pieces I make.
Pictured here (I’m the one in the hat) with a wonderful client, Brownie Allen, and her Story Pillar.
Approach
My key belief is that by deeply listening to clients, and understanding their wants and interests, I’m given an opportunity to create art that moves them. Making art that tells their stories and reflects who they are and what they care about, often incorporating their personal materials, drives my passion. Be it a Story Pillar to memorialize and celebrate a person, pet, event, a beloved place, or a mural to beautify a home or community space, my work is about understanding who will be viewing and appreciating this art.