Best Three-Dimensional Mosaic, Mosaic Arts International 2009, "Swimming Tiger Bench"
“Why do I express myself in mosaic?” The short answer is surface quality.
I came to mosaic as mixed media sculptor. I wanted to add color to the surface of objects but was uninterested in the application of paint. I work in mixed media sculpture to invite a tactile experience, and the materials I use for mosaic have added to my repertoire of surface qualities.
As my pieces grew in size, so did my interest in creating large-scale exterior artworks. The mosaic work, in combination with my carved concrete forms, became the perfect vehicle for ideas I wanted to propose for public art projects.
Drawing has also been essential in my artistic development. As my skills with mosaic improved, I found that I was able to draw and design more complex images to mosaic. While for some artworks mosaic is still used as a surface enhancement, for my narrative works it is my medium of choice to develop images. I often say that these mosaic works are paintings made with chunks of colors.
—Sherri Warner Hunter