Welcome to Miraflores Mosaics, handmade mosaic art and mosaic classes/workshops in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Here you will see examples of unique, commissioned designs I've created locally and/or shipped to customers all over the country. Although I like to tile everything, the most popular art pieces I made in the past were mosaic mailboxes. Lately I've branched out into tiling vintage toasters, coffee makers, sinks and rotary telephones. I'm still waiting for someone to commission a mosaic tiled 1950s Buick, so please pass the word out on that!
My childhood home was on Miraflores Road in Scotts Valley, a small town in the Santa Cruz mountains of northern California. I left for New Mexico just after high school and, though I call Albuquerque, New Mexico my home, part of me still misses the ocean air and the redwoods on Miraflores Rd.
In my youth, art was my big focus; drawing and sculpting, but as I grew up, it happened mostly in the background. I spent some years working in and managing backpacking stores, teaching backpacking, rock climbing and cross country skiing. Later, I worked for a decade or two as an infectious disease epidemiologist and clinical researcher. I was a scientist by day, a hiker and motorcyclist on weekends and an artist mostly at night.
I’m the one who always got kicked out of museums for touching things, so an art form like mosaic that has tactile, participatory qualities is perfect for me. I have tiled posts in my house, wall hangings, cow skulls and even a real human skull once. Then I made a few mosaic mailboxes as gifts, got prodded to start an Etsy shop and it took off.
I also love to teach people how to do mosaic art. I teach an Intro to Mosaic Art class through UNM Continuing Education, weekend mosaic workshops at the Harwood Art Center, Oasis, and Habitat for Humanity in Albuquerque and also teach workshops in my home studio. I supply all the tools and tiles (and lunch, when the workshop is at my house) and even self-proclaimed "non-artists" stun me with their creativity and beautiful work.
Take a look! - Jill Gatwood
ps - I'm married to Byron Gatwood (retired middle school teacher, currently full time bicyclist, cartoonist, and garage tinkerer) and have two kids, Nigel, who is a DJ in Albuquerque and Olivia, who has published two books of poetry and a recently released novel for Random House; Whoever You Are, Honey.