Lisa Arnold Creates Mosaics Inspired by Nature and Sparkles

By Sharon Parker

Mosaic artist Lisa Arnold has participated in the LoLa art crawl “every time since year 1.” She works mostly with stained glass, creating mosaics and decorative objects under the name Xola Arts. For the art crawl, she will be at Blue Moon Coffee Cafe, 3822 E. Lake St. 

What inspires/informs your art?

Nature, art, all my sparkling materials. I like experimenting and trying new things; I’m motivated by curiosity, wonder, and surprise.

What are you working on this summer?

I'm really excited about the community mosaic art projects I'm doing this summer.  I'm working with 13 libraries across Minnesota to make big and small murals that promote art and reading. By the end of the year, 43 libraries in Minnesota (plus one in NYC) will have work of mine hanging in them.  I also did my third art residency in Negril, Jamaica, this year.  

And I've enjoyed making some commissions this summer—it's so much fun working for others on specific meaningful pieces.

What do you like about Lola?

What a great community event!  Neighborhood pride, plus a great way to share my work!

Are you planning anything special for Lola?

I'm holding a drawing each day for a mosaic give-away—two mosaics, one for each day. 

You can see more of Lisa’s mosaic creations at Blue Moon any time, and at Mother Earth Gardens’ Longfellow location, and on her Xola Arts Flickr page. 

Nicole Fierce Blows Glass with Form, Function, and Light in Mind

By Sharon Parker

Nicole Fierce makes blown and sculpted glass art pieces that are functional and affordable as well as beautiful, such as vases, paper weights, and bowls. She also makes jewelry she describes as “industrial,” from mixed metals.

“I truly enjoy making functional works for everyday use,” she says. “There is something amazing about holding a piece of art that someone else made with their hands.”

Nicole comes from a background in theatrical lighting design, but “fell in love with glass art” at FOCI (Minnesota Center for Glass Arts) two and a half years ago, where she now spends at least three days a week in the studio. She often demonstrates the process of glass blowing to “anyone who walks in the door.”

She is returning for her fourth year with LoLa and will be showing at her home, along with jewelry maker JeanBushey and potter Sarah Simpson, and possibly one other artist.

What inspires/informs your art?

One word: light.  It all revolves around the way light and color work together and the way certain colors and levels of reflection make us feel. I like to see the way colors play together and how the light reacts with them.

My love for blown glass is inspired by my theatrical lighting design background.  It heavily influences everything I make.  Blown glass art and theatrical lighting are both designed with the following in mind: color, shape, shadow, accents, reflectivity, and form.  For me, it has been a very natural transition.  Blowing glass allows me to express myself using my life experiences and knowledge of how light and color affect people.

What do you like about Lola?

I truly enjoy the concept of inviting people to my home to see who I am as an artist and what I do.  Our homes reflect our art and I feel that is one of the things that makes Lola so unique.  I joined after being a guest at some other folks' homes.

Are you planning to do anything special during LoLa?

I feel it is important to offer proper hospitality when inviting people to my home.  Of course there will be snacks and refreshments!  Blowing glass is unfortunately not something that I am able to do at home. Perhaps some of the other Lola artists displaying at my home will be able to do something interesting.

Any additional thoughts?

My work evolves every day.  I will always consider myself a student of glass.  Blowing glass has changed my life in a dramatic way.  It continues to teach me how to be calm, patient, and focused, especially when distractions are present.

See more examples of Nicole’s glass objects in her Etsy shop; follow her on Facebook; or visit her Wordpress site.

LoLa Artist Chris Miller Captures the Sunlight One Shard of Glass at a Time

By Sharon Parker

Mosaic artist Chris Miller is looking forward to bringing his glass-on-glass mosaic creations out into the sunshine for his fourth LoLa art crawl this summer. His joyful and slightly quirky approach to art is best described by the artist’s statement on his Tumblr site (which you can visit here):

“I have a little trouble sitting still. And I like to have a project. Glass-on-Glass mosaic, that’s my project. A little red house in a sun burnt field. A gnarly dead tree on a lonely road. The limb of a cherry blossom tree. I visit these places one shard of glass at a time. I like to think of my designs as jewelry for your home.”

What inspires/informs your art?

Nature, crumbling infrastructure, music, musicians, and beer

Where will you be showing for LoLa?

The entirety of my backyard.

What do you like about LoLa?

LOLA has become my favorite weekend of the summer! 

After a winter of creation, it brings me joy to see a year’s work lit up with the sun in my yard, sorta like Frankenstein—born of my dark cellar and released unto the world (but these are friendly, and they aren’t afraid of fire).

Are you planning to do anything special during LoLa?

During the crawl I am typically too busy for large demonstrations, but I am more than willing to answer questions and give small demonstrations upon request.  Music and refreshments are always played and served. 

And I am happy to tell jokes, though if history is any indication, folks don’t exactly find them “special,” “entertaining,” or “refreshing.”

LoLa maps will be available in early August; look for them throughout Greater Longfellow in South Minneapolis and surrounding neighborhoods, or from the LoLa website. For the latest news about LoLa, look for League of Longfellow Artists on Facebook.