Sue Rose creates unique portraits of flora and fauna using deeply saturated and patterned colors of stained glass in her unique style of mosaic art. The glass is meticulously cut by hand to create detailed portraiture of birds, flowers, and natural patterns. Rather than using copper or lead as is done in traditional “stained glass art”, Sue uses cement and grout to secure her bits of glass to a substrate that can hang on a solid wall. This allows for much greater detail in her works.

Sue’s artistic expression dates to her childhood, when she would sneak off into the woods with sketchbook in hand to record her impressions of nature. Later she studied fine art at the University of Illinois and commercial art at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. Mosaic as an art form didn’t find her until 2020. 

Dreaming of bits and pieces of unknown material coalescing into graceful birds gave Sue the impetus to learn the art of mosaic during the lockdown of the Covid pandemic. After experimenting with various techniques and materials, she settled on her own method, which she describes as “painting with glass”.

Great Blue marked the emergence of Sue's signature technique. She cuts each small piece from a large sheet of glass, selecting just the pattern, texture, and color needed to convey the beauty she sees in her subject. Using grout lines as an added design element, the artist attempts to show movement within this rigid medium. She breaks the boundaries of traditional mosaic technique, revealing a new look at an ancient art form.

 Sue accepts commissions. Inquire at [email protected].