Who We Are
Artist's statement for Patti Linnett
My earliest memory of being an artist is walking home from Kindergarten, arms laden and overflowing with a multitude of varied art projects from class. Needless to say, I've been drawing, coloring, and painting from a very early age.
After taking various art and design classes at Cal State University, Long Beach, I went on to own my own graphic design and typesetting business, The Graphic Type, for five years. I enjoyed creating designs for printed material, paste up and layout, and logo design. I particularly liked logo design, just working with color and shape.
Eventually, I took a mosaic class through the South Bay Adult School. I've always loved mosaic, but never had an opportunity to learn the technique. After working in many mediums, particularly watercolor, I've finally found my passion. Mosaic is the perfect combination of working with color and shape - the very thing I found so appealing about logo design. With mosaic, my artistic confidence grows increasingly with each piece I create. I now experience a degree of self-confidence and sense of gratefulness to God for this gift that allows me to design and create a piece and then release it for other's enjoyment.
Artist's Statement for Debbie Collette
Collecting seashells to create patterns and collages, at an early age, should have been an indication of what took years to discover: I love mosaics!
As long as I can remember, art has been a part of my life. I took classes at El Camino College and Cal State Dominguez Hills. I worked for the city of Redondo Beach in graphic arts for the community theater program and loved the idea of working with color and design to create a visual impact. It was very exciting.
I went on to study calligraphy and design with Ellie Corrick and started my own calligraphy business doing hand-lettering and cards. My passion in art took a turn when I took an evening class in mosaics and discovered I wanted to mosaic everything!
A project at Tulita Elementary School to create a mosaic wall for the teachers changed my life. It was the beginning of a partnership in art and business that has grown beyond expectation. Art will continue to surprise and teach me, leading to this moment of realization that anything is possible.