Mosaic is My Heart & Soul 
Michele Petno

Hi!  I  am a self-taught mosaic artist from Orlando, Florida.  During the 1960's I dabbled in collage and painting things in psychedelic colors.  In the 70's it was macrame & weaving.  In the 80's,  painting pottery & cross-stitch.  Eventually they all became boring and I gave up on finding the right art form for me.

Then, in 1994, following 16 years in health care management, I opened a used furniture/décor store in Orlando, called Wits End,  and taught myself how to do faux finishes on some of the furniture.   It was never my intention to start a mosaic business so, how did it happen?    A local tile store gave me a palette of tile sample boards.  I used them to do a mosaic on the bathroom door of my store and soon customers were asking me to teach them how to do it.  I thought I'd have one casual 'class'.   The next thing I know,  I am teaching mosaic classes full time and selling mosaic supplies. Wits End became Wits End Mosaic !  Around 1997,  I ‘moved’ my mosaic store to the internet, the first on-line mosaic store in the world  (whaaaat?)  and everything changed!   I was invited to join SAMA (Society of American Mosaic Artists) in 1998  shortly after it was formed and Wits End became a regular at conferences and vendor shows. .  After selling Wits End Mosaic in 2000 I founded  (and later sold) 3 more online mosaic stores:  smalti.com,  Murano Millefiori & Kismet Mosaic .  Twenty seven years later, I am still pinching myself!  No one has been more surprised than me at this turn of events in my life. 

Following 13 yrs of importing Mexican smalti  from the Perdomo factory in Cuernavaca,  I sold smalti.com in 2006 I renamed my company Mozaic Arts.  Soon after, along with Malena Perdomo,  co-founded the Mosaics in Mexico School in the Centro district of Cuernavaca, Mexico.   It was pure serendipity that, at the same time, Giuseppe Semararo, a  professor from the Friuli School of Mosaic in Spilimbergo, Italy, was joining their team and would soon be teaching with us!  Years of observing the artisans at the Perdomo Studios,  and working alongside Giuseppe,  my eyes were opened to new techniques & skills including smalti portraiture and color theory.  It was the adventure of a lifetime!  Sadly, we closed the school 3 years later due to social unrest in the area.  Even so, it truly was the best experience of my life.
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From then until 2015, I focused on my Mozaic Arts studio and store in Orlando, teaching classes, hosting workshops and offering new elements for other mosaic artists through Kismet Mosaic.   In 2014  it was necessary to close the storefront & sell Kismet Mosaic to care for my mother who had cancer.  I pursued videotaping my courses at home under the name Mosaic Made Easy.   I am not a professional photographer or videographer  - I just wanted to share what I have learned over the years.  

Since moving to the "Space Coast" & Titusville, FL. my goal is to continue my passion for teaching while finally having time to  create my own mosaic art , offer in-person classes at the North Brevard Art League (when it is considered safe) and private classes on request.  I will also add written tutorials for sale online from many different classes since 1994!

Thank you for visiting Mosaic Made Easy!

Michele

Each piece contains three elements:  feeling, order and imagination.
Without order, it would be chaotic.
Without imagination, terribly dull.
Without feeling, it would leave the observer unmoved.
                                                              
                                                                                Author unknown