Artist Spotlight: Lily Crawford

Share a little bit about yourself and what you create.
My name is Lily Crawford and I reside in West Brantford. I began creating stained glass mosaics, initially garden pieces set on flagstone 2 years ago during a difficult time in my life. My process has evolved to glass on glass pieces and iconic images, typically in black and white. My black and white pieces are based on iconic figures, typically musicians and movie characters.

What is your creative process like and what inspires it?
When I am working on a piece, everything else disappears. I become totally immersed in the piece at hand. The fragmented results represent the fragmented nature of our lives and our own unique make-up. The work is never finished until it is finished, right until the last piece is in place. In this respect, there is no room for error.
My glass on glass pieces are inspired by nature and my black and whites are inspired by some of my favourite musicians, movies and pop culture.
I have converted a spare bedroom into my workspace.

What has been your favourite creative moment?
Each milestone during this journey has given me a sense of pride, from being accepted into juried shows such as Glenhyrst’s War and Peace exhibition to McMaster Innovation Park’s Art in the Workplace. I am still amazed that I have pieces that are in people’s homes in Great Britain!

What else do you enjoy doing with your time?
I enjoy photography as well as gardening.

Does creativity run into your family? If so, who is creative and what do they do?
My initial answer was going to be no, but as I gave it more thought, I came to realize that my parents love of gardening was their creative outlet.  Their preferences of colours, textures and even scents were extremely pleasing to the senses.

How can we learn more about your work?
I sell on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/grandrivermosaics?ref=si_shop. I also have a Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/Grandrivermosaics as well as a website, www.grandrivermosaics.webs.com
Email is [email protected]

Where would you like your art to take you?
I think I share every artists dream, to be able to create, unfettered by financial concerns. To have a working studio/gallery would be a dream come true!

How long have you lived in Brantford?
I moved to Brantford from Burlington in 2004.

What is your favourite restaurant in town?
My favorite restaurant in town is Blue Dog. The atmosphere whereby they showcase local artists monthly is wonderful and the food is very good as well.

What local spaces or landmarks do you find inspiring?
The Grand River never fails to inspire me. To have something so close at hand where you can feel as though you are nowhere near civilization is wonderful.

What change would you like to see in Brantford?
I would like to see more art venues such as The Arts Block. It would be great if we could emulate James St. North Art Crawl.