LA CORRENTE

Private Collection. Mixed media base with Italian smalti, 24k gold smalti, seashells and minerals.

2011 "Best 3-D Mosaic" in the Mosaic Arts International Juried Exhibition hosted by the Society of American Mosaic Artists at the Mexican American Cultural Center in Austin, Texas.

A figurative dress sculpture made from a found store display mannequin, "La Corrente" (The Current in Italian) is clad in marble, glass smalti and pristine white seashells called dentalia. "La Corrente" is about beauty amidst destruction. It was created during the 2010 Gulf oil spill and alludes to the many destructive forces, both man-made and natural, that creep in with the current.

I researched various sea life forms that could be used in the design and began reading about Giant Asian Sea Kelp. Prevalent in the Gulf of Mexico, the kelp is an invasive species choking out native plants. This then became the anchoring image for the skirt - beautiful and elegant green kelp, made from 24k gold Venetian glass smalti.

Photos by Stacy Bratton, stacybrattonphotography.com