In May 2022 I started posting profiles of artists, crafters and writers who depicted poultry in their work. Some of those folks were inspired by the imagery of birds, while others had a flock of their own and wanted to share their love of chickens.
I’m neither artistic or particularly crafty, but I can appreciate those who make things with their hands from ideas in their heads.
This is the 34th post in the series ‘When Art Meets Chickens’. I came across a number of online chicken mosaics and reached out to their makers. Dianne was one of the few to get back to me.
Who are you and what do you do?
I am a retired schoolteacher who has made glass mosaics as a hobby for many years. Since I retired, I’ve worked with my very talented husband teaching mosaics online all over the world. He created a totally unique method for cutting glass and placing it to produce the greatest possible realism in this hard medium. We also host tours of Tunisia, my husband’s country of birth, every year. We meet many past students there and lead in-person mosaic workshops. It also enables us to visit family and explore this fascinating country further.
Being retired doesn’t influence my work as such, but it gives me much more time to spend experimenting, exploring and creating mosaics. We have now developed our own mosaic ‘community’ of past students, who are huge supporters.
What’s your history with creating art?
I needed some ‘therapy’ from teaching, I guess, so I experimenting with many different art and craft forms, such as tapestry, cross stitch, pastels, stained glass windows, and finally, mosaics. I found my passion! I’ve since had several exhibitions, shows and sales, both in Australia and internationally.
How has your practice changed over time?
Everything changed for me when my husband arrived to live in Australia, after waiting for his visa for nearly five years. With no English (we speak French together) and no job, he worked on a magnificent mosaic that took him over two years to complete. At that stage, I asked him if he would make a mosaic for me, a zebra. He wanted to do something very special, and he refined the new technique he developed in his recent mosaic for doing realistic hair. He translated that into the most realistic zebra that has ever been produced in mosaic. Of course, I wanted to learn. When we shared this work on social media, it created enormous interest from people who loved this new technique, and wanted to learn. Our courses teaching mosaics began there, and four years later, we are still teaching and continuing to produce several mosaics in this technique.
What work is most fulfilling?
I am so passionate about teaching our technique because, although it’s a challenge, our students have achieved the most amazing results. When they complete their project, they cannot believe what they have produced, and feel as if they have created an heirloom. We are absolutely thrilled each and every time a student sends us a photo of their finished work. That’s incredibly fulfilling.
I love to create something that makes you think that it’s real – living and breathing. Glass is a hard material where every shard is hand-cut. However, each shard contributes to the life of the subject, and it almost seems to move as the light hits so it glitters. It’s like painting with glass.
What memorable responses have you had to your work?
Several of our students have said that we have completely changed their lives. Others tell us that the confidence they developed while doing our course has filtered into their normal lives. One student has completed three courses with us, and each time, she has organized a ‘Reveal Party’ where she and her husband dress up and invite all their friends to their house, and ‘reveal’ her latest mosaic. It’s amazing to share something like that with our students!
What motivates you to create?
Everything. Everything I see, I want to create as a mosaic. I’m especially touched by connections people have with other people or animals. I have an urge to create pets that people have lost, as I’m very sentimental.
First experience with chickens?
Growing up, my family had chickens in the backyard. I loved feeding them and collecting their eggs. My grandmother also had chickens on her farm where we spent all our school holidays. I loved spending time with them, however, I’ve never forgotten one day when she killed a chicken in front of me so that it could be eaten. That traumatized me for quite some time.
I’ve never had my own chickens, apart from when I was a child. Although I haven’t owned my own chickens, I still have contact with them through my husband. His parents have chickens in Tunisia, and we are planning to build a beautiful new chicken run for them with all the bells and whistles!
How do chickens inspire your work?
Chickens have a lot of character, so they are an appealing subject for my work. I always have my eyes open for interesting birds and animals, and chickens in particular appeal to me. If I have a good, high resolution image, I’m keen to use it to make a mosaic!
For more info on Dianne’s work check out her Facebook page here
Thanks to Dianne for sharing her art and story, used with permission. FYI: The mosaics featured were done before she starting employing the technique developed by her husband.
“Celebrating the intersection of creativity and chickens“
Bitchin' Chickens 
Fantastic work Dianne!!
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