Simone Esquibel
glass, mixed media
Mosaic artist, Simone Esquibel, is based in the coastal town of Little River, SC. She also enjoys abstract painting and photography, being with nature, and is a New Mexico native. Her mosaic art is inspired by and reflects a combination of all these, which are dear to her heart. Simone predominantly creates non-traditional mosaics. Her palette includes a colorful variety of different types of glass, tile, stone, beads, metal and found objects. She brings these together in a single piece of art, often in altered form via cutting, chiseling, or turning them on their sides. She also creates mosaic landscapes using stained glass and tile. She is predominantly self taught, however her initial foray into learning the art form was with friend and mural mosaicist Christopher Taylor of Taos, New Mexico in 2004. She has also taken a number of workshops with professional mosaicists over the years. Artists who have most influenced Simone’s current style and technique are Kelley Knickerbocker and Karla Duterloo. Simone has had her art in galleries in the Carolina’s, and has pieces in private collections across the United States. She enjoys doing the occasional commission, and teaching others the art form. She has taught in private studios, through Coastal Carolina’s OLLI program, and at artist specialty supply shops. Artist Statement: Being present in the moment is what draws me to the art of mosaics. I use different types of glass, tile, stone, and other pieces that call to me, as they each have their own unique energy and beauty. Any of them can stand alone, yet another kind of magic happens when the diversity of these pieces is brought together. My current process focuses on “painting” with the tesserae over an acrylic abstract painting, using rigid materials to replicate the flowing movement and blending of colors of the painting. Using a diverse material palette brings another dimension to the original painting.