About Diane Landy

Diane creates original mosaic wall art, furniture, and home/garden decor using tile, pottery, dishware, stone, glass, and a variety of ornaments.

Her identifiable designs frequently include floral arrangements, 3-D elements, a mix of sizes/patterns, and a colorful palette. Each petal, leaf, and geometric/organic shape is hand-cut using a simple pair of tile nippers.

"How strange it is that something as delicate as a petal, which feeds on sunshine, can be crafted out of something so inherently hard and cold," Diane notes.

A native Californian with deep Silicon Valley roots, Diane lives with her family in Santa Cruz. After decades of exploring a multitude of art mediums, from wax casting to 3-D animation to clay sculpture to photography, Diane enrolled in a weekend mosaic class at Cabrillo College in 2000. Little did she know that her newfound hobby would evolve into a career seven years later.

"There's this wonderful sense of renewal you get from chipping away at old, broken, discarded things and making them fresh and whole and beautiful and strong," Diane says, explaining how her activity became a passion.

Memberships: Society of American Mosaic Artists, Santa Cruz Art League, Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators, Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks, Westlake School Art Committee.