Mosaic Artist Creates Octopus Out of Sea Glass
When Explore Ecology needed to find an artist who could create a one of a kind sea creature out of reuse materials for the Santa Barbara Sea Glass and Ocean Arts Festival, we thought of mosaic artist Betsy Gallery.
Betsy Gallery is an award winning mosaic artist and Santa Barbara native whose public murals can be viewed at the Outreach Center for the Teaching of Ocean Science (OCTOS) at UCSB and at the Watershed Resource Center at Arroyo Burro Beach.
Betsy came up with the idea of making a California Two-Spot Octopus (Octopus bimaculoides). The Octopus will be on display at the entrance to the Sea Glass and Ocean Arts Festival. Visitors to the Fest will have a chance to win the Octopus Mosaic in the Festival’s 2016 Raffle, which this year benefits Explore Ecology.
The octopus is specific to the Channel Islands. Its colors tend to vary according to the background. Betsy is creating it using sea glass, reuse iridescent vitreous tiles, and round glass from the Art from Scrap Creative Reuse Store. The finished piece will be 4 x 4 feet.
Betsy added another sea creature to the mosaic mural, a newly discovered “purple orb” that the Ocean Exploration Trust vessel Nautilus found in the Channel Islands, which may be a new species of nudibranch. The mural may be the very first artist’s interpretation of this marine creature.
The Santa Barbara Sea Glass & Ocean Arts Festival brings together artists from across the country to display and sell their handmade, ocean-themed, and genuine sea glass art on September 10th & 11th, 2016 at the Earl Warren Showgrounds. The only of its kind in Southern California, the Festival attracts thousands of sea glass lovers and enthusiasts to the renowned coastal jewel of Santa Barbara.
The Sea Glass Festival Committee strongly believes in giving back to the community and chooses a nonprofit or school in Santa Barbara County to donate to. This year, they named Explore Ecology as their 2016 beneficiary. We are thrilled to partner with the Festival this year.
The Sea Glass and Ocean Arts Festival takes place on September 10 & 11, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm each day at Warren Hall, Earl Warren Showgrounds. There will be an Early Bird Option Admission on Saturday from 9:00 am to 10:00 am for those who want first viewing and first pick of the beautiful items at the Festival. Tickets are available online or at the door.
Josh was born and raised in Santa Barbara, where his passion and curiosity for the environment began and has continued to grow. During his undergraduate studies, Josh pursued this interest at the University of California at Santa Cruz, receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies.
Melissa Dodos developed her passion for creative reuse as a mother of four and elementary educator over the past 25 years. She loves to inspire creativity by connecting people with resources and ideas.
Veronica grew up in San Diego and spent four years in San Luis Obispo studying Animal Science at Cal Poly. As an undergrad she learned lots about livestock, agriculture, and wildlife.
Stephanie began her journey as an educator over twenty years ago working as a preschool teacher in Washington state for a cooperative preschool program affiliated with Whatcom Community College. She loved observing the wonder and curiosity of the children and bringing them out into nature to explore the natural world. She continued her love for learning and got her teaching license and then her Montessori certification and worked as an elementary teacher in Tribal, Public, and Montessori schools. She collaborated to create a school garden and her students loved it so much that it became a special place where they could garden, read, explore, play, and it provided a safe sanctuary for students to calm down and reset when they were having difficult moments.
Morgan’s mermaid soul is always seeking adventure—swimming a relay across the Santa Barbara Channel and taking the first photo of a newborn orca off Anacapa Island being standout experiences close to home.
Lindsay Johnson