Tricia Boucha

In an ancient Algonquin language that sums up my philosophy, borrowed from my Native American grandmother: “The hand forms, the eye beholds, yet it is the mind that sees.”

I believe that art is a window into a person – things that can not be communicated in words. I learned much about this principle by studying my Native American heritage. My grandmother was Ojibwe, from Naubinway, MI. I have spent a good part of my life discovering the importance of “being” through her. My greatest achievement thus far is sharing what I’ve learned. I have taught for 50 years now..that future generations may tell the stories of our people as they too share art from their souls.

Being a ceramist as well as a mosaic artist, I delight in combining delicious glass with clay tidbits I have created glazes for and watching them come alive together in a sensuous dance of colour and texture.. quite often, I will design by piling items together to see how they tell their story to me; found objects, glass, shells, ceramics…I stand back and look, fascinated at how the design just seems to “be”.

Beadwork, embroidery and mosaics to me are a vessel to emote the quiet, inner beauty that resides in all God’s creation, some are solemn, others playful. At times I use the grout color or spaces in the design to communicate, other times a bead or odd hidden item.

I love scale in my works, giant panels or sculptures with infinitely tiny pieces, as well as Lilliputian creations of beads and threads. I like to stretch the boundaries of my art. The work is time consuming and fussy, I admit; but I cannot think of another thing I would rather do.