Cathy Klisiewicz

Home Décor, Unique Gifts & Artist Finds

I cannot remember a time when I wasn’t interested in the arts in some way. I come by it honestly as both of my parents were crafts people. My father had a great talent for wood carving and weaving Nantucket baskets but his real love was creating stained glass lamps and window panels in the Tiffany style. My mother was a self-taught weaver and quilter. She wove intricate Finn weaves, fine linens and even fabric for clothing. All her quilts were entirely hand sewn, and she especially enjoyed making water-color quilts, which use small pieces of fabric to “paint” pictures. She taught me to sew, knit, needlepoint and cross-stitch. In high school I discovered painting and sketching, interests that resurfaced later in life.

Soon after I was married I learned to macrame (this was in the 70’s of course!). It wasn’t long before I had a surplus of wall hangings, macrame jewelry and, of course, the usual plant hangars. Craft shows became a great way to support my habits and a growing family. In the 90’s I became interested in decorative painting and over a period of years developed expertise in a variety of styles. In these last years I’ve gotten hooked on mosaic art. I now spend quite a bit of time at flea markets and thrift stores looking for odd tables that need a bit of sprucing up, and for old china. I refinish the tables and create a design on the top using pieces of the china (no machines here, all pieces are hand cut) along with a variety of beads, stones and other decorative items. I give the tables several coats of a two-part resin poured over the top. This brings the mosaic designs to life with a beautiful clear glossy finish. I also create mosaic designs on mirrors, picture frames, wall plaques, boxes and drawer pulls.

Recent endeavors….making small boxes and earrings using eggshells (yes…real eggshells!) and alcohol inks and as I live close to the ocean, I’ve been using seashells to decorate boxes, picture frames and Christmas ornaments.

And now the unpredictable world of alcohol ink paintings.. A fairly new medium, alcohol inks are unpredictable, vibrant in color and made to use on nonporous surfaces. Full strength for vibrant color or softened with blending medium for a subtle look that can be poured, dripped, painted or spattered.