Piece by Piece welcomes our newest certified artist - Hector!

Join us in congratulating Hector for becoming Piece by Piece’s newest Certified Artist. Hector is a bright spirit who brings a layer of fun and creativity to every workshop he joins. We talked to Hector and here’s what he had to say about his work at Piece by Piece!

How did you hear about Piece by Piece?
I was on my phone, and I was scrolling on social media to see if there were any free art events near me, and I saw a post on my Facebook feed about free basic mosaic classes for the residents of south LA, and I signed up!

Who inspires you?
People inspire me. Everyone around me inspires me, and I always learn something new from talking and listening to people. I grew up in South Los Angeles with many diverse people from different backgrounds, cultures, etc. and that has helped me be open-minded.

What materials do you like to use in your mosaic work?
I like recycled tesserae so I’ll use any material that is recyclable or that is donated here. It’s my favorite to use recycled material and give it a second home. 

How have you grown as an artist and a person since joining Piece by Piece?I’ve never done mosaics or knew what mosaic was until I came to Piece by Piece. At first, I was very nervous about cutting the tesserae pieces, and I struggled to figure out where to place my tesserae pieces, and my pieces would fly everywhere. Coming to the basic mosaic classes on Wednesdays and learning from Dawn, Bea, and the other instructors have helped me so much improve as an artist, and I have gained so much knowledge  and skills about mosaics that I feel comfortable and at peace.

What does Piece by Piece mean to you?
Piece by Piece means family and not a competition. I do feel sometimes like life is a competition but my colleagues show me that we’re all here and we all have struggles and because of that we know that it’s ok to be ourselves. 

What has Piece by Piece and creating mosaics added to your life?
Piece By Piece has given me hope and a voice. It’s very inspirational to be able to tell my story by putting broken recycled tesserae pieces together.  Being able to create art is something beautiful.