nikimosaic's Profile

Bio

I am proud to be a 4th generation Montanan, born of homesteader families on both sides of my family. "Made in Montana" is a label I happily stick to all my creations.

I have boxes full of personal journals with writings, drawings, photos, and sketches documenting my thoughts and wanderings over the years. I have begun keeping a sort of online journal, where I will be writing about creativity, crafting, and whatever else crosses my mind. You can see more of my work at Flickr.

<http://nikimosaic.blogspot.com> <http://www.flickr.com/photos/niki-mosaic>

I have always needed a creative outlet. I *have* to create. I have experimented with and enjoyed many types of art and crafts over the many years. I would say I am completely self-taught. Something piques my interest, and I teach myself to do it.

I have been making things my whole life. I have done quilting, crazy quilts, tiling, miniatures, seasonal ornaments, fancy pillows with vintage lace & fabrics, collage, wood carving, Indian beadwork, embroidery, crewel, sewing, pressed wildflowers, greeting cards, colored pencil drawings, watercolor painting, oil painting, soft sculpture, polymer clay, painted rocks, willow furniture, rug hooking, and mosaics with glass, china, beads, found objects, mirror, jewelry, tile, buttons. I like making anything with sticks, stones, shells, pine-cones, and other natural objects.

I bring what I've learned in all of these crafts to every item I make. It's wonderful how skills you gain in one area of life can help to improve and expand your skills in another.

Creativity, family, and the natural world are my true loves. I also love travel and adventure.

During my freshman year in college, I was enrolled in an alternative education program called Round River. Eighty students in this program studied in Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks, and twenty of us also lived in a primitive village in Mexico for 3 months. During the summers, I worked for the U.S. Forest Service in a variety of positions: firefighter, fire lookout, tree thinner, timber cruiser, and dam builder.

I moved to Massachusetts to take a teaching position after graduating from college. I toured all the cultural venues and soaked up the history in Boston and New York City. I also hiked 85 miles of the Appalachian Trail and climbed every major peak in New England while I lived there. Missing Montana, I moved back to Missoula and started a Property Management and Real Estate company, and started teaching for Missoula Adult Continuing Education. I married and had two daughters who are now grown women, in their early twenties.

Horses were a big part of my life during this time; I rode, showed, raised, broke and packed. We explored all of the Bitterroot, Rattlesnake, and Bob Marshall with our horses. For several years I kept a sailboat at Flathead Lake. Sailing, rafting, hiking, biking, walking, and skiing are other activities I enjoy.

I love flower gardening, especially perennials. My other interests include music, playing guitar; animals of all kinds, especially dogs and horses; home decor, home improvement, yard work; sustainability (recycling! yard sales, goodwill, second hand stores - I spend a lot of time scrounging for materials and hardly ever buy new); kids, family, friends; and, of course, teaching, and learning.

I have been a faculty member and program director for over fifteen years at the University of Montana College of Technology. I teach accounting, business, computers, and human resource courses. I hope to complete my Doctorate degree before I retire! It may be a close race!

Female, Born on January 3

Favorite Materials