Dionne Ible

Posted by Cherie Bosela on July 31, 2022

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qemamumosaics.co.uk

Name: Dionne Ible
Town (or area) & State/Country you reside in: Bedfordshire, England, UK
Business Name: Qemamu Mosaics

Tell us a little about your artistic background:

I have no artistic background and spent a lot of time copying images and teaching myself how to draw. To this day my drawing skills are very limited which works well for me when it comes to creating mosaics as I allow the tiles to do all the hard work.

Do you have any professional art training?

Yes I did a 10 week course at the Working Men’s College in Camden in 2003 and also took short courses with Emma Biggs, Saad Mikhael and Liz Tiranti.

United We Stand by Dionne Ible

How did you get started in mosaics?

I was looking for something creative to do outside of my full time job as a Legal Secretary. With my lack of artistic skills I wanted to do something that didn’t involve painting or drawing. I got a prospectus and flicked through the pages until I found something interesting which happened to be Mosaics.

How long have you been creating mosaic, art, etc?

Since 2003

Did you start with mosaic or did you work in other mediums before working in mosaic? What type of mosaics resonate with you?

I love stained glass work, pique assiette style and more recently mixed media mosaic. I was originally taught 2D mosaic using vitreous glass and unglazed ceramic tiles however over the years I got introduced to stained glass and then started experimenting with other materials e.g. shells, stones, slate and beads etc.

What is your favorite part of the mosaic process?

The middle part and putting in the last piece.

by Dionne Ible

Do you have a favorite subject matter? What is it?

I love working on African inspired subjects as it is important to me that I represent my culture and leave a legacy of mosaic art that my community can relate to.

by Dionne Ible

Where do you find inspiration for subject matter?

From a variety of places; artwork in my home, photos from Africa or the Caribbean, other peoples’ artwork, someone’s t-shirt. I could literally be walking down the street and see something on a building or on a billboard etc.

Do you have favorite materials you like to work with? What are they?

Yes, I love stained glass because it’s easy to cut and you can achieve some very interesting shapes from big pieces, plus some of the glass reminds me of tie dye which is fantastic for my Goddesses’ headwraps.

Mother Nature by Dionne Ible

What is your favorite thing you have created and why?

That has to be one of my earlier pieces entitled Mother Earth. I love trees and nature in general and decided to create a tree that looks like it’s dancing in the forest. I wanted to capture the energy of happiness and vitality which most people can relate to when out in nature.

What would you like to learn/add to your mosaics experience?

I would like to explore more 3D work e.g. a table or some kind of ornamental sculpture and also to go much bigger with wall murals.

What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of mosaics?

Deciding on the correct colour grout as this can enhance or drastically ruin a mosaic and also choosing the right andamento for the focal point and background.

Elephants on the Serengeti by Dionne Ible

What is your least favorite thing about mosaics and why?

Grouting and the cleaning up process afterwards. I dislike having to clean all the tools used for the grouting process.

Do you listen to music while creating (what type/bands)or do you prefer the TV(what shows/genera/channel)? Silence? Pod cast? Etc.?

I do love listening to all types of music and often have slow jams on, in particular Neo Soul and also 80s and 90s Funk, House and Soul. I also love podcasts and enjoy Art Juice with Alice Sheridan and Louise Fletcher plus a variety of self development podcasts or motivational and inspiring content.

by Dionne Ible

What is one of your favorite quotes or sayings?

When you want something you have never had, you have to do something you have never done. In other words you need to come out of your comfort zone to achieve something different.

If you could give readers one single piece of advice, what would it be?

Don’t have regrets. Go for what you want no matter what stage of life you are in.

Tell us about your single greatest mosaic moment:

Being asked to create a 3 metre long mosaic mural for a customer bathroom in a shop. The client loved my work and wanted me to create a piece for his shop. I was totally shocked and really thought it was out of my depth as I had never created anything that large before. It took months to assemble, with a few mistakes along the way, but I managed to complete it and the client loves it!