ADA — Elizabeth Rockstad is a mosaic artist who came from a family supportive of the arts.
“Everyone was creative in their own way, so I kind of just grew up around it,” the Ada woman remembered.
With art in her upbringing, Rockstad’s interest in mosaics came to her mostly by mistake, after taking a stained-glass class with her sister and friends. She found out quickly she was not meant to be a stained-glass artist — while cutting the glass went well, she was not good at soldering.
“And I had all this extra glass laying around and just thought, ‘I need to use it,’” Rockstad said. “I'm kind of too cheap to throw it out, and so I had seen mosaics done with glass before in the past. I had dabbled in it a little bit in college but hadn't done too much until I had this whole box of little scrap glass. And the rest is history.”
Making mosaics
Asked whether she has an idea going into a mosaic project or if she lets the glass pieces dictate the final image, she said it’s a little of both.
“I generally have an idea in my head or I'll get inspiration from seeing maybe another piece of music or artwork, or I may see something out in nature,” she said. “You just never know where inspiration will hit you.”
She might do a rough sketch but doesn’t draw out a full design. Then, when she cuts the pieces and lays them down, it dictates how it’s going to look to a certain point. In 15-20 years of doing mosaics, she’s learned to work with the material differently, but still generally believes in letting the pieces tell you where they want to go.
Rockstad is often asked where she gets her material for mosaics. She said she works with all sorts of different things, ranging from stained glass to stone and slate.
“I kind of beg, borrow, and steal. So, wherever I can find pieces.”
She once went to auction sales, where you could find boxes of scrap glass, old gears or other materials, but these days she’s finding more materials online.
Starting a studio
Rockstad also owns Studio 4:13 in Ada, which started in 2011. She taught art for about 14 years and had her first daughter in 2010. Shortly after, she opened the pottery and mosaic studio part time. It became difficult to be a part-time art teacher, part-time business owner, and full-time mom, so she quit teaching to focus on the studio and having her daughter with her there.
The name of the studio comes from Philippians 4:13 — “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” It has been Rockstad’s verse for most of her life.
She also teaches classes at the studio. She has a basic introduction to mosaic, where she goes over the tools and different ways of cutting material. Usually, class sizes range from eight to 12 people. Since it’s a smaller size, class members can decide what to focus on.
Rockstad’s work is available through Studio 176 in Park Rapids and at Gallery 4 in Fargo, North Dakota, or you can visit her website.
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Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.