If there were a 12-step program for glass collectors (because "hoarder" sounds too judgmental!), I might need to sign up. There's just something irresistible about a vibrantly colored sheet of glass calling my name. This issue, I'm sharing where I find my favorite materials — and why my students secretly benefit from my problem. My Local Dealer I can't say enough good things about Big M Glass in Tacoma. There's always a great variety of colors, brands, and types of glass, an

By the time you're ready to grout, you have hours of time — and possibly a decent amount of money — invested in your piece. So it makes sense that grouting feels terrifying — you're about to smother the whole thing in dark goo. I compare it to going around the dark side of the moon. You lose contact with ground control, and everyone just hopes it comes out okay on the other side. Here's the good news: you don't have to guess. Test before you commit The dry grout test is exact

A friend of mine loves to remind me about the drawing class we took together about ten years ago. Apparently I spent the whole time insisting I wasn't creative. I now sell out mosaic classes and have three active commissions. And now I hear it from students in almost every class I teach. Sometimes it's the first thing someone says when they walk in the door. And I get it — signing up for an art class when you don't consider yourself an artist feels like showing up to a 5K wit

Perhaps you’ve been eyeing a mosaic class for a while now. Maybe a friend took one and came home glowing. Maybe you saw a gazing ball at a garden show and thought “I can make that.” You’re RIGHT — you can!   And then the hesitation: “But I’m not artistic.” Or: “I don’t know where to start.” Or: “Maybe I can’t make that.” (You’re WRONG — you can!). Or simply: “What would I be getting into?”   Let’s fix that last one right now! Here’s what happens in a Henderson Arts mosaic cla

Every artist’s story has a beginning. Mine? It started with a pair of nippers from a big-box home store, some scraps of glass (thanks to a friend who had a friend who taught glass art at a local high school), and a stack of empty feta cheese containers. Yes—feta: the gateway dairy to mosaic addiction.  My “studio” was tucked next to the elliptical machine and weight bench in the back of our basement, and my storage system was 100% Greek salad chic. Fast forward to today, and

I'm Barbara Henderson, the mosaic artist and instructor behind Henderson Arts, and I'm thrilled to invite you on a joyful journey of...