Happy New Year!

I've finally been able to start back up with mosaics now that I'm on break from school, and although I'm struggling a bit with composition and technique (I never did take an art class in college), I'm learning a lot just by playing. These hearts are inspired by a quote from a strange and wise person who, last year, talked about surrendering to circumstances: "Let it break you open. You'll never know the beauty inside unless you do." He was right, and I feel like I'm finally living that truth.

Both are pieced from stained glass that I cut by hand, usually going more or less freeform with a mosaic glass cutter but sometimes using a pistol-grip glass cutter for a more precise shape. I pieced and glued the smaller heart last night after celebrating a quiet, fun New Year's Eve with my kids, and hope to finish both backgrounds and then clean the pieces tonight (the messy white stuff on the glass is residual glue; I use "Household Cement" now instead of mortar with the glass because it holds the pieces much better). The larger heart will have beads and other treasures in the "seams"; the smaller one will just be grouted, I think, though I may add some treasures to the background.