REGINA COUPAR STUDIO

Updated: April 2024

REGINA COUPAR STUDIO

mosaics

About me...

I am a graduate of Mount Saint Vincent University (1998) in Halifax, NS, beginning my study there after turning forty. My experience as a ‘mature student’ was somewhat of an anomaly at that time. This initial degree whetted my appetite for more, and about ten years later I continued my study, pursuing a Master’s degree at the Atlantic School of Theology (2009), also in Halifax. My master’s thesis explored the idea that some art and artists have historically ‘done’ theology; they did’t always merely illustrate the theological ideas others.

My experience at AST led me to Italy where I learned the techniques of fourth century Byzantine mosaic-making. When I returned from Italy I entered a doctoral degree program at the University of Toronto (2014), for which I adapted these ancient mosaic techniques to create an eight panel mosaic as the centrepiece of my thesis. Using an arts-based research approach I focused the on relationship between aesthetic and spiritual experience. More on this project can be viewed at:
http://www.reginacoupar.ca/grace-chapel-mosaic.html

The entire doctoral thesis can be viewed on the U of T website:
https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/handle/1807/67420

The Creative Process (2023) 41x24"

About the mosaic process...

My recent work employs the mosaic techniques used in Ravenna, Italy, during the early centuries of the Common Era. Most mosaics that remain in this UNESCO site can be viewed in their original form in churches and public buildings throughout this small Italian city. Mosaics were created on ceilings and often below narrow window openings as a means of catching and reflecting light inside the dim buildings. To this end, tesserae (small pieces) are cut by hand from larger materials (mostly stone and glass paste called smalti) into tiny shapes, using a small anvil and hardie (small sharpened hammer), which I also use for my work. Tesserae were placed directly into wet limestone, then manipulated with small tools so that the uneven surface could maximize the effects of light. No grout is used in this process. This image shows freshwater pearls and shells being used as tesserae.

RECENT MOSAICS

Secret Garden 2024, 30x30" natural stone, vintage buttons, Italian smalti 3600 CAD

Crows Gathering Treasure 2024: 16x20" natural stone, Italian smalti, freshwater pearls 1800.Cad

Two crows joy: 2024, natural stone, Italian smelt, freshwater pearls 1800.Cad

Crow with Treasure: 2023, 10x18" Natural stone, Italian smelt, freshwater pearls, 14kt earring, Swarovski crystals 600.Cad

Portal (2024) 20x16" Natural Stone, Italian smalti, freshwater pearls, vintage buttons, 14kt earring, Swarovski crystals 1800.Cad

Depth, a Jungian perspective on the collective unconscious: 2023 24x17" Natural stone, Italian smalti, freshwater pearls, vintage buttons, vintage rhinestones, 1800.Cad

Depression from the inside out: 2023, 24"diameter, Natural stone, Italian Smalti, broken windshield, 1500.Cad

Random Thoughts 2023 20"x16"

Time 24"x6"

Time 2022 (detail) 24"x6"

There's a hole in my heart 2023 8"x10"

Moonshadow 2023 20"x16"

Update: September 2019

Therapy Art

Moving along in my Therapy ART for generalized anxiety and clinical depression, I have decided to return (at least for awhile) to making art in a tactile fashion. While I love to work directly on a screen I found myself wanting to create tangible work. This, of course, is in tension with my reluctance to 'make stuff,' given the overabundance of things in the world today. As an artist, I don't really know how to resolve that.problem. Maybe, like Scarlett O'Hara, I'll "think about that tomorrow..."
For now, I interested in the mundane - everyday shapes, sometimes coupled with previously painted works. At this stage of life, appreciating the repetition of routine activities, while challenging, has become an important step in my journey towards wellness.