Mosaic Sea Turtle

Mosaic Sea Turtle was first conceived while delivering my Mosaic Hand to Honey Horn Plantation for a Public Art Exhibition on Hilton Head Island, in SC. After installing my work I visited the gallery to have a look around. I noticed a small sea turtle in a glass aquarium. I went over to visit him and he followed me as I moved around the glass enclosure. We had a moment of connection; he was speaking to me if you will or maybe he was just looking for some food. Either way, I thought, "I need to make a large scaled, stylized sea turtle sculpture that everyone can enjoy and interact with." This moment of inspiration is how most creative acts start. Throughout history and the world, many cultures have associated the turtle as a symbol of longevity, protection, stability, and good luck. Many cultures have associated the turtle with the great mother creation myths and in our current day culture, it has become a symbol for environmentalism. There is evidence that turtles have been around since the days of the dinosaurs. There are many efforts being made today to help re-populate sea turtles and get them off of the endangered list. I put faces on the turtle so that we as a society can relate to this endangered animal. There is a "Where's Waldo"interactive aspect incorporated into the piece. Where is the horse tile, where is the dragon fly tile, etc. I also made it 18 inches high so it is a bench height. You can sit on it. I want it to engage a sense of curiosity.

Paula Smith was born in Kansas City, Missouri. She attended the Kansas City Art Institute and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1982. She attended the University of Illinois and received her MFA in 1986. She and her husband, Jim Connell, moved to Rock Hill, SC, in 1987. They have a daughter, Emily Connell. Both Jim and Emily are also ceramic artists.She taught at Winthrop University for 13 years and in that time owned and operated the Oakland Art Supply store for nine years. She went on to teach full-time at Gaston College for nine years and now resides as the head of the ceramics department at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC. Paula exhibits nationally and her work is on view full-time at the Lark and Key Gallery, in Charlotte. ‍Paula just finished a large public art commission from the Arts and Science Council of North Carolina. She was an 18-month affiliate artist at McColl Center for Visual Art in Charlotte, NC. She has received numerous artist grants from both North and South Carolina Arts Councils including a South Carolina Fellowship Grant and was a resident artist for a month in China at the Potters Workshop in Shanghai and at San Boa, in Jingdezhen. She loves to travel, bake, garden, and give fun parties.

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