Kimmy McHarrie
Fine Art Glass Mosaics
Kimmy McHarrie makes fine art mosaics using venetian glass, stone, shells,
gold leaf smalti , semi precious stones and found objects.
Since her first exhibition in 2005 Kimmy has sold more than 400 works to customers worldwide.
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Latest News
Isle of Man Post Office Issue six stamps
featuring mosaics by Kimmy.
https://www.iompost.com/stamps-coins/collection/marine-mosaics-by-kimmy-mcharrie/
Basking shark featured in Ocean Conservation Research newsletter
Basking Shark Mosaic: Art as Overt Activism and Climate Solution
Amid the digital tapestry of Instagram’s new platform, Threads, dedicated to inspiring conversations, “artivism” has played a viral form of environmental advocacy. Artist Kimmy McHarrie’s monumental mosaic of a basking shark surrounded by plankton resounds as a rallying call for ocean conservation. Crafted 10 ft (over 3 m) in length, the mosaic stands as a visual testament to the diminishing basking shark population around the Isle of Man—plunging from 500 sightings in 2019 to just 8 sharks reported in 2021. Displayed prominently at Ronaldsway Airport, McHarrie’s masterpiece weaves local stone, repurposed glass, and found items into a vibrant tapestry that champions ocean conservation, sustainability, and the battle against the climate crisis. Accompanied by a poignant film featuring basking shark footage, interviews with marine biologists and local fishermen, this artful endeavor amplifies the importance of protecting our ocean’s fragile ecosystem and the myriad species that inhabit it. For as the saying goes, “A landscape that hasn’t been evocatively described becomes easier to destroy.” In an era where activism finds its voice in art, Kimmy McHarrie’s mosaic emerges as a resonant call to action, an embodiment of hope amid the ebb and flow of our oceanic journey.
A three metre long mosaic of a basking shark surrounded by plankton at Ronaldsway Airport Isle of Man
Photo : Phil Miller
My Story
I have spent my life creating in one way or another. My work reflects my love of nature, particularly the sea which has always played a large part in my life as I was born and brought up on the Isle of Man.
My work has always been collage led and I see mosaic as an extension of this, colour, shape and texture being all important. I try to bring a new approach to the ancient art of mosaic. Mosaic making is a very physical process. Each piece of coloured glass or stone is cut by hand using a hammer and hardie, the traditional mosaicist’s tools. The process I use for completing the mosaic is called the double reverse method, which I learnt in Ravenna, Italy, the historic centre of Byzantine mosaic. It involves 6 different processes. More technical info here.
It is always a challenge to produce work with “life” from such an un-giving medium and the limited colour palette available to me also imposes interesting constraints. The biggest obstacle to me is the length of time the work takes me to produce as I have so many pictures in my head but not enough time to create them all. The fact that mosaic art is so ancient appeals to me, as does the tactile and organic quality of the work. Each piece of work is like a journey, beginning with an idea and ending somewhere I may not have expected. My work is not practical mosaic. I see it as painting, just in a different medium.
I was lucky enough to have been taught by the artist Norman Sayle R.I. who once remarked that one of his favourite things about water colour painting was the “happy accidents” that could happen. It is the same for me with mosaic as sometimes when hammering a piece of glass or stone, an amazing shape emerges and I will save it and sometimes even create a whole picture around it.
History
Endangered Species and Conservation
Kimmy was born and grew up in Castletown on the Isle of Man in a cottage on the seafront. Her parents were both teachers and allowed her to pursue her passion for creating, painting, drawing and collage involving smashing up scallop shells she found on the beach to make pictures. At aged 8 years old she won a competition with the finished picture.
After her art foundation course under the tutorage of Norman Sayle R.I. she went to Newcastle to study design and illustration. On completing her degree she moved to London where she worked as a freelance designer and illustrator having numerous illustrations published as greetings cards and in books and magazines.
Leaving London and reaching a milestone birthday she went to Ravenna in Italy to study mosaic making. Under the tutorage of Luciana Nottorni Kimmy was taught the "Double Reverse Method" of mosaic making. She now laughs at how she has come full circle and instead of smashing up scallop shells, she is breaking glass and stone to create works of art, albeit in a more sophisticated manner!
Since her first exhibition in 2005 Kimmy has sold more than 400 works to customers worldwide.
Much of my work exhibited in my 2020 exhibition "Shattered" reflects on all things threatened and endangered.
We are living in very challenging times where so many certainties have become uncertain and our normality has been turned upside down, shattered.
As a human my only way of coping with the world is to gaze at the daisies and find solace in my surroundings as my sanity is endangered if I don’t!
The work below depicts many endangered species across the globe.
Endangered 2020 smalti and glass 900x500
Europe.
Bechstein’s Bat, Russia High Brown Fritillary, United Kingdom
Eastern Pasque Flower, Czech Republic
Africa
Baobab Tree, West Africa Chimpanzee, West Africa Rhim Gazelle, North Africa
Rothschild Giraffe, East Africa Gorilla, East Africa
Black Rhinoceros, South Africa Hooded Vulture, West Africa
South America
Short Tailed Chinchilla, Chile Orinoco Crocodile, Venezuela
Golden Lion Tamarin, Brazil Galapagos Giant Tortoise, Galapagos Islands
Green Sea Turtle, Atlantic Ocean Blue Whale, Pacific Ocean
North America
Polar Bear, Greenland Franklin’s Bumble Bee, Oregon Black Lace Cactus, Texas California Condor, California
Eskimo Curlew, Alaska Eastern Flowering Dogwood, Canada Northern Leopard Frog, Canada Moose, Canada
Leather Back Turtle, Atlantic Ocean Atlantic Walrus, Atlantic Ocean Right Whale, Atlantic Ocean
Asia
Bactrian Camel, Mongolia Sumatran Elephant, Sumatra Amur Leopard, Russia
Giant Panda, China White Stalk, Japan Beluga Sturgeon, Caspian Sea Bengal Tiger, India
Australia
Fire Coral, Tasman Sea Hector’s Dolphin, Pacific Ocean Krill, Indian Ocean Night Parrot, Eastern Australia
Short Nosed Sea Snake, Indian Ocean Black Flanked Rock Wallaby, Western Australia
Antarctica
Emperor Penguin, Antarctica
Sea Fan Window
smalti and glass set in 18thC Iron Frame
950 diameter
Phytoplankton and Zooplankton are the self-feeding components of the plankton community and a key part of oceans, seas and freshwater basin ecosystems. Plankton serve as the base of the aquatic food web, providing an essential ecological function for all aquatic life.
Living diatoms (phytoplankton) make up a significant portion of the Earth's biomass: they generate about 20 to 50 percent of the oxygen produced on the planet each year.
Diatoms are used to monitor past and present environmental conditions, and are commonly used in studies of water quality.
I found this 200 year old French church window in Barrows, Faversham, an antique shop full of very beautiful and mysterious objects.
It seemed like the perfect frame for a mosaic but to make it was a challenge.
Along with the Pink Sea Fan it also features
Phyto Plankton and Zooplankton.
It could also be made into a table top with the addition of a glass top.
Sea Fan
Nationally scarce and globally vulnerable. Here in the UK, the pink sea fan is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
The pink sea fan is classified as Vulnerable on the global IUCN Red List.