Welcome to Kast Hill Studio

Kast Hill Studio was featured on WMUR’s NH Chronicle on January 4!  Working with students to learn about all the pieces that make up the big picture. Check out the video!

Lizz Van Saun Professional Memberships and affiliations; SAMA (Society of American Mosaic Artists), Roster Artist/Teacher for NH State Council on the Arts, NH Arts Learning Network, NH Art Educators Association,  Contemporary Mosaic Art, Former Instructor Vermont Carving Studio and Sculpture Center.

Mosaics. Community. Recycling.

Welcome to Kast Hill Studio and Mosaics for Everyone!

My name is Lizz Van Saun and I’m a professional teaching artist.  I’ve been in business since 2007 traveling around New England and sharing my love of building community through the art of mosaic making.

I never intended to become a mosaic artist, but we often don’t know the path we’ll go down ahead of time.  I always thought I’d be a children’s book illustrator, and who knows, maybe that’s still in the cards.  But after college I chose not to move to a city where getting into illustration was more likely.  I wanted to raise my son in the country and so, I stayed in NH.  I did a lot of freelance illustration, sign painting, graphic design and even had a business painting murals in children’s bedrooms for awhile.

Sometime in 2002, I decided to explore mosaics.  I’d always love them and I began reading all I could about the art form.  Initially, I experimented with every way possible to make a mosaic; gluing pieces on furniture, on cement, on walls, on glass.  I used recycled stained glass, ceramic tile, found objects, and eventually I tried breaking dishes using mostly discarded chipped or cracked pieces.  That was a turning point for me. I became obsessed with this new art form called “Pique Assiette” roughly translated as Plate Stealer.  I could use the patterns, colors and textures to get create something truly unique and recycle at the same time!  I was hooked.

From there, I rediscovered my love of working with people.  I took a large mosaic to an outdoor event where hundreds of people came by, and invited them to work on the mosaic with me.  A teacher asked me if I thought I could do this at her and school and I said yes. (Without knowing exactly how… but it worked out.  And here I am, so many years later, still doing what has turned out to be a most rewarding career as a teaching artist.  I love it and am grateful everyday that I can bring my art into communities and witness the fun, cooperation and collaboration that happen every time we work together.  What could be better than taking something broken, and making it a whole new beautiful thing?

Thanks for visiting my website. I hope you enjoy what you read about and see here.

Member:

NH State Council on the Arts Roster Artist
https://www.creativeground.org/profile/lizz-van-saun

The Society of American Mosaic Artists
http://americanmosaics.org

Teaching Artists Association
http://www.teachingartists.com

These are the completed mosaics that were made as a community mosaic project and gift to the City of Concord, NH for its’ 250th anniversary celebration this year.  Each panel measures 3′ x 4′.  The project was initiated by Jessica Livingston of Concord.  I created the artwork, built the substrates and we  invited visitors to various local events  throughout the year to help me mosaic the panels.  You can now see the mosaics at the Concord Public Library where they are installed on the ramp leading to the upper level and are visible from the circulation desk.

The following is a video made last summer to record our progress.  If you’d like more information you can visit us on Facebook  at Mosaic250.