https://bohemian.com/reflective-moment-sebastopol-artist-maria-isabel-lopez/
Thursday, September 17, 2026
ILLUMINATION IN GLASS
THE MOSAIC ART OF MARIA ISABEL LOPEZ
OPENING RECEPTION SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12
5-8PM AT USHER GALLERY
1 PETALUMA BLVD. N, PETALUMA CA
LIVE MUSIC BY ZENIA AVILA AND SHEILA NEBRIDA MONTEMAYOR
KABAYAN WINES-A FILIPINO OWNED WINERY IN HEALDSBURG WILL BE POURING
EXHIBIT RUNS FROM SEPTEMBER 8-OCTOBER 18, 2026
CLOSING COCKTAILS; OCTOBER 17, SATURDAY 5-8PM
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NEW MOSAIC ART AT USHER GALLERY
THESE DIGITAL IMAGES DO NOT REALLY DO JUSTICE AS YOU CANNOT FEEL THE TEXTURE AND THE PLAY OF LIGHT. YOU HAVE TO SEE IT LIVE.
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TRILOGY
THE TREE OF LIFE I - SURVIVAL
30" X 48"
MIXED MEDIA MOSAIC OF GLASS, NATURAL STONES
SMALTI, RHINESTONES, ACRYLIC
"CREATED DURING MY RECOVERY AFTER A DEVASTATING CAR CRASH AND SURGERY
THE TREE OF LIFE I BECAME AN ESSENTIAL PART OF MY HEALING. ITS ROOTS SPEAK
OF SURVIVAL; ITS BRANCHES REACH TOWARD RENEWAL WHILE GLASS LEAVES SHIFT
FROM DARKNESS INTO RADIANT COLOR. THIS WORK CELEBRATES THE GIFT OF A
SECOND LIFE-THE STRENGTH TO HEAL, GROW AGAIN AND EMERGE FROM ADVERSITY
INTO LIGHT."
THE TREE OF LIFE II - RENEWAL
24' X 48'
MIXED MEDIA MOSAIC OF SMALTI, GLASS, GOLD LEAF
SHELL, PEARLS, RHINESTONES
"AFTER SURVIVAL COMES RENEWAL. THE TREE OF LIFE II CELEBRATES THE
QUIET STRENGTH OF BEGINNING AGAIN. DEEP ROOTS ANCHOR THE TREE TO
THE EARTH WHILE ITS GOLDEN TRUNK RISES INTO BRANCHES ABUNDANT WITH
LUMINOUS GLASS AND SHIMMERING FRAGMENTS. LIFE TRANSFORMS EACH
ELEMENT JUST AS LIGHT TRANSFORMS US THROUGH CHANGE. ROOTED IN
EXPERIENCE YET REACHING UPWARD THE TREE BECOMES A SYMBOL OF HEALING.
RENEWED PURPOSE , TO GATHER THE FRAGMENTS AND MAKE THEM WHOLE."
THE TREE OF LIFE III - ILLUMINATION
30" X 48"
MIXED MEDIA MOSAIC OF SMALTI, GLASS, NATURAL STONES
SHELL, GOLD LEAF, CRUSHED GLASS. RHINESTONE
BRANCHES, DARKNESS AND LIGHT, STRUGGLE AND TRANSFORMATION. RISING
FROM THE EARTH, THE TREE REACHES TOWARD A LUMINOUS CANOPY WHERE
GLASS, SHELLS AND SHIMMERING FRAGMENTS CATCH AND RETURN THE LIGHT.
LIKE THE TREE, WE ARE SHAPED BY ALL THAT LIFE ASKS US TO ENDURE....AND
PERHAPS ENGLIGHTENMENT IS SIMPLY THIS - TO EMERGE FROM DARKNESS,
CONTINUE REACHING TOWARD THE LIGHT, AND RECOGNIZE THE EXTRAORDINARY
GIFT OF BEING ALIVE."
MADONNA AND CHILD II
18" X 24"
MIXED MEDIA MOSAIC OF SMALTI, GOLD LEAF, CRUSHED GLASS
STAINED GLASS, RHINESTONES, PEARLS
"IN MADONNA AND CHILD III, MOTHER AND CHILD ARE JOINED IN AN INTIMATE
EMBRACE - A TIMELESS IMAGE OF TENDERNESS, PROTECTION, AND UNCONDI-
TIONAL LOVE. GOLD LEAF AND LUMINOUS GLASS SURROUND THE FIGURES WITH
RADIANT LIGHT SUGGESTING THAT WITHIN THE SHELTER OF LOVE, WE FIND BOTH
STRENGTH AND GRACE. HERE, ILLUMINATION BECOMES MORE THAN REFLECTED
LIGHT. IT IS THE WARMTH WE GIVE, THE COMFORT WE RECEIVE, AND THE LOVE
THAT CARRIES FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT."
MADONNA AND CHILD II
16" X 20"
MIXED MEDIA MOSAIC OF SMALTI, GOLD LEAF, CRUSHED GLASS
STAINED GLASS, RHINESTONES, PEARLS
"IN THIS SACRED IMAGERY, THE TENDER EMBRACE OF MOTHER AND CHILD
BECOMES AN EXPRESSION OF LOVE, PROTECTION AND BOND OF LIFE. PEARLS
GLASS AND RHINESTONES CAPTURE AND REFLECT THE LIGHT, CREATING A
QUIET RADIANCE AROUND THE FIGURES. WITHIN ILLUMINATION IN GLASS,
THE WORK SPEAKS OF ANOTHER KIND OF LIGHT - THE UNIVERSAL LOVE WE
GIVE TO ONE ANOTHER. A LIGHT THAT NURTURES, PROTECTS AND ENDURES."
THE WAVES OF BODEGA BAY
18" X 24"
MIXED MEDIA MOSAIC OF SMALTI, GLASS, SHELLS,
ABALONE, BORACAY SAND, CORALS
"ILLUMINATED BY THE SETTING SUN, THE WAVES OF BODEGA BAY CAPTURES LIGHT
DANCING ACROSS THE EVER-CHANGING SEA. WATER - THE SOURCE AND SUSTAINER
OF LIFE REMINDS US THAT LIFE ITSELF MOVES IN WAVES; RISING AND FALLING,
RETREATING AND RETURNING, YET ALWAYS MOVING FORWARD. THROUGH GLASS,
ABALONE AND BORACAY SAND AND CORALS, THE WORK CELEBRATES, RESILIENCE,
RENEWAL AND THE LIGHT THAT CARRIES US THROUGH EVERY TIDE."
BAI BIBYAON
23" x 31"
MIXED MEDIA MOSAIC OF SMALTI, GLASS, BEADS,
FABRIC, PRESERVED LEAVES
"BAI BIBYAON - INDIGENOUS CHIEFTAIN OF THE MANOBO TRIBE AND GUARDIAN
OF ANCESTRAL LAND IS PORTRAYED AS A SYMBOL OF STRENGTH, COURAGE AND
CULTURAL RESILIENCE. THROUGH LUMINOUS GLASS, VIBRANT TEXTILES AND
PRESERVED LEAVES, I ILLUMINATE HER ENDURING CONNECTION TO THE EARTH
AND THE SPIRIT OF THE LAND SHE FOUGHT TO PROTECT."
THE ENLIGHTENED
9½” × 28” × 12½”
Mixed-Media Mosaic Sculpture
Gold leaf, rhinestones, glass beads & fiberglass
Bathed in bronze and luminous glass, The Enlightened embodies the awakening of the spirit through light. The praying hands become its center of power—a gesture of faith, humility, gratitude, and inner peace. As light dances across the jeweled surface, the figure reminds us that true illumination is not only something we see, but something we discover within.
The sculpture introduces inner light—enlightenment itself.
WAYS OF THE CROSS XI
13½” × 15½”
Mixed-Media Mosaic
Stained glass, smalti, rhinestones, natural stones
"Inspired by the radiance of a cathedral window, Ways of the Cross #11 imagines the Cross within a sanctuary of refuge, peace, and contemplation. As light enters through the glass, color seems to radiate outward in movement and energy—transforming the Cross into a source of illumination and inviting a moment of stillness, reflection, and hope."
WAYS OF THE CROSS XII
9 1/4" X 13 1/4"
MIXED MEDIA MOSAIC OF SMALTI, STAINED GLASS
NATURAL STONES, ZIRCONIA, 24K GOLD SMALTI
"IN WAYS OF THE CROSS XII, I REINTERPRET THE ANCIENT ARTFORM OF
MOSAIC USING THE TRADITIONAL SMALTI WITH CONTEMPORARY MATERIALS
STAINED GLASS, AND NATURAL STONES. THE CROSS - A SYMBOL OF SACRIFICE
REFLECTS THE VERY PROCESS OF ITS CREATION-PERSEVERANCE, PATIENCE,
TIME AND DEVOTION. EACH TESSERAE PLACED BECOMES AN OFFERING
TRANSFORMING SACRIFICE INTO LIGHT AMD THE POSSIBILITY OF HOPE BEYOND
SUFFERING."
THE SACRED HEART
9 1/4" X 13 1/4"
MIXED MEDIA MOSAIC OF SMALTI, STAINED GLASS
BLOWN GLASS, NATURAL STONES,
"The Sacred Heart embodies love made luminous—a heart aflame with devotion,
encircled by thorns that speak of suffering and sacrifice. Sculpted with three-dimensional blown glass from Mexico, the flames reach outward, catching and transforming light. Within Illumination in Glass, the work reflects a deeper illumination: the enduring power of love to transcend suffering and emerge radiant."
THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
15½” × 19”
Mixed-Media Mosaic
Smalti, stained glass & crushed glass
"Jesus represents, for me, the enduring power of life and love—my Savior, my source
of inspiration, and my spiritual light. The radiant Sacred Heart symbolizes compassion, sacrifice, and unconditional love. Through shimmering glass and reflected light, this deeply personal work becomes an invitation to contemplate the light within us and the love that connects us all."
THE TREES OF RANCHITO MILAGRO
22” × 28”
Mixed-Media Mosaic
Smalti, glass, acrylic & natural stones
"Ranchito Milagro—“Little Miracle Ranch”—was named in gratitude for my husband’s miraculous survival of pancreatic cancer. He planted many of the trees that now grace our
land, each becoming a living symbol of renewal and hope. Through luminous glass, natural
stone, and radiant color, I celebrate these trees as witnesses to life, resilience, and the the
enduring light of a miracle.
EMBARAZADA
8½” × 11½”
Mixed-Media Mosaic
Stained glass & 24K gold smalti
"Embarazada—“pregnant” in Spanish celebrates the woman as bearer ofnew life. Her luminous form, shaped in vibrant stained glass and 24K gold smalti, honors pregnancy
as one of life’s profound miracles: the creation of one life within another. Here, illumination becomes the light of life itself—the unseen promise growing within, transforming the woman who carries it."
TEXTURES AND SHAPES IV
24” × 24”
Mixed-Media Mosaic
Marble chips, pebbles, glass, Boracay sand & coral
"Created during my early journey into mosaic, Textures and Shapes IV grew from
necessity and discovery. With traditional mosaic and stained-glass materials difficult
to find in the Philippines, I turned to what surrounded me—marble chips, pebbles, coral,sand, and found glass. The human form, to me, is sacred—a vessel of life and spirit. Its curves and textures echo the natural landscape, reminding us that the body itself is part of creation. Here, illumination is not simply the light reflected by glass,
but the inner light we carry within—the spirit that gives the human form its life, dignity, and beauty.
THE STORY OF RUTH
22¼” × 44½”
Mixed-Media Mosaic
Smalti, glass, abalone, rhinestones & pearls
"Originally created as a commissioned work, The Story of Ruth ultimately remained with me, transforming an unexpected disappointment into a deeply personal journey. The countless hours, patience, and devotion invested in its creation taught me lessons in humility, love, and forgiveness. What began in pain became an opportunity for change, growth, and healing—and helped illuminate the path toward the artist I am today."
FOR INQUIRIES, CONTACT USHER GALLERY
info@ushergallerypetaluma.com
707 789 7886