Growing up within the rolling hills of Laurel Highlands, Southwestern Pennsylvania, mosaic/mixed-media artist Dee Ruff has always been inspired by nature.
The Tucson resident brings together color, texture, space and light, conveying her love of the natural world. She creates her contemporary abstract mosaic and mixed media artworks as Black Cat Mosaics.
“I had horses and I loved to go out and look at the buttercups in the field,” she said about her formative years.
She will host an art exhibition with more than 60 pieces from Sunday, Feb. 25, to Friday, March 8, at De Grazia in the Sun Museum’s Little Gallery. An opening reception, with food and refreshments, is set for noon to 4 p.m. Feb. 25. Admission to the reception, and the 13-day exhibition is free.
During her early adult life, Ruff found creative joys in combining colors in large-scale needlepoint designs and in creating layers of color in her home gardens. Since 2012, Dee has embarked on an artistic journey of creating mosaics, an ancient and durable form of art. Through intensive self-study and professional studies with internationally renowned mosaic artists, including classes in the United States and Europe, Ruff has developed her artistic voice.
Ruff has had a rich and varied background. Earning Bachelor of Psychology and Master of Social Work degrees, she worked for many years in maternal and child health care, domestic and international adoption and hospice services.
“I always had an interest in health and well-being,” she said. “My mom passed away when I was 14 of cancer. When I was in college, you have memories and emotions as a bratty 14 year old.
“I was able to integrate some of the intellectual research in with my feelings, which was an interesting way to process things. I was able to help a lot of people who lost a loved one. I could put my own perspective into more of an adult way of processing it.”
Her career path also eventually led her to become a nationally certified licensed massage therapist where she created a busy private practice.
Unexpectedly, she developed pain and neuropathy, as well as back and spinal problems. Doctors found degenerative disk disease. Practicing massage for six hours a day was straining her body. She was also diagnosed with thyroid issues. The two-year battle to find a diagnosis led her to lose her private practice.
“I discovered mosaic art,” she said. “I went to Barnes & Noble and bought a book on mosaic art. From that moment on, I was so interested in finding out more about it.”
Since 2012, she has been practicing the art. She was embraced by the global mosaic art community, meeting innovative artists in Italy, Belgium and Argentina.
In her illuminated shards style of art, Ruff combines textures and materials from the natural world with color (utilizing meticulously cut and placed art glass) and employs embedded reflective elements that create unique effects of light within the mosaics.
She created her Earth Elements Collection, following her move from the East Coast to the American Southwest. These designs feature hand-cut natural stone and oxidized copper, bronze, or iron metal coatings.
Her Color Field Collection explores and celebrates the manifestation and energy of colors. These works incorporate semi-precious minerals and gemstones, glass, vintage beads, shells, natural stone, metals, glazed ceramic, and other creative tesserae.
Many of her newer artworks feature handmade substrates, rather than standard wooden boards or typical purchased mosaic panels. Some contain non-biodegradable polystyrene, which if just thrown away, could remain in a landfill indefinitely. Instead, Ruff combines materials to create lightweight, yet sturdy substrates for her art with an environmentally respectful method.
As an artist, Dee has enjoyed being a member of local, national, and international art organizations. She is an active participant in global online contemporary art groups and has served as a mentor for beginning artists. She has contributed to four public art mosaic murals in the United States.
“Art is much more freeing for me,” said Ruff about her previous occupations. “I have three different home collections. Not everybody wants color or rusty décor. I feel like I can accommodate contemporary people who have minimalist homes with clean lines.”
Beyond that, Ruff donates artwork to nonprofits, like those that work with abused children in Phoenix; and the Southern Arizona Arts Guild. “I try to give back as much as I can,” she said.
Dee Ruff Exhibition
WHEN: Noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25, to Friday, March 8; opening reception noon to 4 p.m. Feb. 25
WHERE: De Grazia in the Sun Museum’s Little Gallery, 6300 N. Swan Road, Tucson
COST: Free admission
INFO: www.degrazia.org
www.blackcatmosaics.com
This article appears in Feb 16-22, 2024.