Pat Higgins

After working as a middle school librarian for many years, I retired and have since been ticking things off my bucket list. One of those things was to publish a book of my historical writings on Maine history and the other was to return to my art school roots. My book of Maine stories, Hidden History of Midcoast Maine, was published in 2014 by History Press. There are eight stories covering historical topics between 1620 and World War I. All the photographs that are not historical were done by my husband David Higgins and I made my own maps. It is available at Saltwater Artists and local bookstores as well as online.

When it comes to my art, I’m a dilettante. I’ve been doing some drawing and some printmaking, a little bookmaking, but I have also taken a shine to mosaics. Making them is not so different from appliqué quilting and a few other needlework endeavors that I still do occasionally. My mosaic methods are a project constantly under development. I began with making my own pieces by cutting PVC sheets on a scroll saw and grouting with a traditional sanded grout. Since then I tried metallic substrates and resin “grout”. T he resin artwork was replaced a few years ago by groutless mosaics with poly finishes. Now I am cutting with a computer assisted router and sometimes with a laser and I have moved completely away from PVC to more environmentally friendly and less toxic wood. My designs have progressed as well and now often include multiple layers for added depth. As always my designs are my own creation and may show up in both mosaics or block prints.