I first called my works “Galleries” simply because each one contained a large number of drawings. In a second stage, I added the “Mozaica” qualifier to the name (a word close to mosaic), to hint at the layout of individual cells containing drawings. Finally, in order to secure exclusive use of the new name as a brand, I designated it as a trademark. This is how the name “Mozaica Gallery™” came to be, as both a descriptive name and a distinctive brand.

I am both an artist and a portraitist of the imaginary world of children. I invented this designation to clearly indicate that the portraits I create depict the realm of the imaginary rather than the physical world. Beyond their raison d’être as work of art, my retrospective Mozaica Galleries’ function is to reveal the character, the personality and the universe of each child. These aspects are fundamental; they energize my works and underlie their ultimate purpose and artistic appeal.

My only knowledge in psychology of children consists in the vague notions we acquire simply by raising one’s children; my approach as an artist is clearly not on this level. My creative process is related to the emotions that a child express in his drawing in the course of his discoveries and his exploration of his own universe, both real and imaginary. My approach is in no way dependent on the analysis of the child’s behavior, and only aims at creating expressive, touching, elegant, and timeless works, filled with authentic images that give rise to a flood of warm emotional flashbacks in the parent’s mind. Mozaica Galleries are neither analytic nor psychological; they are simple graphical compositions with an autobiographical component that is often anecdotal, always authentic, that I compose like a poem.

Nonetheless, a surprising number of parents owning a Mozaica Gallery declare that they view their work as a portrait of the character and the psychological personality of their child. I am not really surprised by these affirmations, because on this level, my works only reformulate and conjugate the messages conveyed by the original images created by the child himself.

Traditional portraits are conventional figurative representations of the bodily aspect of a person. By contrast, without event showing the physical look of a child, a Mozaica gallery depicts many of the child’s traits of character and personality, his heart qualities and his candid vision of his own fabulous personal universe. All this is achieved by way of an artistic arrangement of elements from a collection of many drawings done by the child.

As timeless works, Mozaica Galleries whisper tirelessly to parent’s heart and soul, awakening their most tender and warm memories which are thus preserved for posterity. In addition, for many parents, a traditional portrait of a young child progressively loses a good part of its original attraction grabbing power and interest, over time, simply because the child grows up and his appearance also changes. By contrast, a Mozaica Gallery of a child continues to give viewing pleasure to the parents even if the child has grown, because it depicts non-physical characteristics of the child that barely change over time.

I create two types of Mozaica Galleries: retrospective Mozaica Galleries, which I call by the simple name of Mozaica Galleries, and thematic Mozaica Galleries.

The first type is that of my original Mozaica Galleries that I compose by using the drawings of a single child, or the drawings of brothers and sisters (in which case they are said to be “fraternal”). The second type is that of my thematic Mozaica Galleries; I compose these works with the drawings of a large number of children, and they are generally focused on a specific theme.

The classic Mozaica Gallery designation simply indicates that a work is a retrospective Mozaica Gallery, which is the archetype of the portraits of the imaginary world of children. My first Mozaïca Galleries were of that type and they have not stopped growing in popularity. The term «classic» is also an indirect way of saying that a work is not of thematic type.

My creation process has progressively improved over time, mainly through of a deepening and maturing of my ability to perceive children’s drawings, by an improved mastery of the process, and by a more faithful transposition of my perception into my Mozaïca Galleries. This, however, has in no way changed the basic nature and the main characteristics of my Mozaïca Galleries.

Aside from the maturation of my creation process, I recently introduced variable cell sizes in some of my works. I hesitated before introducing such a transformation, by fear of tampering with the charm provided by the large number of uniform density messages transmitted by each Mozaica Gallery. I no longer fear this possibility, and most of my recent works include this variant. The technical differences of these new works compared to my previous works are such that I needed to regroup them in a distinct family that I call the Artist Collection, and my original type of works now forms the Heritage Collection.

The capability of all my Mozaica Galleries to trace a vibrant and faithful portrait of the personality and the character of each child remains as powerful as ever. The inherent strength of these works in making parents recall a host of heart-warming memories is unaltered, and the visual aspect of my Mozaica Galleries is enriched in the Artist collection.

I can use most drawings, paintings, and collages done by children, even some three dimensional constructs to create Mozaica Galleries, and there is no limit to the size of the works I can use. I ask parents to send me all the available drawings of their child and to allow me to select the elements I will use.

If one or a few drawings of your child attract you more than all the others or have a special meaning to you, please segregate them and attach a note indicating your liking; I will then pay particular attention to those drawings. While I can use almost any drawings, my experience suggests that big, bold, and intense colors are most attractive in Mozaica Galleries. Wax crayons give particularly interesting results. As employed by young children, color pencils often produce lines that are too thin or faint to be attractively miniaturized, which results in less usability in my work. For that reason, art markers (felt) are preferable to color pencil.

I usually avoid using drawings done on black coloured paper because they are usually too assertive in an ensemble, and risk disrupting the balance of a Mozaica gallery. Nonetheless, I may still use such drawings if I find them very appealing or interesting because of their subject or treatment.

It is not really possible to determine the number of drawing I may need to create a Mozaica Gallery of a given size. If you have only a small number of your children’s drawings, it will probably limit the maximum size of your Mozaica gallery; however, its maximum size will be larger than you might think. Many children’s drawings contain individual images that I can extract, fragment, and treat as distinct elements. It is also possible use some drawing more than once within a given Mozaica gallery.

Under the intellectual property and copyright laws of most countries, it is not permitted to use creations of a third party without obtaining his written authorization. Since children may not themselves give such consent, it is from parents that I must obtain an authorization to use the drawings of their child in my Mozaica Galleries.

Yes, I will return your child’s original drawings back to you, together with your completed Mozaica Gallery; none of your child’s original material will be modified or altered.

The time needed to create an average size Mozaica Gallery may extend from two to three weeks, and sometimes more, depending on the size of the work, the specific challenges it presents, and my available time. The greatest unquantifiable factor, however, is always the state of my backlog when I receive an order for a Mozaica Gallery. Essentially unpredictable, this factor may defer the creation of a new order by many weeks. So, it is best to call me if you need a more precise estimate.

In all cultures, Mozaica Galleries are unquestionably viewed as works of art. In addition, because they are created primarily for aesthetic and intellectual purposes and judged for their beauty and meaningfulness, Mozaica Galleries are also associated with fine arts in nearly all cultures.

Mozaica Galleries are not works of digital art. My creation process of these works calls for the use of a computer in non-creative implementation of manipulations I wish to effect; it also serves to memorize results of my operations and to display them on the screen to guide me throughout the process. Creative operations are only executed by me, and I exert at all time a complete and exclusive control of the entire creation process of my Mozaica Galleries.

The most important step you can take is to frame your Mozaica Gallery under glass (or acrylic) to assure it is not touched or handled, and to give it protection against UV rays. In these conditions, a Mozaica Gallery may be preserved for many generations with no visible color change. Tests carried by the independent laboratory Wilhelm Imaging Research <www.wilhelm-research.com> show that properly framed prints made with the same combination of art paper and pigment ink that I use for my Mozaica Galleries, should retain their intensity, brightness, and color balance for more than a century.

It is also important to avoid locating the work under direct sunlight or under an intense and continuous lighting. Avoid intensely heated places and environments of either high, or highly variable humidity. [see Framing Preferences and Options]

Permanently exhibited works of art on paper should preferably be framed under glass (or acrylic sheeting) to provide adequate protection and preservation of the works, notably against UV radiation. As a safety measure, I recommend acrylic sheeting rather than glass for home use. A properly framed Mozaica Gallery should retain its freshness and color balance for many generations.

The framing style of works of art is primarily a matter of personal preferences. One must realize, however, that the wide blank space surrounding the central part of Mozaica Galleries is an integral part of the work. It should remain untrimmed and visible to the fullest extent possible. Functionally, the peripheral white area of the print serves to counterbalance to the visually intense and busy central area. Any trimming or obstruction of this zone of quiet would alter the visual balance of the work.

Mozaica Galleries are attractively framed with relief mounting in a shadowbox; this popular approach makes it possible to show the print in its entirety and avoids the use of a matte. Alternately, if you prefer the look conferred by a matte, it would be wise to choose one whose internal size is such that it will only hide a narrow part of the margin of the print.

In principle, the molding framing a Mozaica Gallery should be plain in style, and rather slim in width. Gold, white, or black moldings are attractive in most decors; other finishes may also be suitable but require a more critical assessment to avoid dissonance. Mozaica Galleries are delicate works, and contemporary in style; most forms of adornment of the molding may conflict with the work. So, I use plain, and unpretentious moldings for most of my Mozaica Galleries. Optionally, I can have a frame protected by a high performance anti-UV coating or museum quality anti-reflection coating (unfortunately expensive), but highly efficient.

It is usually between three and eight years of age that children produce the largest number of drawings. Beyond that age, they progressively lose some of their interest in this pastime, and become less prolific. The drawings children create up to around 12 years of age are suitable for my purpose.

You may do whatever you want with any Mozaica Gallery you own, other than making copies of it, as this right belongs exclusively to the author (Hélène Paris) under the copyright laws of most countries. Thus, you can exhibit your Mozaica Gallery where you see fit, anywhere in the world, against remuneration, or not. You may also sell your Mozaica Gallery, give it away, lease it, lend, or otherwise cede it, under any term and conditions you deem suitable.