Sarah Wandrey

Sarah Wandrey Mosaics

By Cheryl Ricer | Photo by Vonda Klimaszewski

Sarah Wandrey, formerly Sarah Meltzer, is an artist specializing in fine art and custom architectural mosaics. She grew up near Dallas and moved back to the area after college and law school. Ironically, it was while studying law at the University of Chicago that she was inspired to become an artist.

“The grand stone architecture and leaded glass windows of Rockefeller Chapel and the Harper Library sparked something inside of me,” said Sarah. “My favorite classes had nothing to do with law. They were the evening drawing courses I snuck in at the Art Institute of Chicago.”

After a few years practicing law, Sarah found her way to mosaics. She recently presented her first collection of mosaic vessels at The Other Art Fair Dallas of which she said, “The response was fantastic.”

After the fair, Sarah turned her attention to a commissioned mural for clients Karen and David Milan in Royce City, Texas. Sarah designed, fabricated, and installed the mural, titled “Sunset at the Ranch.” It contains over 24,000 hand-cut glass pieces and depicts the clients’ ranch and their steer named Twinkle. The mosaic wraps around the kitchen alcove that holds a massive cook range, covering the walls, ceiling, and backsplash.

“Sunset at the Ranch” is a stunning example of Sarah’s commissioned work. In fact, the piece recently received special recognition from the Coverings Installation and Design competition for Sarah’s artistic use of tile. The award ceremony was held at the Coverings conference in Orlando, Florida. Coverings is the largest ceramic tile and natural stone conference in North America, with tens of thousands of attendees from 40 countries.

So what’s next? Keep your eye on Sarah. She is quickly evolving her art and business.

Next month, Sarah is launching a line of custom curb number mosaics with a DIY installation kit.

“This is my private war against ugly, peeling, painted curb numbers — you know, the number you paint on the curb hoping that firemen can identify your house,” she explained. “l make your numbers in mosaic and ship it to you with an installation kit. You or your handyman can easily install it. Mosaic numbers look great and you’ll never again have to paint your curb.”

She added, “After I launch the street numbers, I have a whole series in my sketchbook that I’m ready to tackle. These are objet d’art like mirrors, boxes, and trays depicting dreams and myths. I can’t wait to start experimenting.”

Sarah is available for commissions. For custom projects, she collaborates closely with her clients. Sarah designs and fabricates the mosaics in panels in her studio then ships and installs them onsite. Mosaics work on flat or curved surfaces alike. They are water- and weather-proof, so they are also great in wet areas like kitchens and bathrooms as well as outdoor spaces like gardens, patios, and pools.

Feel free to call or email Sarah with your ideas and questions.