Digital mosaic from my "Aphrodites" series, part of my "Endless Summer" exhibition
Throughout time, women have moved the world forward—not always from the podium, but from the periphery. Not always in ink, but in impact. They are the overlooked architects, the silent engineers of progress, the composers of futures we now call our present. Their influence is often woven into the fabric of history in threads too fine to see at first glance—yet these threads hold the tapestry of our lives together. Without their touch, the world’s patterns would unravel.
And like every mosaic I create, the bigger picture only emerges when you step back and see what’s been forming piece by piece. In each tile, there is a woman. And in each woman, a force—a quiet power that builds mountains from dust and shapes storms from silence.
Mosaic portrait of the great computer scientist and US Navy officer Grace Hopper
Mosaic portrait of MIT Professor and robotics pioneer Cynthia Breazeal
The Minds That Moved the Machine
From Grace Hopper’s pioneering algorithms to Cynthia Breazeal’s empathetic robots, these women rewrote the future—one line of code, one spark of imagination at a time. Grace, the trailblazer who debugged and invented the language of machines, gave us the blueprint of the digital world. She saw beyond circuits and silicon, dreaming of a new reality shaped by logic and invention.
Cynthia Breazeal’s work added soul to the cold metal—teaching machines to smile, to feel, to connect. Her robots don’t just calculate; they reach out and touch human hearts, proving that technology’s future isn’t just artificial intelligence—it’s emotional intelligence. I honored them not just in portrait, but in intention. In their eyes: vision. In their circuitry: revolution.
Let’s face it—if brains were operating systems, I’m running DOS. These women? Quantum-powered. They run on a whole other level of complexity, intuition, and brilliance.
And still, I rise, Amanda.
A mosaic artwork showing Amanda Gorman. Part of my “African Bricks 2” series
The Art of Her Voice
Amanda Gorman doesn’t just write poems. She unbuttons history, stitches hope into syllables, and invites us all to stand taller through her words. Her mosaic glows in gold and crimson, the colors of rising suns and bold hearts that refuse to be silenced.
Frida Kahlo, of course, painted pain and pleasure with equal honesty. Her portrait is layered with brushstrokes of identity, resilience, and a quiet rage that dared to bloom in a world that tried to cage her. Every crack in her canvas is a story of survival.
Simone de Beauvoir whispered to philosophy what society wouldn’t say aloud. Her photomosaic is a mirror reflecting courage, asking us to question freedom and gender with fearless eyes. Susan Kare pixelated possibility, proving that the smallest icons—those tiny symbols on our screens—can carry the heaviest meaning, transforming the digital into the deeply human.
These are not “female artists.” They are forces. Vectors. Catalysts. Their voices ripple across time, changing the currents of culture itself.
"Loving Diana" Mosaic portrait of Diana Ross Part of my "Chroma Grace" project
Mosaic portrait of Lady Gaga as Patricia Reggiani in a House of Gucci movie
The Pulse of Sound and Story
Diana Ross didn’t just sing; she sculpted stardust into anthems, anthems that carried the hopes and heartbreaks of generations. Lady Gaga (immortalized in my House of Gucci tribute) embodies audacity, vulnerability, and transformation—she challenges us to embrace every facet of ourselves, no matter how bold or strange.
In the Chroma Grace series, I translate these sensations—tone into tint, sound into shape—because emotion isn’t just heard, it’s seen. And then there’s BLACKPINK, a global fuse of identity and artistry. Their portraits dance, literally and figuratively, capturing the vibrant energy of a generation that refuses to be boxed in by borders or expectations.
The PRECIOUS project turned icons into gemstones because brilliance deserves a shine that doesn’t fade. Every mosaic tessera is a facet reflecting strength, radiance, and unyielding spirit. And The Queen’s Gambit series? A tribute to women who conquer not through force but through thought—women like Beth Harmon, who make their moves in the silence of strategy and intellect.
Mosaic portrait of Mari Kawamura
Doctor of Musical Arts ’22, The Ruth Epstein Endowed Memorial Fellow in Piano Performance
The Strength in Her Stride
Kana Ichikawa—pure electricity on the track, a blur of determination and grace that leaves time itself breathless. Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird—a masterclass in longevity and leadership, showing us how strength is built over decades, with sweat, strategy, and soul.
Karolina Pelendritou? A supernova of spirit beneath the waterline, proving that limits exist only to be shattered. Lianne Sanderson? Proof that voice is also muscle, and that fighting for equality in sports means moving the world, one goal at a time.
In my mosaics, these women are not frozen in action—they are continuing. You can feel their pace in every shard, their breath in every pattern, their fight in every glimmer.
A Japanesque mosaic portrait of Japanese athlete Kana Ichikawa, 市川 華菜
The Statement of Her Style
Vivienne Westwood didn’t follow fashion. She detonated it. She turned clothes into declarations and fabrics into flags. Chanel gave rebellion a pearl necklace, rewriting the rules of elegance with every stitch.
And Miuccia Prada? She thinks in paradoxes, which is my favorite medium—where intellect meets intuition, where the classic collides with the unexpected. Her portrait in my collection stares straight through trends, reminding us that fashion is not just surface—it’s a thesis statement, a manifesto.
And Aphrodite, reborn through my mosaic series, isn’t a myth. She’s every woman who’s ever used style as strategy, softness as strength, and beauty as a form of power.
Mosaic illustration of Miuccia Prada's eyes
A portrait of Coco Chanel made out of parts of the Front Row I/O logo
Collage portrait of fashion designer Vivienne Westwood
The Legacy in Her Leadership
Nefertiti—immortal elegance and command. Her image is timeless, a photomosaic that speaks in whispers and roars of female leadership across millennia. Nakano Takeko—steel in silk, the last woman samurai, a portrait of courage etched in honor.
Kamala Harris—barriers broken with brilliance intact, a digital portrait of history in motion. Elizabeth Warren? Stars and Stripes aren’t just behind her; they are her, stitched with policy and persistence in a fight for justice.
Queen Elizabeth II stands not just as a monarch, but as a chapter unto herself—a photomosaic of diplomacy, endurance, and quiet strength. Michelle Obama—grace with purpose. Mother Teresa—gentle radical. Yvette Jarvis—Greek-American icon of justice and change. These portraits live in quiet power, a testament to women who lead with heart and grit.
Some are photomosaics. Some digital illustrations. All are homages to the many ways leadership is worn.
Elizabeth II
The Visionaries of the Now
Emma Walmsley, a mosaic of healthcare and hope, guiding the future of medicine with steady hands and fierce resolve. Pamela Liebman, shaping skylines and communities alike, proving that real estate can be as much about vision as it is about value.
Marissa Mayer, the quiet storm who once ran Yahoo!, a photomosaic of innovation and resilience. Each woman redefines what leadership looks like—not louder, but smarter. Not harder, but clearer. In their portraits, the sharp geometry of decision-making meets the softness of intuition.
Their legacies are still unfolding, tessera by tessera.
Mosaic portrait of Glaxo Smith Kline's CEO Emma Walmsley made out of her products
A Neo-futuristic Portrait of Marissa Mayer
Mosaic portrait of Corcoran CEO Pam Liebman made out of data
The African Bricks: Earth, Woman, Foundation
The African Bricks series was born of admiration and awe, inspired by the strength of women who built cities, raised families, and created culture—often unseen but never absent.
Like the bricks they resemble, these mosaics are layered with stories of endurance and creativity, bold colors and patterns paying homage to heritage, motherhood, and progress. Every piece tells a story of survival and a celebration of life, a tribute to the powerful foundations laid by generations of African women.
Built in bricklike tesserae, these portraits echo urban landscapes and ancestral strength—a testament to women as the true architects of society.
Explore & Shop the African Bricks Series
The African Bricks
The African Bricks 2
The African Bricks 3
The Woman Who Gave Me The World
At the core of every one of these portraits, there is one face—many times over. My mother/s. My 3 sisters. My wife. My mother-in-law. The many aunts, cousins, colleagues, friends, exs...
I was raised by women. Educated by women. Inspired by women. Outwitted by women on a daily basis.
They were the first to teach me that strength can be quiet, that power is often invisible, and that brilliance is more than just a loud proclamation—it’s a patient act of creation.
And while I may have chosen mosaic as my medium, I sometimes think they chose me—as a witness. As someone who could catch a little light from their force and reflect it back to the world.
Why I Create These Portraits
Because mosaics are like the lives of these women: built not from one bold stroke, but from thousands of invisible acts. Tiny pieces. Quiet brilliance. Unseen labor. Chosen love. Public battles. Private pain. Vision. Detail. Rhythm.
A portrait isn’t an image. It’s a story. A declaration. A thank-you.
And sometimes, if you’re lucky, a mirror—where we recognize not just the woman depicted, but the force within ourselves.
REGINA, a mosaic portrait, symbolizes gratitude, love, and the invisible yet undeniable force that mothers bring into our lives