Saint Augustine, Florida and Minneapolis, Minnesota based visual artist Carey Dean works in a variety of media which includes drawing, painting, mixed media, and stained glass mosaic. Her nature inspired works have been exhibited internationally and commissioned for public spaces in several states. Her stained glass mosaics are her most sought after works depicting flora, fauna and dramatic American landscapes.
Carey Dean received her MFA in 2005 in the United Kingdom and shortly thereafter she returned to the US to teach undergraduate and pre-college art and design courses at the University of Wisconsin Stout and Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Exhibiting annually and with a number of public art commissions, Carey Dean continues her practice as a professional artist.
Carey Dean uses traditional art-making techniques to create abstract representations of natural forms and dramatic landscapes. Her more recent public art commissions are unique interpretations of recognizable locations such as state parks using hand-cut stained glass to create complex mosaics murals. With a painterly approach, Carey Dean’s mosaics are unusual and break the normal conventions of mosaic art. Some describe her work as painting with glass.
Celebrating the beauty and complexity of the natural world through a variety of media, Carey Dean’s work brings the illusion of nature into architectural spaces. Many of her mosaics are inspired by the Japanese concept of “forest bathing” wherein exposure to trees has been scientifically proven to reduce stress, anxiety and blood pressure. Her “tree series” mosaics have been commissioned for public spaces such as airports, hospitals, government buildings and hotels to add color and create inviting and calming environments.