SEPTEMBER 9 • 2021 | 51

according to a defined process 
she developed.
After picking out a specific 
site of interest to her, Sider 
takes many photos from differ-
ent angles. She uses those snap-
shots to move into drawings 
with adaptations she believes 
will make the final mosaic 
appealing to viewers. 
Deciding on colors comes 
with the development of acrylic 
renderings that will anticipate 
textured add-ons, which could 
include stones, metallic objects 
and other items found at the 
specific location. 
“One thing about mosaics is 
working with reflectivity,
” Sider 
said. “I put pieces of glass and 
other shiny objects at specific 
angles, so they catch the light, 
whether sunlight or artificial 
light, at different times of the 
day. Pieces can change colors 
depending on how the light is 
hitting them.
”
Although Sider enjoyed 
painting in pastels, she changed 
to mosaics because of the 
added materials and moving 
from two dimensions into 
three. Color choices, just like 
in two-dimensional paintings, 
would still be important, most 
significantly because of the cre-
ative aspect of the semi-abstract 
approach. 
“During this process of artis-
tic expression, I found myself 
contemplating our relationship 
with the Earth,
” Sider said. 
“I began to see this organic 
wearing down of materials in 
a holistic way, contemplating 
the progression from nature to 
man-made materials and back 
to nature in a never-ending 
cycle.
 “‘On the Side of the Road’ 
fits into my body of work 
because I’m a Michigan woman 
through and through, observant 
and taking inspiration from 
my environment. I’m always 
interested in how I can make a 
dynamic, interesting composi-
tion with a sense of movement.
”

MULTITUDE OF MOSAICS
On commission, Sider has 
made realistic mosaics that 
capture people’s favorite spots 
in the state. She has used a 
series of photographs to plan 
the image replication of a 
lakefront family cottage. In 
another project, a lakefront 
homeowner, transfixed by her-
ons, led to Blue Heron, which 
will be shown at the “
ArtPrize” 
competition in Grand Rapids, 
running Sept. 16-Oct. 3.
Sider’s artwork also can 
reflect her devotion to 
Judaism, observed in young-
er years as a member of 
the Birmingham Temple in 
Farmington Hills and now 
as a member of Kehillat 
Etz Chayim in Huntington 
Woods. An earlier mosaic 
series depicts the plight of 
Yemenite Jewish refugees. 
Married and the mother 
of three grown sons, Sider 
was part of the Artists in the 
Schools Program sponsored 
by the Jewish Federation of 
Metropolitan Detroit and 
facilitated mosaic projects 
now shown in synagogues and 
religious centers. Devotion to 
family interests motivated her 
to pursue master’s and doctor-
al degrees in psychology at the 
University of Detroit.
With the goal of applying 
art therapy approaches for 
children coping with illness, 
Sider had a private psychology 
practice before returning to 
artistry full time. Along the 
way, she illustrated and co-au-
thored two books with Rabbi 
Joseph Krakoff — Never Long 
Enough: Finding Comfort and 
Hope Amidst Grief and Loss and 
Never Long Enough Workbook/
Coloring Book.
During the pandemic dif-
ficulties, Sider enhanced her 
own outlook by offering her 
mosaics for public attention. 
Among this year’s recognition 
was Best in Show at the “Take 
Me Away” exhibition spon-

sored by the New England 
Mosaic Society, participa-
tion in the “Women in Arts” 
exhibit at the Las Laguna Art 
Gallery in California and a 
feature spread starting on the 
January cover of Groutline, 
circulated by the Society of 
American Mosaic Artists.
On the roads again, Sider 
is so enthusiastic about her 
current series that she keeps 
one pavement project on dis-
play in her own home. Others 
from the series are on view 
at the Twisted Fish Gallery in 

Elk Rapids and her website, 
michellesstudio.com.
“I must create,
” Sider said. “It 
is the essence of my being. I am 
continually thinking about how 
I can translate my experiences 
into art, and this process is 
gratifying for me. 
“The quiet concentration 
of working in my studio 
is very enjoyable as is the 
challenge of pushing myself 
with each piece to see if I can 
accomplish something new 
and then share my work with 
others.” 

Blue Heron