This ancient menorah image has seven candles and predates the contemporary eight candelabra. The original image is from a marble floor in a VI Century Nirim synagogue in Ma'on, Israel.

n my mosaic menorah I use 24 karat gold tesserae and hand-made Italian glass smalti from the Orsoni foundry in Venice, Italy. The gold tesserae here include white gold and green, turquoise, purple and blue metallic apearing pieces. They are made of 24 karat gold tesserae laminated with colored glass on top resulting in a brillance not otherwise possible. This distinguishes them from the glass smalti of those same colors, which are opaque.

I set the mosaic in mortar using the double-reverse technique I learned in Italy at the Ravenna Mosaic Art School. The mosaic is lightweight and wired to hang like a painting.

I teach at the Santa Barbara School of Mosaic Art.