Valerie Alduen silver level member valduen@hotmail.com www.cocoasmosaicdesigns.com

I am a self taught Puerto Rico/German artist born and raised in Chicago known as Cocoa (coconut). I began creating mosaic art in the spring of 2000 and continued on a casual basis for years giving all the pieces I created as gifts. It was not until early 2004 that I began to sell the pieces I created. I have expanded my art from creating designs on objects (functional art) to expressing myself/ideas through images. Each piece is created out of it’s own unique inspiration.I hand cut all the stained glass and ceramics and blend all cement and mortar colors making each pieces unique and one of a kind. Life