23″ x 30″ Millefiori, Pearls, Gold, Smalti, Vitreous on Honeycomb Panel 23″ x 30″. Completed in September 2007.

As part of an ongoing Queen (biblical) Esther Series, this mosaic suggests a private conversation between two high ranking persons at the royal court who are secretly scheming. The tension of this dialogue rests in the diagonal composition and numerous triangles formed by both positive and negative spaces. I eliminated most background distractions and concentrated on facial expressions to portray the importance of this decisive exchange.

The materials consist of smalti, gold, pearls and a few vitreous tiles. The substrate is aluminum honeycomb panel. The image shows the head of Mordechai dressed in riches, now that Haman is dead and his position at the court is one of the highest available, and the head of his niece, Queen Esther. Together they are planning the next step in their effort to stop the massacre of the Persian Jews, as it was ordered by wicked Haman. This conversation is secretive and very important. The composition – a variety of small and large triangles emphasizes the stability of the status quo. What the future will bring is still unknown.

Surreptitious Dialogue