Spring updates

Things have been moving along quite well for us this Spring and 2014 has been a really busy year so far!  Starting in January, we moved across Milwaukee, WI to a brighter and more open studio.  We are mostly settled in, and everything is up and running.  In late February we were in Schaumburg, IL at St. Marcelline Catholic Church installing two wood carvings, one of St. Marcelline and another of St. Joseph. You can see images of these statues below.  On the left is Gianfranco with Fr. Hal Stanger.  Fr. Hal's sense of humor and energy made it a delight to do work with the parish!

Later in April, we delivered a large Corpus to St. Raphael Catholic Church in Oshkosh, WI.  Along with the Corpus we created a "ray background" for the Cross which, along with the lighting, helps create a focal point.  It's always a pleasure to do a project for a church in our home state and this one was no exception.  It was the second time we had worked with the church; our first commission was a wood carving of the Holy Family (below)

Coming up shortly we will be installing mosaic at All Saints Cemetery in Des Plaines, IL & Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, IL.  Both pieces are going to be part of a shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe.  The original idea was to have a 30 foot granite structure with the depiction of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego in mosaic, and then our clients decided to add a second "miniature" version which will be 12 feet overall.  You can see a rendering below along with some of the mosaic work in progress.  Photos of the installed pieces to come ASAP!

What we've been up to lately

It has been quite a while since our last blog post, however we truly have been extremely busy.  Over the past 6 months we have been helping churches, cemeteries, schools, etc. with the creation of artwork.   However, there are 3 particular projects I would like to talk about.

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Rockville, MD

In 2006 we created a Tabernacle for St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Rockville, MD.  Contact was maintained, and then late 2012 a conversation started about creating "The Visitation" in bronze.  Although the subject was always clear, the location for these two statues was not solidified until Gianfranco recommended putting the two under the Church's bell tower.  As you can see, it is a natural.

Madonna Cemetery - Fort Lee, NJ

We were first approached by Fr. Stephen Carey and Mr. Greg Lopez in late 2011.  Fr. Carey presented a clear idea of what they wanted and after delays to start construction of the mausoleum, a plan was put into action.  The proposal called for five 5 x 10 foot mosaics depicting Saints Patrick, Nicholas di Bari, Andrew Kim Taegon, Elizabeth Ann Seton & St. Martin de Porres.

Designs were developed with the intention of a continuation of the styles present in the artwork of the original Church, such as the gothic arches bordering the stained glass windows.   After a few tweaks to the design a final go ahead was given to have the images made in mosaic.  The plan was to use a combination of Venetian glass and marble tiles; the marble being used to replicate the gothic arches found in the old church.

Around this time, another conversation was started regarding a stained glass window depicting the Risen Christ.  However, as a closer look was taken at the surrounding areas the idea was changed to a tapestry.  The tapestry was carefully designed using characteristics of the artwork in the original Church of the Madonna, adjacent to the new construction. Both the mosaics and the tapestry were installed in late October.

Nativity Jesuit Middle School - Milwaukee, WI

It was an honor to do work for Nativity Middle School as we had the opportunity to work really closely with the faculty and students at the school.  We created a large ceramic mural as a background piece for their already existing Stations of the Cross.  We even had a class full of students come in and get to know the processes used in the project, as well as our studio!

We also created a bronze plaque for under their Altar with the signature of Ignatius of Loyola.

The last piece we installed for the middle school is a 5' x 5' ceramic mural depicting the symbol for the Society of Jesuits.  The mural is framed with wood and hung up 25 feet above the entrance to the school's chapel.

Lastly, we have some really big news!

For over 16 years Gianfranco Tassara has lead a team of extremely talented individuals in the creation of artwork in the same building located on the south side of Milwaukee, WI.  It is our delight to announce that we are moving to a new location west of Downtown Milwaukee.

Please be sure to update your records:

Inspired Artisans, LTD.
505 N 22nd. St.
Milwaukee, WI 53233
p (414) 672-9478
f (414) 672-9479


Although the old studio will be missed, we are extremely eager to bring in the new year in our new location!  Please feel free to contact us if you would like to take a tour of the new space!