Neilla Flanagin

Mosaics/Art Glass

Biography
Neilla Flanagin and her husband, R. Scott, are best known locally for their stunning mosaic river piece, “Journey,” which features prominently in the great hall of the Donald W. Reynolds Library in Mountain Home. “Color makes me happy and I reflect this feeling in my art,” says Flanagin. She frequently finds inspiration in observing people, and her creations sometimes take the form of human faces. However, it is color, not people, which dictates the majority of her artwork. “Ordinary objects become extraordinary by adding bold, bright colors,” she said.

Flanagin uses tesserae from materials as varied as broken pottery, ceramic tiles, and other found objects to create her beauties. Due to the bright and vibrant colors, stained glass is her favorite medium with which to create. She sometimes uses fusible glass, beads, driftwood, rocks, and wire in her works.

Flanagin is a native of this area and is a retired English and creative writing teacher. She and her husband of 51 years have “always been artistic,” Flanagin says, “but we have worked to improve what we know and have learned more since our retirement from education.” The pair love traveling, especially on their Harley.