Artist creates wholeness from broken pieces

Keresha Riley was a caterer. While carrying a tray of full champagne glasses, her arm went numb, and the tray crashed to the floor.

Her arm was numb for three weeks, and she decided that a trip to the doctor was in order. It was multiple sclerosis. That was 15 years ago,

Life went on. She nurtured a son and a romantic relationship. She went about her daily life living with a disease, joining support groups and volunteering for MS events.

About a year ago, she fell down the stairs in her home and woke up in the hospital. Paralyzed from the waist down, she went through weeks of rehabilitation.

When she returned home, a neighbor brought her an art book, and when she turned to the pages of mosaic art, she decided, “I’m going to do that.”

That decision changed her life.

Riley started buying and breaking things.

“I started buying things at thrift stores and the dollar store, and I would tell them not to wrap them.” She would then walk out of the store and drop the bag in the parking lot, breaking its contents so she could create works of art with the remains.

“People thought I was crazy,” she said.

To Riley, 37, it was liberating and empowering.

Her first mosaic was a mirrored moon done on a wood cutting board that she found at a dollar store. She has done many pieces since then.

Friends and family own some, and others decorate her home.

“Anyone can do it,” she said, “And it’s low budget.”

Her supplies include glue, grout, a putty knife, forms to put the work on, and broken pieces of this and that. She has transformed a main room of her home in the West Central area into a workspace where a large mirror lies waiting to be turned into a mosaic masterpiece.

Her introduction to an art form has changed Riley’s life for the better.

“Before this, I was never really artistic,” she said, “It has built up my strength and confidence. It’s peaceful and relaxing.

“Since this change, I’ve become more aware of my environment, aesthetically, and I want more beauty around me.”

She now spends more time decorating her home and noticing the beauty that surrounds her.

“I am able to create my own environment, and I feel like I have more control of my life.”

Her newly found creativity has filled a void.

“Instead of feeling sad or thinking about my disease, I’m creating something beautiful. I’m caring for myself by realizing my creative side.”

Now, Riley has no desire to give up or take things for granted.

“I can find beauty in everything now,” she said.