Today we’d like to introduce you to Stevo Sadvary.
Hi Stevo, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Stevo Sadvary, who grew up in Washington county and studied weaving and textiles at Edinboro University and Information Science at the University of Pittsburgh, has lived in Pittsburgh since 1989. And his creativity bubbles over into all sorts of other interesting areas, from painting to songwriting to web designing to gardening.
For several years, Stevo’s name was on a commercially popular, signature series of hand-knit sweaters. His tapestries, scarves, knit hats and hand-woven rugs add color and texture to the lives of many customers.
Yet Stevo’s enduring fascination with tile and glass forms the real body of his work – and his success. He has completed numerous private mosaic commissions ranging from kitchen backsplashes, floors, showers, house number plaques, and fireplaces to pet portraits, schools, corporate lobby art, and commercial signage – in areas ranging from Puerto Rico to Florida and Maryland and Ohio. Stevo’s spirited nature is also evident in his many public art pieces throughout the Pittsburgh area.
Like the artist himself, Stevo’s work is fun, yet stylish. Creative, yet professional, his joy in creating distinctive pieces is always balanced by his sensitivity to clients. These qualities, little by little, bring Stevo closer to his self-confessed goal: “Making the world a happier place.” He is a true genius matching unusual color combinations together in his mosaics and fiber art. They appear to dazzle with life and joy.
When Stevo is not working on commissioned art he keeps busy in his Squirrel Hill studio. Serving as both production workshop and showcase gallery, the studio is a magnificent light-filled space located on the uppermost floor of the landmark Morrowfield building’s parking annex. This is where Stevo has pieced together many mosaic motifs in glass: mirrors, fish, flowers, still-lifes, abstracts, trains, sailboats, icons, nursery art, flower pots, trivets, tables, butterflies, Pittsburgh bridges, stars and suns. Most of this work is displayed on his website, stevosphere.com.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being self-taught there were a few struggles along the way. For an outdoor mosaic installation, I used an indoor only adhesive and had to redo the entire piece.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Stevo Sadvary is an established, full time mosaic artist with a studio in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh. He has created countless artworks ranging from small trivets to dozens of expansive public art pieces. It seems he can tile most anything: fireplaces, back splashes, house number plaques, mirrors, per portraits, lightweight wall art, murals, outdoor sidewalks, a dog house, a 7-foot tall sculpture and an outdoor fountain (both at Phipp’s Conservatory), floors, stairs, a shrine, and a life-sized crucifix placed on a 20-foot tall metal cross in a cemetery – oh, and a swimming pool.
He felt that the bigger than life-size fire truck mural in Stowe Township, done pro bono, was his greatest achievement until, in 2019, he completed the Great Train mural at The Ruins Project in Fayette County. The site is an abandoned coalmine turned into a mosaic museum just off the Great Allegheny Passage bike trail. The 66-foot long mural pays homage to all miners and railroad and steel workers responsible for building America. It is especially endearing to Stevo because he lost both his father and grandfather to mining accidents. Throughout his mosaic career people would ask Stevo what his most satisfying piece was that he had ever made. His go-to answer was that he released all of his pieces to be enjoyed wherever they ended up, and then he was on to the next mosaic. But since creating the huge Great Train mural, his response has changed.
When Stevo is not working on public art he keeps busy in his Squirrel Hill studio. Serving as both production workshop and showcase gallery, the studio is a magnificent light-filled space located on the uppermost floor of the landmark Morrowfield building’s parking annex. This is where Stevo has pieced together many mosaic motifs in glass: mirrors, fish, flowers, still lifes, abstracts, trains, sailboats, icons, nursery art, flower pots, trivets, tables, butterflies, Pittsburgh bridgescapes, stars, and suns. His Pittsburgh bridgescapes are among his best sellers, and Stevo likes to joke that he can build one of his mosaic bridges faster than they build the actual bridges. Stevo likes to have an array of piece for a studio visitor to view. He also sells his work at art festivals thought the East Coast. Some of this artwork is displayed on his website, stevosphere.com, as well as images and a compelling video of the Great Train.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Before I discovered mosaics and while my career was forming, I waited on tables at the hippest restaurant in Pittsburgh, I waited on and saw tons of celebrities. I actually saw Sinéad O’Connor pour a gin & tonic on top of Peter Gabriel’s head.
Pricing:
- My pet portraits start at $400
- My cityscapes start at $700
Contact Info:
- Website: https://stevosphere.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevomosaics/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/art.buzz.77/
