Stevo Sadvary is an established, full-time mosaic artist with a studio in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill. He has created countless artworks, ranging from small trivets to dozens of expansive public art pieces. He can tile most anything: fireplaces, back splashes, house-number plaques, mirrors, pet portraits, lightweight wall art, murals, outdoor sidewalks, floors, and stairs. There have been especially challenging projects such as a shrine, a dog house, and a swimming pool; a seven-foot-tall sculpture and an outdoor fountain (both at Phipps Conservatory); and a life-sized crucifix placed on a 20-foot-tall metal cross in a cemetery.
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.
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, stars, suns—and Pittsburgh bridgescapes, which are among his best sellers. Stevo likes to have an array of pieces for a studio visitor to view. He also sells his work at art festivals throughout the East Coast. Some of this artwork is displayed on his website, stevosphere.com, as are images and a compelling video of the Great Train.
