Manila Clough

Manila Clough’s mosaics reflect the intricate details of her existence and impart her zest for life. A world traveller, Manila has spent her career meeting her own creative challenges. “I like technically difficult art forms,” she says. “I have been drawn to the intricate mediums of Etching and Mosaic Art .” Born in Florida, Manila grew up in Puerto Rico, where her parents retired when she was a child. She spent much of her young life in Puerto Rico and Spain. “I completed my BA at Florida State University with a double major in English Literature and Studio Art,” she says. After graduation, Manila taught at Puerto Rico’s Inter American University before directing an art gallery for one year and conducting her first one-person art show in Sevilla, Spain. “These were wonderful early experiences,” she says. Upon returning to Puerto Rico, Manila met and married her husband Paul, a Navy Civil Engineer Corps. Officer. “We moved frequently with the military,” she says. While travelling and raising their son, Manila made time to nurture her passions. “I completed my MA in English Literature at Georgetown University and completed two years towards my Ph.D in Medieval Literature at Tulane University before the military transferred us to Europe,” she says. Having spent seven years between Mons, Belgium and Madrid, Spain, Manila elaborates, “I was both a full time artist and Professor of English with the University of Maryland, European Division.” The Cloughs retired to St. Augustine in 1994. “We found this place en route to the Keys,” she says. “Its magnificent architecture and old world charm reminded us of Spain.” Manila’s glass mosaics adorn St. Johns County spaces like Flagler Hospital’s Tranquility Garden, Anastasia Island Branch Library, The Bailey Center for Caring Hospice, and the Council on Aging’s ‘The River House’. While she learned etching before mosaics, the latter modality has offered her more independence. “My mosaic style is much free-er,” she says. “I can create glass collages with almost any permanent thing; art glass, fine china, glass globs, decoupage under clear, crystal beads, and more...” Having learned the former while living in Spain, Manila studied with a Spanish print-maker, bought her own printing press, and created original etchings of historic scenes. She admits, “The etching process is difficult. It is hard to find artists who create them full time.” Manila’s full focus on mosaics came around 2005. “Though I first fell in love with them during family trips abroad, I was motivated to create them by the beautiful mosaics displayed throughout Flagler College when I taught English there,” she says. “Once I discovered the beauty and range of art glass, I began creating something I loved.” Florida’s Art in State Buildings initiative awarded Manila much of her work from 2010 to 2020. Currently, through a grant from Capital City Bank Group Foundation, Manila is working on a large mosaic for the children’s section of the new Hastings Branch Library which will open in June 2026. “At present,” Manila observes, “life is good! The Hastings project is a welcome challenge. Thanks to Kerry and Sherri’s persistent enthusiasm for my work, I am also happy and proud to be a member Artist of the High Tide Gallery.”