Category: Art Review

  • Mosaic Table Insets

    Mosaic Table Insets

    Inserting detailed mosaic insets in fields of monochromatic tile is the perfect compromise that allows an artist to make a mosaic table top with original artwork with fine detail without overcommitting time or effort.

  • Abstract Figurative Mosaic Murals

    Abstract Figurative Mosaic Murals

    Artist Tracy Pennington makes large mosaic murals in an Abstract Figurative style, and her Springs Park mural in LaGrange, Kentucky is a good example. Tracy’s specific style of Abstract Figurative art is based patterns and textures, which are the mosaic medium’s intrinsic strength. After all, it’s difficult to arrange tiles without the mind seeing different…

  • Still Life Mosaic Series

    Still Life Mosaic Series

    Louise Roberts recently emailed me to say that she has been teaching herself mosaic using our blog and that she followed my recommendation to make a series of small mosaics of the same size. She also attached some photos of her mosaics, and they are impressive. To me, her mosaics are yet more proof that…

  • Contrasts: Value Versus Hue

    Contrasts: Value Versus Hue

    Natalija Moss’s latest mosaic is a small work of 12 inches in width, but it demonstrates the power of contrast in value and of contrast in hue.

  • Van Gogh’s Cat Mixed-Media Mosaic Sculpture

    Van Gogh’s Cat Mixed-Media Mosaic Sculpture

    Artist Peter Vogelaar has been at it again, and this time he has managed to surprise me. His recent mixed-media mosaic sculpture Van Gogh’s Cat has a plinth that steals the show in my opinion. The plinth on which the cat is standing is a mosaic-covered cylinder that seamlessly combines Van Gogh’s Starry Night and…

  • Classic Tattoo Design Mosaics

    Classic Tattoo Design Mosaics

    Artist Sheldon Stehman‘s tattoo-inspired work demonstrates the vitality of the mosaic medium and how surprisingly well it accommodates contemporary pop-culture designs and themes. Sheldon uses classic tattoo designs as models for his mosaic interpretations. I think that was an inspired decision.

  • Variations on a Theme: Insight Mosaics

    Variations on a Theme: Insight Mosaics

    Artist Natalija Moss rebuilds Honda Insight hybrid cars, and she also makes mosaics of them using stained glass. Here are a few Honda Insight mosaics she made years ago. Unfortunately, Natalija didn’t take definitive photographs of each them, and so the images in this article were all created from the group photo using Photoshop. Even…

  • Monumental Mosaic Sculpture

    Monumental Mosaic Sculpture

    Artist Valerie Theberge recently installed an outdoor mosaic sculpture in Washington, DC, and like much of her work, the sculpture is monumental in scale. I recommend taking a look at Valerie’s website or Instagram, especially if you are planning a large mosaic mural or sculpture.

  • Bumblebee Flower Garden Mosaic

    Bumblebee Flower Garden Mosaic

    Artist Natalija Moss recently completed a mosaic of a bumblebee flying over a flower garden using a pattern drawn by artist Lucas Rocheleau on a scrap piece of wood back when he worked at the warehouse. The mosaic is made from our American-made stained glass. The most impressive part of the mosaic is the realistic…

  • Grouting Dorothy’s Spider Web Mosaic

    Grouting Dorothy’s Spider Web Mosaic

    Artist Dorothy Stucki made a fast-motion video of the process of grouting her mosaic Goddess in the House of Night, from dumping on the wet grout to buffing and hazing. The grouting video is on Dorothy’s Instagram. Dorothy’s mosaic is a spider web complete with spider and ensnared moths and insects.

  • Mosaic as Thoughtful Art Experience

    Mosaic as Thoughtful Art Experience

    Ros Edmonds of Art Docents teaches art interpretation and technique to children ages kindergarten through eighth grade, which is the most important age range for teaching art and science and “planting seeds” that change lives. Ros emailed me some photos of her Mosaic Coaster Project with fifth graders, and I am happy to announce that…

  • Fauvist Mosaic Art

    Fauvist Mosaic Art

    Artist Beverly Postman has a natural gift for creating visual interest with fauvist colors and variable andamento and mixed materials. The images she emailed me were low resolution because that was all she had, and so it reminded me yet again of the importance of photographing our artwork and creating a digital portfolio. More on…