Category: Inspiration
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Mosaic vs Mixed-Media Artwork
The Four Seasons mosaic by Marc Chagall in Chicago was originally installed outdoors in the 1970s but has since had a glass canopy installed over the top to protect it from the elements. Part of the reason for the canopy is Chicago’s harsh freezing weather, which is hard on all mosaics, but another reason for…
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Using Class Mosaics For Public Art Project
I recommend that schools wanting to make a mosaic mural for their school consider “crazy quilt” displays that are assembled from individual mosaic projects all on the same size backer, say anywhere from 6×6 inches or 12×12 inches. This allows each student a real art experience (making their own design) instead of just being a…
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Frida Kahlo Mosaic
Artist Denise Cook’s mosaic portrait of Frida Kahlo is a great teaching example. It illustrates several important tips for making better mosaic artwork. The background and skin tones are made more visually interesting via variegation of shade and hue respectively. There is also a satisfying andamento in the background, and the use of found objects…
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Mixed-Media Mosaic as Bas-Relief Sculpture
Artist Mollie Seymour’s mosaic plaque is a depiction of a small pueblo of cliff dwellings in a rugged canyon with water and sky rendered in bold andamento. Mollie made this for the mosaic for the courtyard of a condominium. I wanted to share it because it is a good example of using mixed-media mosaic to…
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Mosaic Lazy Susan Teaching Example
Artist Kim Wilkowich emailed me a picture of the mosaic lazy susan she recently completed, and I think any artist would be justifiably proud to have made it merely because it is so well-balanced and harmonious in multiple ways. It is a great teaching example for several fundamentals of art and composition. Looking for instructions…
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Art Therapy Projects
Art Therapist Ellis Eisner sent me some photos of her client’s mosaics and her own work, and I wanted to share them with you and use them to illustrate several points. Mosaic the Gateway Medium Mosaic holds a special place in art education and art therapy in my opinion. Often all that is required to…
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Stalking Van Gogh in Mosaic
Artist Terry Broderick‘s latest mosaic is titled “Red Light District / Amsterdam,” and it is an interesting follow up to his Pittsburgh Cityscape mosaic, which is equally impressive. I feel like both mosaics could be part of a show called “Stalking Van Gogh in Mosaic.” I like the Amsterdam mosaic for several reasons: It’s a…
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Owl Mosaics and The Importance of Andamento
Linda Lawton emailed me some pics of her recent owl mosaics, and one of them had an issue that made it a good teaching example about the importance of andamento. That mosaic also became a case study for how to mosaic on top of part of an existing mosaic if you want to rework a…
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Coronavirus Helmets
My son and I took a short break from planting our native and heirloom vegetable garden and digging a second tadpole pond and made Coronavirus Helmets, which are an essential piece of equipment these days. The Coronavirus Helmet featured in this post is mine. I have more about Henry’s helmet later in this post. As…
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Well-Executed First-Time Mosaic
One of the most well-executed mosaics I have ever seen in terms fine details wrought in slivers of glass came to me in photos in an email last week from artist Irene Clifford. As Natalija pointed out, ” Most people would throw away tiny pieces like that as scraps.” The mosaic is excellent work in…
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Centering Mosaic Table Top Designs
Artist Stephanie Potter‘s mosaic table top designs are mandalas that catch and hold the eye with contrast, symmetry, and visual interest. They are centered so that the outer circle of tile is at the edge of the circular table tops. Mosaics made on wooden table tops are for indoor use. Outdoors, the wood swells and…
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Geometric Architectural Perspectives
Recently I wrote about The Stylistic Range of Mosaic Art and mentioned that I am still being surprised by the different styles that artists are able to execute in the medium, especially those with formal training. I meant formal training in art when I first wrote that, and I was thinking about how technical innovation…