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Secret to an Exceptional First Mosaic
I’ve already written about Brad Srebnik’s first mosaic and how impressive it is. It’s also amazing how well Brad documented the process as he was learning it. Brad emailed me a summary of his methods and the lessons he learn from the project. He has some good photos of some important steps, including making a…
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Cutting Glass Mosaic Tile: A Practical Guide
Designs are said to be elegant when they “don’t try to push things uphill” but instead go with the natural flow of materials and forces. Consider the Roman arch versus a rectangular doorway with a flat lintel on the top. The flat lintel could be constructed from a superior material than that used in the…
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Mosaic Flower Pot Planters
Artist Morgan Halford‘s mosaic flower pot planters are colorful geometric abstracts executed with a spooky level of precision. I like that they are exceptions to my general recommendation to work in a looser fashion in the uniformity of the sizing, shaping, and orienting of tiles. TIP: Most people find that they can render images more…
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Inspiration Versus Reproduction
I once had an employee-artist who became angry with me for encouraging people who didn’t think they could draw to trace artwork or photos to make patterns. I explained that we wanted to reach all skill levels and that included some people who would be attempting mosaic or even art for the first time. I…
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White Grout Mosaics
Artist Jill Gatwood sent me some photos of mosaics made by her and her students as examples where white grout was used with good results. Jill says she didn’t used to offer white grout as an option for grouting in her class, but has since done so with some surprising discoveries. The featured mosaic for…
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Glass-On-Glass Mosaic Grout Color
Artist Laura Adams emailed me for advice on selecting a grout color for her glass-on-glass mosaic, and it is a good case study for several reasons. First, the sky of the mosaic is a whitish gray. Second, Laura made sure to photograph the mosaic with two different lighting regimes: backlit from behind and regular lighting…
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Knight Park Mosaic Sculpture
Artists Angela Bortone and Natalija Moss have discovered a new way to do huge amounts of extreme physical labor in an unheated loading dock. They call this latest folly the Knight Park Mosaic Sculpture. I know from past experiences with my own large sculptural projects that Angela and Natalija have doubted their own rationality if…
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Natalija the Mosaic Russian Doll
Most artists are aware of how much personality a work of art can assume during the process of creation, especially when the piece of art requires a long period to complete. Artist Peter Vogelaar says he often spoke to his “Rebirth” mosaic matryoshka sculpture while working on her and referred to her as Natalija. A…
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Texture and a Sense of Space: the Mosaics of Terry Nicholls
For those of readers who were asking for inspiring examples of no-grout mosaics, I give you the mosaics of Canadian artist Terry Nicholls. I am amazed by Terry’s work and its continuity. It is a very focused exploration of the mosaic medium as a fine art. There is a sense of space that Terry creates…
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Agonizing Over Mosaic Icons
Artist Sue Hague’s mosaic icons are reproductions of medieval, byzantine, and early Christian icons, and some are mosaic interpretations of icons that were originally paintings. The mosaics Sue produced from these paintings were made with authentic andamento and look as if ancient mosaics were copied tile by tile. Sue describes herself as a beginner still…
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Epoxy Grout vs. Archival Quality Materials
Epoxy grout is preferred for pools because it is more resistant to pool chemicals and staining, but it shouldn’t be used on art object or plaques that might be around for decades or centuries as heirlooms. Epoxy is a resin of long carbon compounds. Long carbon molecules are prone to breaking overtime because they contain…
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Bas-Relief Plaques and Mosaic Stones
Artist Sandra Arkin’s bas-relief mosaic sign “Art Can’t Hurt You” makes me laugh. Anyone who has ever made a glass mosaic with tiny details has anointed their work multiple times with blood. Am I right, or am I right? Sandra says doesn’t draw or make representations of physical objects in her heart usually, but she…