-
Mosaic Design Evolves During Implementation
I make imaginative artwork using a trial-and-error process, and my compositions evolve during implementation. I study models, but I don’t render from a particular model. I try to capture the archetype, iconic essence.
-
Mr. Pinchapotamus 2.0 Improved Tile Cutting Fixture
Yes, your wildest dreams have come true. Mr. Pinchapotamus, your favorite tile cutting fixture has been redesigned to make it even more efficient. After tens of thousands of hours of research at MIT, CERN, and Cal Tech, scientists have finally found a way to make Mr. Pinchapotamus easier to load with a tile. This breakthrough…
-
Digital Grout Color Studies
Artist Steve Katzman’s first mosaic is a classic decorative design: sparse floral motifs with sufficient background for showing off interesting andamento. The problem is that Steve wasn’t satisfied with the grout color he used, which was very light, almost an off-white color. Also, the grout had an overwhelming color impact because a distinct grout gap…
-
Day-&-Night Table And Decorative Mosaic Design
Artist Pete Keller’s Day-&-Night Mosaic Table is an excellent example of incorporating scenic elements into decorative mosaic design. By “decorative mosaic design,” I mean a mosaic that covers a functional surface such as a table top or floor and is composed so that it is still figuratively meaningful when only a small area is visible.
-
How To Mosaic Videos with Narration
MAS employee Stone Irvin is an electronica recording artist, and she has agreed to read the captions for our mosaic videos and to compose the theme music. We have published two of these narrated videos, and I am eager for your feedback. Quick Color Studies The following video shows how to make a quick color…
-
Morjo™ How to Mosaic Videos
I am producing a series of How to Mosaic Videos and have rebranded our Youtube Channel to Morjo Mosaic Tile™. I have about 30 to 40 videos currently in production and will be publishing these in the coming weeks. The mosaic video published today is: HOW TO IMPROVISE A MOSAIC DESIGN WITHOUT DRAWING Using Morjo™…
-
Case Study: Mildred Mosaic Portrait
Artist Mary Spadaro’s mosaic portrait Mildred is a reproduction of a mosaic she saw on Pinterest. I am reluctant to show the model image because I think the photo may be somewhat muted and blurred to enhance its verisimilitude:
-
Having “Wrong” Colors Available for Mosaic Art
What Impressionist painting teaches us is that using the exact colors of the model is much more important than exact rendering. We can draw sloppily, but if we get the colors right, the mind of the viewer can do most of the work and perceive an image easily. That critical need for exact colors seems…
-
Aspen Glen Mosaic as Semi-Abstract Art
Artist Michael Hayes recently completed a mosaic based on a photo he took of an aspen glen in Colorado several years ago. I wanted to share this mosaic for several reasons and not merely because it is a strong work by someone just starting out with mosaic.
-
Original Mosaic Designs by School Children
Art teacher Bailey Smith has done something truly amazing. Instead of having her seventh-grade students work on one large mosaic mural to impress parents and administrators, she allowed her students to make their own designs. This gave her students a real art experience that allowed them to be expressive instead of merely being worker bees…
-
Semi-Abstract Mosaic As a Learning Exercise
Mosaic as a medium has several intrinsic strengths and weaknesses. The main weakness it has as a selling point is that it takes significantly more time than drawing or painting for an image of similar complexity. The intrinsic strengths of the mosaic medium far outweigh the time commitment. For starters, mosaic is a “gateway” medium…
-
Finishing Touches and Revising Mosaics
I had previously written about Lisa Sunshine’s Eyes Mosaic in my blog article The Importance of Context in Figurative Mosaic Art. In the article, I addressed the problem of the mosaic not being instantly recognizable as eyes, and I recommended extending the bridge of the nose slightly to provide context. Lisa took me up on…