My first mosaic after a long hiatus: a #mosaic plate

 

It's been a while, actually round about seven years, that I haven't touched my cutting nippers, hammer and hardie. Not to mention my tesserae. The feeling was, to say the least, therapeutic, fulfilling, almost like a dream. To be honest, it feels as if I have to learn everything right from the start and, I won't hide it, my mosaic project has not turned the way I wanted it. It is way far from good (for my own standards), lots of mistakes, project, colour and design wise, but I am glad for one thing: I did it, it's finished.

Magda

Mosaic baby steps

I stumbled upon Candace Bahouth's mosaics before but I never kept the name. I remember the shoes, the furniture and the tapestry. "Mosaic baby steps" continues along the theme of "It gets better". A mommy's world. Cause we need tenderness.

Have a lovely week!

It gets better

It gets better: A positive message for all those moms out there who endure, smile and invent stories until... it gets better. This fabulous mosaic apron is created by Judy Sell.

MOSAIC TALKS: Interview with Simona Canino

Simona Canino, mosaic artist from Calabria in Italy

From the moment I connected with Simona, we immediately clicked! It has to be because she is a happy and a genuine person with a lot to talk about and share so the idea of asking her for an interview for Mosaicology popped up naturally. Simona talks about how she fell in love with mosaic, how unique mosaic is and gives some interesting tips to mosaic artists. 

Enjoy!

(Italian original text after the pictures)

Interview in English

Why mosaic? Why did you choose this specific art medium as a means of self expression?

While I was attending my last year at the scientific high school, I was thinking of choosing to study art and the scenarios that I favored most were basically two: the Istituto Centrale per il Restauro (Central Institute for Restoration) in Rome and the Opificio delle Pietre Dure (Semi-precious stones workshop) in Florence. One day I discovered by chance that there was an old mosaic workshop in the Vatican called the Fabbrica di San Pietro and so we made an appointment and went to visit. It was love at first sight! The Fabbrica’s director was from Friuli and had been a student at the Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli and he told me the nicest things about the school. As soon as I finished high school, my parents and I went to visit the mosaic school in Friuli and naturally I made my decision that SMF was where I would go. My parents encouraged me a lot; the school was 1200km from my home town!
 

Do you perhaps recall the first mosaic you saw and which one was the first mosaic you created?

The first mosaic I saw was a copy of the Irises by Van Gogh in the Fabbrica di San Pietro. My first mosaic was a way for me to try my first martellina and that was even before going to mosaic school. It was a detail of the “Doves drinking water” from the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna (needless to say the result was horrible!!)

Make a living from art. Few people make it but when it comes to mosaic, things appear more positive since this is an art medium with practical functions. Not just framed pictures but also objects, mosaic for interior design, tables etc. Anyhow, which would you say are the obstacles and the problems that a mosaic artist encounters today?

The main problem is that mosaic is a technique that involves significant costs due to the distinctiveness of the materials employed while the time required to produce a mosaic is long, and as a consequence not everybody can have access to it, especially for mosaics of medium and large dimensions. This is also why I create objects of modest dimensions such as clocks, jewellery, boxes, small mirrors, using also “poor” materials such as shells, tiles, pebbles, terracotta, mirrors and reused wood. However, the colour effects and stunning reflecting qualities of smalti and venetian gold remain unrivaled.

In conclusion, what advice would you give to artists that start their mosaic business now or to those that are trying to establish themselves in the world of mosaic?

I’d advise them to stay, as much as possible, in direct contact with the large traditional mosaic production centres like Ravenna, Spilimbergo and Rome but also try to work for avant-guard companies like Sicis or Bisazza, to learn the ancient techniques well (including restoration), but also to experiment with new materials and methods. Basically, no course of action should be ruled out. 

Check out Simona's website HERE and connect with her on Facebook HERE

 

Her vibrant, stunning mosaic wall clocks...

Tree in the Spring

Windows to the sea

 Colour and texture

Hook rack with mosaic

And here she is working at a mosaic restoration site in Nora...

Italiano (testo originale)

Perche' mosaico? Perchè hai scelto proprio questa forma di arte come strumento di espressione?

Mentre frequentavo l'ultimo anno del liceo scientifico, pensavo di indirizzarmi verso studi artistici, e le ipotesi da me preferite erano principalmente due: ICR (Istituto Centrale per il Restauro) a Roma, e Opificio delle Pietre Dure, a Firenze. Un giorno per caso scoprii l'esistenza, in Vaticano, di un antico laboratorio di mosaico, la "Fabbrica di San Pietro", così prendemmo appuntamento e andammo a visitarlo. Fu colpo di fulmine :) Il direttore della Fabbrica era friulano, aveva frequentato la Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli e me ne parlò molto bene. Appena terminato il liceo io e miei genitori andammo a visitare la SMF, naturalmente lì decisi che sarebbe stata la mia scelta. Loro mi hanno incoraggiato molto, la scuola era distante 1200 km dalla mia città di origine!

Ti ricordi magari il primo mosaico che hai visto e qual'è stato il primo mosaico che hai fatto?

Il primo mosaico che ho visto è stato una copia degli Iris di Van Gogh, nella Fabbrica di San Pietro. Il primo che ho fatto invece è stato per provare la mia prima martellina, ancora prima di andare alla Scuola di mosaico, era un particolare de "Le colombe che si abbeverano", del Mausoleo di Galla Placidia a Ravenna (inutile dire che il risultato fu terribile!! :P ).

Vivere dall'arte. Pochi ci riescono ma per il mosaico le cose sembrano un pò più positive in quanto è una forma di arte che ha delle funzioni pratiche. Non solo quadri ma oggetti, mosaico come rivestimento per l'interior design, tavoli ecc. Comunque sia, quali diresti che sono gli ostacoli e i problemi che affronta un artista che lavora col mosaico oggi? 
 
Il problema principale è che il mosaico è una tecnica che comporta dei costi elevati a causa della particolarità dei materiali utilizzati, dei lunghi tempi di realizzazione, di conseguenza non è accessibile a chiunque, soprattutto nel caso di opere di medie e grandi dimensioni. Anche per questo realizzo oggetti di dimensioni modeste, orologi, gioielli, scatole, piccoli specchi, utilizzando anche materiali "poveri" come conchiglie, tegole, sassi, terracotta, specchi e legni di recupero, anche se l'effetto coloristico e di luminosità dato da smalti e ori veneziani resta ineguagliabile.


Infine, cosa consiglieresti agli artisti che iniziano ora o a quelli che stanno cercando di stabilirsi nel mondo del mosaico?
 
Di restare il più possibile a contatto diretto con i grandi centri di produzione del mosaico tradizionale, come Ravenna, Spilimbergo, Roma, ma anche di provare a lavorare in aziende all'avanguardia come Sicis o Bisazza, di imparare bene le tecniche antiche (anche di restauro), ma anche di sperimentare materiali e tecniche nuove. Insomma, di non precludersi nessuna strada.

Visitate il sito di Simona QUI e connettervi con lei su Facebook QUI.

When history and tradition speak louder than words

I love it when I come across things like these! Full of history, meaning and inspiration. 

The Hopi woman in the picture is wearing turquoise mosaic earrings and a necklace of glass seed beads. Can you believe that the picture was taken in 1901?

as seen in http://beyondbuckskin.blogspot.it/2011/09/some-history-ancient-southwest-jewelry.html

brilliant bubble bowl

 

A rather.. unusual bowl made of little bubbles set as if in a 3D mosaic!

A glimpse on the amazing things you can find on Etsy...

From mkwatelier

Gold-leaf mosaic vases perfect for Lara Croft

Imad Punto Mosaico is a company from Ravenna that creates some very distinctive glistening mosaics that combine mixed media, Murano beads and a slight Aztec dimension to their mosaic style. Don't you see these vases somewhere inside a Lara Croft game or is it just me?

Very interesting work! 

Image credit from Imad's site http://www.imadpuntomosaico.it. 

Mosaic Spotting: Fish made of bottles sunbathing or something

Thought this photo was rather ...extraordinary, mosaic wise and everything else wise, so here I am sharing it with you! It was was posted by Voxy, a language-learning program based 100% on real-life daily activities. I have the impression they will be really surprised to see this picture featured on a mosaic art blog!....

Inspiring mixed media mosaic boxes

 

 

I thought these mosaic boxes were beautiful and rather unusual. Created by students at the Whitney High School in Cerritos, Ca. Image credit ARTISUN. 

In the news: Avon Lake Artist's GuitarMania Mosaic Guitar "Saltwater Taffy" Opens for Bids

Read about this whimsical mosaic guitar up for auction HERE - the article was posted earlier today.

Little Eggshell Mosaic

I thought this was cute. Or at least an interesting piece to share.

Chi è la più bella del reame? (Who's the most beautiful of all?)

This is not the first time I feature a mosaic mirror on Mosaicology. Mosaic mirrors are a particular case as they combine small dimension, art and functionality in ways that no other medium can. Why? Only mosaic can "play" with the reflections of light. And this mirror here is the perfect demonstration of this. Notice the glimmering effect of the golden tiles and tell me if this can be achieved by another artistic medium (oops, does that sound too challenging?)

This stunning mirror is a work by mosaic artist Ariel, one of my twitter followers. She has two children.

This mosaic stands out for the wise combination of colours and the curved surface that makes this mirror an absolute stunner for your wall in any room of the house but especially the bedroom considering the combination of dark tiles and shiny ones that would add sparkle to a dimly lit room.

The tiles she used are of various sizes and she has managed to achieve wonderful light reflections by setting the tesserae (tiles) on a curved surface. This is an intelligent way to actually "make up for" the compromised effect of a mosaic made the direct way where there's no play with light. The Byzantines made spectacular glimmering mosaic vaults and walls in their basilicas because they mastered the technique of setting the tesserae (tiles) in ways to reflect light from the windows.

I have a penchant for anything unusual as long as it's pleasing to the senses and provided it embodies the aesthetic values that we have inherited throughout the ages. This mosaic fits the pattern.

I hope you will like this mirror as much as I do. Comments more than welcome. I will make sure Ariel gets them!

Ariel's website HERE

Sybil Sage, a comedy writer and mosaic maker

This is a NY Times article back from October 2010 that I am happy to share with you.

Sybil Sage, a veteran television comedy writer (for “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Maude,” “Alice” and other gems from the written age), had been making objects with pique assiette — a French mosaic technique using broken plates — for years as a hobby, whacking china into shards to put on frames, vases and furniture for friends like Gene Wilder, Teri Garr, Lily Tomlin and Larry Merchant. 

Read the whole article from the New York Times here

Malachite Box

Malachite clear lucite box by Eduardo Garza on www.couturelab.com.

The designer is bravissimo for knowing how to blend materials and achieve great results.

Seeing yourself (in fab mosaic mirrors)

via

via

via



Seeing yourself for who you are at a given moment or a certain phase in your life is the first step towards any kind of change or improvement or simply appreciation for the gift of life and creativity.

ps> smitten by the last mirror

The Fabergé mosaic egg

The Mosaic egg is a jewelled enameled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1914. The egg was made for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented it to his wife, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

The Egg was crafted by Albert Holmström (1876–1925) under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé and is made of yellow gold, platinum, brilliant diamonds, rose-cut diamonds, ruby, emerald, topaz, sapphire, garnet, half-pearls, moonstone, white enamel and opaque pink enamel. It consists of a series of yellow gold belts which are pave-set with diamonds and a variety of gems in a floral pattern, providing a look of petit point tapestry work. The pattern contains five oval panels bordered by half-pearls set in enamel, with brilliant diamonds placed at each intersection. At the apex of the egg is a moonstone through which can be seen Empress Alexandra's initials in Russian characters. The floral tapestry pattern was designed by Alma Pihl, who was inspired by needlework fire screens found in aristocratic sitting rooms of the time.

 

image and text via

Alexander McQueen Fall RTW 2011 and Sara Burton's "broken pottery" garments

 I am positive that more people will appreciate mosaic art after seeing this. Textiles made of smashed pottery, a mosaic technique often practiced today.

Read Vogue Review to find out more about the collection and the inspiration behind this and other pieces.

For more mosaic with broken tiles and china, you can check older posts on this blog Eco park garden, and mosaic e cards and in the meantime I am attaching some new images.

What do you think? Is there something you particularly like, prefer or even reject and dislike?

via

via

table, via

Gaudi, Barcelona, via

flower pots

lampshade

table (with matching chair covers)

silver plated mosaic tray

image credit for the last 4 images http://lavenderhillstudio.blogspot.com/

I would like to thank Little Augury for emailing me the link to McQueen collection.