Blog
The nature of mosaics
The Nature of Mosaics: A New Theory About What Makes Mosaics Different. I have a new theory about the nature of mosaics. Hold on, stop right there. Don’t flick forward quite so fast. This theory has been bobbing around in the back of my mind for some time and I don’t have anyone to try […]
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The Pique Assiette House, Chartres
The Pique Assiette House in Chartres, France, was made by Raymond Isidore over a 25-year period starting in the 1930s. It evolved into a temple of mosaic creation. Wonderfully bonkers The reason I love the Pique Assiette House in Chartres, France, is simple: it’s bonkers. It is a physical manifestation of the compulsive, obsessive, unremitting […]
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How to make mosaics: the tile adhesive method
Getting things straight First things first: the tile adhesive method is the same as the thin set method. Got it? Good. It’s a simple point but can be curiously confusing if you come across references to thin set and don’t know what it is. Our American friends call tile adhesive, thins. We call thinset, tile […]
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The untold story of the ancient world’s lost mosaics
Many of the ancient world’s mosaics are gone. This is the story of those lost mosaics. Lost Mosaics _ fragments in the grass The ancient city of Jerash, an hour’s drive from Jordan’s capital, is an extraordinary place by any standards. It’s a vast and sprawling site, too large to fully take in. Our little […]
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Intuitive Andamento by Rachel Sager (a review)
Intuitive Andamento: a new way of working I was ready for a shake up. I needed, nay, craved, to press the mosaic ‘refresh’ button. After years of making mosaics which, let’s face it, had a certain Helen-y look, I felt I needed to break free. To become the mosaic equivalent of Freddie Mercury in a […]
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Mosaics in Chicago: exploring the city
A plethora of mosaics There are plenty of mosaics in Chicago. From ornate mosaic floors in turn-of-the-century municipal buildings to Marc Chagall’s famous Four Seasons mosaic. From subway station platforms and community art projects to Jim Bachor’s iconic pot holes. Chicago is a great city to explore if you want to see the best of […]
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It’s time to celebrate walls! Here’s why.
Making walls Are we destined as mosaic artists to spend the rest of our lives making walls or following paths? Isn’t that, when push comes to shove, what andamento really is? If so, hurray! Wall making and path following (or walking the line as Rachel Sager would say) are primal, necessary, satisfying, and fundamental to […]
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Mosaics in Chicago. Part III_Marc Chagall’s Four Seasons mosaic.
Part III of my Mosaics in Chicago series looks at the making of Marc Chagall’s Four Seasons mosaic – a monumental 21-metre long mosaic work in Chase Tower Plaza, downtown Chicago. Marc Chagall’s Four Seasons Mosaic_ a musical way of painting If you stand in front of Marc Chagall’s Four Seasons mosaic in downtown Chicago […]
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Mosaics in Chicago. Part II_Mosaics at the Art Institute of Chicago.
The contemporary and ancient mosaics in Chicago are varied, brilliant and inspiring. Ranging from Roman and Byzantine mosaics at the Art Institute of Chicago to public art by Marc Chagall and Jim Bachor’s iconic pot holes, it’s the place to go if you love the art form. Mosaics in Chicago – Part 1. Ancient and […]
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Five days at the Chicago Mosaic School with Gary Dostle
Chicago and the Mosaic School The Chicago Mosaic School was founded in 2005 by artist Karen Ami and now plays a pivotal role on the international mosaic stage. Classes run throughout the year on every aspect of mosaic making. The list of teachers and visiting artists who run workshops reads like a Who’s Who of […]
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A guide to the mosaics of Scotland
This is a short version of the British Association for Modern Mosaic’s guide to the mosaics of Scotland compiled to coincide with BAMM’s annual Forum in Edinburgh in 2107. It is available as a pdf through the BAMM website. The guide is intended for people who would like to explore the mosaics of Scotland by […]
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London’s Eduardo Paolozzi mosaics
During renovation work at London’s Tottenham Court Road tube station, some of the Eduardo Paolozzi mosaics were destroyed. This sparked a controversy which resulted in the remaking of some of the destroyed sections. The University of Edinburgh kept bags of the salvaged fragments. But what will happen to the fragments and why are they so […]
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