Hands Over Venice

Here is an Etch of the famous Hands Over Venice bridge, in Venice. This is a description of how this … More

The image shows an intricately designed miniature room of a dollhouse interior. It's set up as a cozy and cluttered living space, filled with books, furniture, and various decorative items. The overall impression is one of a well-loved and lived-in room, suggesting a comfortable and creative atmosphere. Walls: The walls are lined with tall bookshelves, filled with what appear to be miniature books. One wall is painted a bold blue color, contrasting with the warmer tones of the rest of the room. There's a collection of small framed pictures on the blue wall.

Bloomsbury House – my dolls house

For those of us who are artists – a dolls’ house combines many of the aforementioned aspects along with our ability to use our artistic skill-set to their fullest extent. It challenges us to create on a minute scale. To paint, print, etch, book-bind, micro-mosaic, clothe, decorate within the confines of a small space. My dolls’ house has become a vehicle for my artistic talents. I have my own permanent gallery on display when and how I choose. I open the doors of my dolls’ house and I see my own reflection looking back in all its order and perfection – just as I would have it.

Chagall's signature on a mosaic in Chicago

Exploring Chagall’s Four Seasons Mosaic in Chicago

There’s the most amazing Chagall mosaic in the centre of Chicago. Four Seasons is a 1974 mosaic by Marc Chagall located inChase Tower Plaza … More

A vibrant mosaic artwork based on a Jacobean Embroidery design

Mosaic Mandalas: A Journey of Reflection

A vibrant mosaic artwork is centrally positioned within the frame, displaying an ornate floral design. The artwork is circular, with a border composed of small, dark gray, rectangular tiles. The central design features a large, stylized flower in shades of orange, red, and yellow, with a white center and detailed, petal-like structures. Surrounding the main flower are various botanical elements, including green leaves, blue berries, small yellow flowers, and a detailed insect that resembles a dragonfly or a bee. These elements are rendered in shades of green, yellow, and blue, creating a vibrant contrast against the dark background.

Art Therapy: Overcoming Trauma from the Christchurch Earthquakes

Beauty Heals In 2010 there were a series of major earthquakes in Christchurch New Zealand where I was living at … More

Mosaic shard spacing

Spacing of mosaic pieces is as critical as grout color. The further apart the spacing the more fragmented the piece will look – and the more grout will be needed to finish the piece. The closer the spacing the better the piece will read. So spacing is another of the vital design choices that have to be made when designing a mosaic.

Grouted Pique Assiette

Grouting is a far more time consuming process than one might imagine, particularly if you are using fine bone china. The reason for this is that the surface is not flat and therefore special attention must be paid to removing all grout from around each shard, so that each piece can be seen clearly.

The image is a square mosaic piece, set against a neutral, off-white background. The artwork itself is diamond-shaped in orientation, with the corners of the square pointing upwards, downwards, and sideways. The artwork features a central figure with arms raised, holding a golden orb, all encompassed within concentric circular and square borders.

Designing a Mosaic- An Example

Finding Yourself Through Art

The importance of drawing your design

Here are the results of my thought process:. As you can see I began playing with a variety of blues and gold and began to think about how I would create the lines in the design and whether or not I wanted a border and whether that border should be black.

To Grout or not to Grout- that is the question?

Many a mosaic I have ruined choosing the wrong grout color. The rule of thumb is that the more contrasting the grout color the more visible and fragmented a piece will look.

The Emergence of Pique Assiette

The literal translation of pique assiette from French is ‘thief of plates’ or ‘freeloader’. Raymond Isidore (1900-1964) is perhaps best known as the king of pique assiette. His entire home is covered in bits of pottery he found in the fields around Chartre, France. His neighbors called him ‘pique assiette’ as a derogatory term and it has remained in use more generally today.