Mosaic Process

Beginning a mosaic piece starts with an inspiration, be it the materials; patterns or colors on a dish or cup, a porcelain figurine, iridescent glass tile (my personal favorite), subject matter, mood, what I have on hand, who I’m making it for, what I saw on my morning walk, what I dreamt about, the weather…..endless influences as you can see.

These things are what I love about making mosaics; the unlimited variety of materials, the process of pulling bits and pieces together into a composition that will become a finished piece, and the joy I feel each time I plug into my creative muse.

For installations, I create detailed design proposals based on the site to be considered. What happened here? Why is it important we pay attention culturally?

Or does the client want art for its own sake, for the purpose of embellishing and beautifying the environment? What are the best dreams for this space, for us and for future generations? Based on our discussion, I present colored drawings to scale and tile samples.

After the design is finalized, I begin the creation process. Each piece of tile is carefully cut by hand, and fixed onto the backing, which could be wood, cement board panels, or wire mesh. Three-dimensional elements are often cut using a tile saw. This is the most time-consuming part of the process, but is fulfilling as the design reveals itself.

I send photos of the work in progress to keep everyone appraised. Care is taken to ensure that everything fits together as planned. Gluing and grouting follow and are completed relatively quickly.

Finally, any final touches are completed, the grout is allowed to dry, and mosaics are sealed for weather-proofing as needed.