About my interest in mosaics

I became interested in mosaics several years ago. I was always fascinated by the way the Ancients managed to depict sinuous, almost lifelike images using only angular tesserae. I now have lots of mosaic tables and stepping stones in my garden – it’s a very addictive hobby!

I am a member of the British Association for Modern Mosaics http://www.bamm.org.uk  and I have recently joined the Community Mosaics East group in Southend, Essex http://www.communitymosaicseast.co.uk/index.html I hope to do lots of work with them in the future.

Developing mosaic designs

Detailed designs are usually developed using glass tesserae, cut and shaped to fit the design and enabling me to introduce a lively energy into the finished product. Ceramic is useful for larger areas. Glass and ceramic are much easier to handle than, say, marble, and are available in virtually unlimited colours and finishes. Most of my earlier designs were developed using the “indirect” method and were mounted on poured concrete. I now prefer to use mosaic mesh.

I favour interesting , perhaps “artistic” designs over the more modern, random approach, and my inspirations have included American Indian tribal rugs (a design based on one corner of a rug produced a very interesting asymmetric slab for  use as a step into the garden), a birthday card from a museum shop and a love of dragons and elephants.

Examples of my work

 My most recent mosaic now graces an external wall in my garden. Made from a combination of glass tesserae, ceramic tile and stained glass, each piece is approximately 120cms long and almost 60cms wide. They were inspired by a recent trip to Malaysia  - in particular the Putrajaya Botanic Gardens – and are intended to brighten up the view from my kitchen window in the dreary days of winter. They catch the light beautifully.

The Green Man when new – now he is half hidden by the planting, through which he peers.

I found this representation of the ancient, mythic creature on the internet. His face emerges from oak leaves, and he has a definite air of melancholy. I used different shades of tesserae, and laid them in different directions, to define the contours of his face. The grouting was coloured to complement the tesserae.

 My garden dining table uses cast iron legs rescued from the local architectural salvage yard – they once graced one of those traditional round wood-topped pub tables. The design is a flying dragon, and again I searched for ages before I found the right image that would work in mosaic. Then I spotted a very minimalist dragon tattoo on a colleague’s shoulder! and I knew it was right.

The dragon, represented in green and blue/bronze glass tesserae, is swirling out of the darkness on the right, looking back over his shoulder as he does so. His eye is silver, he has tentacles streaming out behind his head, and he is clearly in a right paddy! The grouting here is in white, helping to lift the dragon out of his background.

The table top is formed of concrete, so the table is very heavy to move around (but very stable, too).

Commissioning a mosaic

Please contact me on cathy@idream.me.uk to discuss a mosaic for your garden. Feel free to include relevant pictures!

 The examples on this page have all been in use in my garden for some years now: mosaics are very tough things!