Exploring Mosaic Art

Joy of Shards: "Mosaic as an art form has a history of several thousand years. In Roman times, large and showy mosaics were the sign of wealth, sure to impress friends and business contacts alike. These days though, more than ever, mosaic is art that everyone can have a share in."

Learn more about this fascinating artform from this collection of mosaic art and tiler resources. Many of these Web sites explain the history and process of mosaic design, and others share tips, techniques, and tutorials for your own creative mosaic projects.

Featured Article

Mosaicing Along in Chicago: Chagall's Masterpiece
By Chris Dunmire
Imagine walking down a busy street in downtown Chicago and happening upon a large wall of unusual graffiti. Wait a minute, that's not the work of an urban street artist, that's The Four Seasons mosaic by Marc Chagall!

It's true: you don't have to visit an art museum to discover some inspiring works of art around the City of Chicago. Even though we were on our way to experience the latest exhibit at the Art Institute, Seurat and the Making of La Grande Jatte, My 22-year-old nephew (and new Chicago tour guide) briefly led us off of Monroe Street over to Dearborn to see the mosaic, signed by the artist in 1972.

Mosaic Art Resources

Joy of Shards Mosaics
An enthusiastic celebration of mosaics, with a particular focus on the style known as “pique assiette.” This uses broken crockery, tiles and found objects to creative effect, often bringing the associations we have with everyday objects into the work.

British Association for Modern Mosaic
Learn about mosaic art, tools of the trade, courses, supplies, and more through the British Association for Modern Mosaic. Features mosaic art inspiration through a members gallery, news, and online exhibitions.

Earth, Wind & Tiles
Mosaic education and information through a glossary, articles, and practical tips. Topics cover how to cut glass tile, how to make sheets of glass tiles, priming substrates, sealing grout, creating gradients, and color mixing.

Tiles on the Web
Features a comprehensive section for technical information for tilers. Covers tessellation design, mosaic making, hand painting tile murals, painting on glazed tiles, bisque tiles, safety information, and tile installation.

Spotlight

The Joy of Shards

Mosaic as an art form has a history of several thousand years. In Roman times, large and showy mosaics were the sign of wealth, sure to impress friends and business contacts alike. These days though, more than ever, mosaic is art that everyone can have a share in.

The Joy of Shards is an enthusiastic celebration of mosaics, with a particular focus on the style known as “pique assiette.” This uses (or re-uses!) broken crockery, tiles and found objects to creative effect, often bringing the associations we have with everyday objects into the work.

A projects section gives illustrated step-by-step instructions for mosaic making, together with other information on mosaic making, such as choosing grout colour, cutting vitreous tiles or decorating a planter with ceramic shards. There is a question-and-answer hints and tips page, while in the galleries, the author discusses the techniques used in making his individual pieces.

The range of possibilities with mosaic is vast, and the site shows many examples of famous and less well-known examples. There are extensive galleries of mosaics in Barcelona, chiefly by Gaudi and his collaborator Jujol. A visit to Niki de Saint Phalle’s incredible Tarot Garden in Italy is documented in words and pictures, alongside “La Maison Picassiette” in France. Mosaics from London include community projects, underground stations and the splendid Byzantine-style mosaics of Westminster Cathedral.

Visit The Joy of Shards Mosaics