New Improved Mosaic Website

Posted on February 6, 2015 | Leave a comment

 

As part of my January spring clean I have spent quite a lot of time amending and updating this website. Although I already had a mosaic website, I have decided that this is now going to be my main website and I will be directing all traffic to it via business cards, marketing materials etc.

Originally I wanted to use this website as a showcase for my mosaic photographs with a view to attracting some Galleries who may want to display my work. This is still a key aim. I also liked the idea of ‘Blogging’ and although I am very new to it, I seem to have loads of topics to chat about and people seem to like the Blog so I will continue with this.

Good Morning Sunshine

I am now going to use this site to promote other areas of my mosaic work and services, as well as listing useful mosaic contacts. Have a look at the additional pages I have added and let me know what you think. I’d also like you to let me know what else you would like to hear about – anything mosaic orientated is open for discussion. It is very easy for you to send me a message, just press on the ‘Leave a comment’ button at the bottom of this page. I usually reply quite quickly and I love hearing your views, comments and questions.

NEW TO VIEW

GALLERY: Log Cabin – the pictorial story of the project

GALLERY: Martin Cheek Challenge – pictures as I progress with the challenges

PROJECTS: Log Cabin – the story of the project

PROJECTS: All Original Shop – the shop in Ealing where I display and sell

CONTACT: Interesting Contacts including suppliers, mosaic bloggers

 

REQUEST: Do have a look at my new pages and let me know what you think

COMING SOON: Mosaic Lessons for Beginners

 

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A Slow Mosaic Start to 2015

Posted on January 22, 2015 | 2 comments

 

IMG_0763Like nearly everyone I know, I have been hit by the nasty bugs that seem to have been going round for ages and refuse to budge. Starting before Christmas with a sore throat and loss of voice, it progressed into a really bad cough and resulting in very low energy levels. This means I have pretty much been out of action all of January.

However, I’m a great believer that good can come from everything. As I have been housebound I took the opportunity to have a bit of a tidy up and tackle my admin. I have sorted out all the photos on my computer including mosaic ones as far back as 2009.  Its been really good fun looking back at them all and re-living those mosaic pieces. Its interesting to see how I have phases when I did a lot of outdoor pots or trivets and coasters.  Then followed a period where it was all lizards and frogs on rocks for outdoors.

I find it interesting to see how my style has changed and developed over the years, especially as I discovered new materials or techniques to try.

P1040795My most recent pieces of mosaic art seem to be long panels with an abstract style incorporating a range of materials including stained glass. These mosaics are particularly suitable for commissions  or to show in exhibitions or to display in a gallery.

Once I am fully recovered I aim to create a new range of mosaics, initially to sell in the shop but also as an outdoor range for people to commission. They will be based on a wildlife theme and I hope to show you a proto-type next time.

In the meantime, I hope you all remain germ free and are settling in to what I hope will be a great 2015 for us all.

COMING NEXT: Updates on the website.

 

 

 

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Highlights from 2014

Posted on January 6, 2015 | Leave a comment

Firstly, best wishes to all my ‘Blog Followers’ for 2015.  I hope the year is healthy, happy, fun and successful for us all.

2014 was a great year for me both personally and mosaic-wise.  Here are some of the highlights:

  • exhibited at Court Farm Gallery (met the lovely Ania)
  • Richmond Open Studios (with Peter Oliver and other artists)
  • entered’ Art in the Garden’ competition (didn’t win!)
  • raffled ‘Hollyhocks’ mosaic, raised £1,250 for Log Cabin
  • completed ‘Log Cabin Community Mosaic Project’ after 2 years
  • found Bexhill home for Bexhill mosaic
  • started ‘The Martin Cheek Challenge’ – one down, a lot more to go!
  • completed and delivered ‘Amy’s Mosaic Fireguard’
  • created new ‘Beach House’ range of mosaics
  • been mosaicking for 7 years
  • got a new mosaic website – this one!
  • became a Blogger!
  • 301 Facebook Likes
  • ran several mosaic lessons
  • new supplier:  Mosaic Workshop – with Trolley Dollies
  • record number of commissions including 3 clocks and a giraffe
  • joined BAMM – British Society of Mosaic Makers

and on the personal front:

  • swam at the London Aquatic Olympic Pool
  • experienced the poppy installation at the Tower of London
  • celebrated a ‘very special birthday’

 

COMING SOON: what would YOU like to see coming soon?  If you would like more info on any of the above, please do let me know. Obviously I am keen to do Blogs on the subjects that interest you so do let me know.

 

 

 

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Best Wishes for the Festive Season

Posted on December 19, 2014 | 4 comments

Robin

As Christmas draws nearer by the day it is time for me to publish my last ‘post’  of the year. I have really enjoyed being a new ‘Blogger’ and look forward to covering a whole range of subjects next year – all with a mosaic connection of course.

I would be interested to know what topics you have enjoyed reading about most and if there is anything you would like me to cover? I usually try to link things in with my mosaic work and I always try to have some mosaic pictures so you get an idea of my work and how it is evolving.  My first Blog next year will be a review of 2014, which has been a great year overall and very successful mosaic wise.

Candle

In the meantime, let me wish you all a lovely Christmas and festive period, wherever you are and whoever you are with. May 2015 be healthy, happy, fun and successful for us all.

Rosanna xx

 

!cid_891E6E8D4D2D4080852CCE0C2B032C2A@Rosannaslaptop           LC Tree 2a           !cid_3913FB54D00B41818A27C07296C5003F@Rosannaslaptop

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Celebrations and Commissions

Posted on December 7, 2014 | Leave a comment

P1040639I have had a lovely active November and beginning of December celebrating a ‘very special birthday’.  I’m not going to say how old I am but I will say it is great having free travel on London Underground!

I”veP1040576 enjoyed some lovely meals in the Oxo Tower, Paramount/Centrepoint and Baltic Flour Mill – all with great food and fantastic views over beautiful cities. I also had a lovely day at Brooklands Museum which is the birthplace of British motorsport and aviation, a brilliant place and made even more special as my friend David was our personal tour guide for the day – thank you David.P1040644 We even ended with a trip on Concorde. More treats are planned including a tour of the Albert Hall and a meal at the oldest restaurant in London.

Needless to say all this celebrating has meant that mosaic making has been put on the back burner. However, I now need to get my mosaic cutters out again and get my pinny on as this week I have been inundated with requests for commissions.  I don’t know why they have all come at once and some are from people who saw my work years ago. It just goes to show that it is always worth giving out your card as you never know when someone is going to want to commission a mosaic.

Gone Fishing

I really enjoy doing commission work as each one is going to be unique piece of mosaic art. I like to get a really good brief from the customer – some people know exactly what they want, others leave it up to me.  I am very keen to match their colour preferences, style and their personality. Often the piece is for a gift.

Dolphin

Dolphin

I make a lot of door numbers for people as well as mirrors. People have commissioned wall hangings, outdoor garden pieces, panels for kitchens and bathroom. All mosaics shown here are commissions I have made and I think my biggest piece is this turtle done on a slab of York Stone for outdoors.

 

Regina's Dragonfly

 Please do give me a call if you would like to discuss a commission, there is no obligation and I am always happy for people to come and visit my studio if it helps give them ideas and inspiration.

.Hopper

 

THIS WEEKS REQUEST:

Willow Pattern MirrorI am getting a lot of interest in this BLOG so I would like to continue to increase the number of people that see it. Please could you pass it on to friends who may have a creative interest or that may be interested in commissioning a piece of unique mosaic art.

 

COMING SOON: The Constable and Rembrandt Exhibitions

3 Individual Panels

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Poppies at The Tower of London

Posted on November 19, 2014 | Leave a comment

I was really lucky to get a volunteering slot to help dismantle the poppies at the Tower of London this week.  A very muddy, messy but rewarding 3 hour shift.

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My Mosaic Story – Kitty’s Workshop

Posted on November 2, 2014 | 2 comments
Kitty2

Metal sculpture by Kitty Hartnell

So having got interested in making mosaics I started to buy supplies and materials and made various mosaics from projects suggested in books. However, I really wanted to join a group of other mosaic makers in order to learn more, get ideas, swop tips and techniques and be part of a group. I tried to see if there were any groups locally but most were ‘art groups’ that didn’t really fit the bill.

Kitty1

Mosaic Poppies by Kitty Hartnell

Now isn’t funny how, when you want something, it often materialises. Purely by chance, I went to a charity craft evening run by Kitty Hartnell, a metal and mosaic maker. After chatting for a while Kitty told me she runs a weekly workshop, for people of all levels interested in making mosaics, and invited me along to a session.

Since becoming a regular at Kitty’s weekly mosaic workshops, I know my technique, style and confidence have improved greatly. Kitty does not give lessons as such – we are all at different stages and make what we want. However, she provides constant advice and guidance and will teach a skill or technique as requested. She is brilliant on colour and texture and always seems to find that ‘special’ tile that really makes the mosaic come alive.

St. Marys Lighthouse

the ‘fence’ !

I am not artistically trained so Kitty – in her gentle, understated way – has really helped my work to progress – I have learnt so much about scale, formation, structure, colour and materials. She has really helped me with my artistic ‘eye’ especially on perspective, scale and structure. The first time I made a mosaic based on a photo, I spent 3 hours putting in a ‘fence’ and 10 minutes de-glueing it, so at the end of the session I had an empty board! The following week Kitty helped me with the perspective and now people always comment on how good that fence is and how it makes the piece so realistic.

Kitty3

Mosaic by Kitty Hartnell

Kitty won’t accept the phrase ‘that will do’. So even when I make mosaics at home I can hear her words in my ear, sometimes annoyingly, so if a piece is wrong, I can’t ignore it – it won’t do!

Have a look at her website to see the beautiful mosaic and metalwork pieces that Kitty makes.

 

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British Association for Modern Mosaic

Posted on October 26, 2014 | 3 comments

BAMMFor mosaic makers our ‘representative body’ is BAMM – British Association for Modern Mosaic. It was founded in 1999 and exists to promote, encourage and support excellence in contemporary mosaic art.

Yesturday I went to their AGM and Forum at Kings College on the South Bank, London. Leaving the house at  7am I was in central London bright and extremely early, grabbing a coffee and croissant at Prets before registration.

Although at bit apprehensive as I had not been before, everyone was very welcoming, friendly and helpful.  I met a couple of people I know, Sue and Kitty, and also met some new people, Sally, Karen and Viv – newcomers like myself.

It was a fantastic day, very inspiring and informative with some amazing speakers. Among them were Luciana Notturni from Italy who founded the Mosaic Art School in Ravenna which is recognised as a centre of mosaic excellence. Norma Vondee (President of BAMM) talked about creativity and expression showing some lovely examples of her work.

Laurel True was over from New Orleans to talk about her ‘Global Mosaic Project’. A truly inspirational and enthusiastic speaker who has done an amazing range of community mosaics over a 25 year period including working with people in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and in Haiti after the earthquakes. Through her projects she has worked with hundreds of people and helped to provide job training and arts education  to underserved communities in urban environments and developing areas. Her range of work and projects was amazing and very humbling. Having dipped my toe into community projects when I worked with The Log Cabin, it made me keen to get involved in more so if anyone out there wants to talk about a project, do send me an email and we can talk.

The last speaker was Karen Ami who founded and is the Executive Director of the Chicago Mosaic School, the first school for mosaic arts in the Americas. A very enthusiastic and lively speaker, her subject was ‘Practice and Process in the Mosaic Studio’ which we could all identify with. As well as giving us all great tips, ideas and encouragement, it made me realise how lucky I am to have a dedicated work space to make my mosaics.

BAMMThe ‘full on’ day wound up with a raffle, awards for ‘best mosaic’ and best ‘mega mosaic’. There was a ‘market place’ where I made some modest purchases and a ‘Working Wall’ where people could showcase their work.  By the end of the day myself and my new found mosaic friends felt like part of the BAMM Family. I signed up as a ‘Professional Member’ before I came away  because having had such a great day, I definitely want to be part of this inspiring, and supportive group.

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Mosaic Inspiration – The Martin Cheek Challenge

Posted on October 12, 2014 | 3 comments

cropped-cropped-cragside-on-slate.jpg

When I first starting mosaicing I found it very hard to get inspiration and ideas. I remember I was exhibiting at a Gallery in Runnymede and my friend Sue asked where I got my inspiration from and I didn’t really have an answer. I then started to think more seriously about the question and I can now answer Sue ‘mainly from nature – the pattern and colour of leaves and trees, reflections on the sea, patterns on the sand, landscapes and fields’.  I am also inspired a lot by other  art forms and am heavily influenced by strong colours in everyday life.

I feel I am now at the stage where I can make a competent mosaic piece but would like to hone and fine tune my skills much more. When I take a photo of a landscape or scene, I find it hard to translate that into a mosaic. I can see a range of colours but am not sure how to make a visual mosaic from them.  I have now bought Martin Cheek’s book “Fused Glass Mosaics: Master Class Techniques with Martin Cheek” which I hope will help me to progress to a better level of work.  Martin explains that it is just right for people at my stage of the mosaic process. Each chapter explains an aspect of mosaicing and then sets you a challenge.

Rebecca%20Vincent%20Comet%20BurnChallenge No.1. was to think about where you get your inspiration – (which in itself was challenging) –  hence my above answer to Sue!

Challenge No. 2. was to take a picture from a favourite artist and make your own style and version but using their principles.  I picked the work of Rebecca Vincent (see earlier Blog and her picture left) as I love her blocks of colours and effects.

Below is the result. Although it is a very simple piece, it took me more time than any previous mosaic to get perspective, style and colouring right. This is probably the first time I have seriously considered the piece I am working on and planned it properly rather than just starting and plughing on with it.

Cliffs MosaicWhat do you think. I am now using this ‘block colour’ effect in other pieces and really like the results.

I feel I have learnt a lot already and look forward to tackling the other challenges.

 

Mosaic Fields

REQUEST:  I would love to hear from anyone else that has taken or is taking Martin’s Challenge and hear how they found it.

COMING SOON:  A key influence on my mosaic work – Kitty.

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Mosaic Inspiration – Sea, Sand and Countryside

Posted on September 29, 2014 | 2 comments
Rosanna

Rosanna by the Beach

Many of you will know that I visit Northumberland on a regular basis. When I am up there I do a lot of beach and cliff walking and I try to get out into the Northumbrian countryside. It is very much ‘big scenery’ up there, large scale vistas and quite dramatic. The beaches are lovely and stretch for miles with lots of sand dunes.  A total contrast to London life.

By the Sea

By the Sea Tryptic

I often get inspiration for mosaics up there based on the sea, sand and countryside. These mosaics tend to be more suited to the ceramic matt tiles with their lovely muted colours. I often incorporate sand and pebbles into these pieces. A flash of stained glass can give the effect of the sun glinting off the sea, or a field in the distance full of burgundy heather. The odd glass tesserae tile will be much more effective when used sparingly, less is definitely more.

 

These pieces tend to be quite abstract and dramatic and have proved to be very popular.  With this in mind I have decided to create a new range of mosaics based on my northern visits. I am calling it ‘The Beach House’ range and have given it a new logo.

Let me know what you think of it.

 

Rosanna Henderson Mosaic artist Rosanna at the Beach House

 

 

 

 

 

REQUEST:  Have a look at my MYSTERY PAGE and see if you can figure it out , those who know, don’t give the game away!

 

 

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