With art, as with most things, it is very easy to keep within your comfort zone. Do what you know works, what is safe, the easy option. However, when I discovered mosaics 8 years ago, one of the key things that got me really interested was the huge variety and different styles of mosaic that were out there. As such an ancient art form, mosaic has taken on a huge variety of guises as it has passed down through the centuries. Various cultures that have developed techniques and styles have added their influences and style to pass on to future generations of mosaic artists. I love the huge scope and potential this wonderful art form offers. The only limitation is the imagination.
Although I do sometimes play it safe, I try to experiment with different styles, techniques and materials especially if I have the time to spend on a new main piece. This is something I have been wanting to do for quite a while: glass on glass.
I have made it over a period of time in my weekly sessions with Kitty. As always, Kitty was on hand to offer her help and expertise. She guided me in mastering the art of silicone glue (very sticky, very smelly). She also helped with the ‘flow’ of the piece and suggested different types of glass tiles which I feel really enhance the piece. I was keen on doing something very vivid with blues and greens and we managed to find some lovely pieces of glass some see through, some shiny. I am delighted with the result and the piece is now sitting on my hall window with the sunshine streaming through it. I need to find a permanent home for it but for now, it’s lovely catching it every time I go up and down the stairs. I have had a lot of compliments on it so am keen to make some more pieces, in other colour palettes.
What next – any suggestions? Watch this space.
LONDON ACTIVITIES
100 Years of Vogue at the V&A. A wonderful exhibition charting the centenary of this iconic magazine. A real journey through social history. Although most people regard it as a fashion mag, it actually covered the economic, political, cultural and social climate of the day in each edition.
The Capital Ring
Part 3 of the CAPITAL RING – Grove Park to Crystal Palace. A fantastic walk taking in the Downham Woodlan Walk, Beckenham Park Place, crossing the Greenwich Meridian Line and ending up at Crystal Palace with the dinosaurs. This was the longest section of the Capital Ring circuit and it was the perfect day to do it, sunshine all the way.
I’ve always known I’m artistic but had never found my medium. I can’t draw, paint or sew, I certainly can’t play a musical instrument or sing (well, not in public at any rate). Having a hectic job and a busy social lifestyle I was content to let my arty side manifest itself in my cooking and gardening. I love colour and had an office full of coloured pens, inks, pots of acyrilic paints – but what to do with them? I was content to look at them and add to the collection now and again. I did like ‘colouring in’ but there has never been any colouring potential for grown ups apart from ‘painting by numbers’ Hmmm, I certainly missed a gap in the market there didn’t I!!
This has been the case with 
Here is the butterfly I made as part of the Meadow House mosaic butterfly project.
My chum Anne and I have been going to a mosaic workshop with 
When Vicky Pearson (a volunteer at Meadow House) went to visit Anne, she saw the large mosaic butterfly that Anne had made. She commented that it would be lovely to have some butterflies as ‘room plaques’ for the 15 rooms at Meadow House. Anne discussed this with Kitty and the idea was born to get the group to make the mosaic butterflies as room plaques as a voluntary project.
Vicky and Nicky Cockayne (Ward Manager) were delighted with this idea and gave a list of all the butterflies (including some moths) to Kitty, who then set about cutting them out of plywood and drawing them up ready for us all to mosaic. It was agreed that we would make the 15 butterflies outside of our normal mosaic sessions so 16 of us met as and when we could on various dates over a 6 week period. Some people made a whole butterfly, others mixed and matched. They key aim was to get them all mosaiced, grouted, painted and ready to hand over to Meadow House before Christmas. It was a great team effort and we all enjoyed it very much.
On Wednesday 3rd December the butterflies were ready to fly away to Meadow House. Nicky and Vicky arrived at Kitty’s to be greeted by the several of the mosaic team, a celebratory glass of fizz and a table full of beautiful, vibrant mosaic butterflies.
At the moment I am negotiating a commission with a client so am ‘between mosaics’ if you like, so this gives me time to play with my fun piece. It is a large slab of stone, 2 foot high traingular shape. I am calling it my ‘Totem Pole’ and it will sit in the middle of a flower bed in my back garden. I want it to be very vibrant and eye catching, so I intend to use a lot of glass in it as well as the mosaic tesserae. I have started at the top with a ‘sun’ and rays flowing down. Not sure what the next section will be but I will keep you posted. I know it will take a long time but there is no rush and that’s what is nice about having a fun piece, I may just spend the odd half hour on it as and when.
Rosanna's Mosaics 