Outdoor mosaics can really enhance a garden, courtyard or patio area however large or small. They are hard wearing and durable and can usually stand extremes in temperature. They add a different dimension to the space and fun. Mosaics are still the ‘undiscovered art form’ for a lot of people so if someone does have a mosaic indoors or outside, it is usually quite a talking point.
Hopper
I have made a large range of outdoor mosaic art. I love talking to the client and finding out what they want from their outdoor space and what feel they would like to create – a sense of fun, calmness, a real show stopper? These lizards are made on large flat stones and can easily sit in a bed or on the patio. This one is called ‘Hopper’ and lives by my sisters pond. Several of Hopper’s brothers and sisters have gone abroad and live in France, Spain and Brazil. I have also done ducks, flowers, butterflies for beds.
Steven’s Dolphin
A large outdoor piece I made a few years ago was this dolphin on a large slab of York stone. It was a commission for a local friend as a wedding present for his wife, and secretly placed in their newly landscaped garden – no pressure then. Luckily she liked it, whew! Mosaic stepping stones are very popular and again, I have made quite a range. You can really have fun with them and they can be quirky or traditional, its totally your choice.
-
- Sunshine Step Stone
-
- Ammonite cast in concrete
To make a real impact you could have a piece of mosaic art hanging up outside against the brickwork, fence or set in to a wall. Quentin (my first commission) and the French Cross are both on a converted Benedictine Monastery in France. The Sun/Moon panel is in the O’Grady Court residential home and was a present from me to them. The glass-on-glass piece would look stunning in a conservatory with the light shining through to show it off to its full sparkly glory.
-
- Quentin
-
- Glass on Glass
-
- French Cross
The Marple Mosaic
Of course, my biggest outdoor piece is The Marple Mosaic, which I am really proud of. It was commission by a couple who found my website. They really liked my style of work and felt we had shared values. The piece is very geometric (which is not my usual style) and is my biggest piece and challenge yet. The clients absolutely love it and we have since become good friends.
If you think a mosaic could enhance your outside space, please give me a call to discuss the possibilities. No obligation, I am always happy to chat ‘mosiacs’. You can also visit my Outdoor Gallery to get more ideas.
Regular readers will know that earlier in the summer I did a voluntary project in the half term holiday with 
I was so impressed when I met Birgit and Gasper and they told me all about O’Grady Court and the facilities. They obviously loved the mosaic tree so I offered to make them another mosaic as a present. I returned a few weeks later and discussed options and eventually we came up with the idea of one of my sun/moon mosaics. I wanted to give them a piece that was nice and bright and would sit in their lovely outdoor garden.
I had made one sun/moon before for my garden shed but this one was going to be much larger and brighter. I started by drawing in the face and the first things I mosaiced were the eyes. I am really pleased with them because they are the most realistic pair I have done so far. I then did the nose and slash of a mouth. Then 
the fun part starts, putting in all that lovely colour and bling. For this I used a lot of coloured stained glass so I that I could have really large, bright coloured sections. I then “filled in” the gaps with iridescent tiles, glass beads, metalic tiles and anything else that I thought would add to the piece and make an impact.
So having completed and delivered the mosaic, I went along on Friday for the unveiling. As well as Birgit, Gasper and all the residents, Maud from Open Ealing came along and proceedings were introduced by the regional Manager. After a lot of compliments were made and photos were taken, I talked about the inspiration for the piece and how I went about making it. It was a beautiful, bright morning and the mosaic glittered and sparkled in the sunlight – exactly as I had hoped it would. We then went inside for a lovely buffet and I had my first mince pie. I was presented with a beautiful bouquet of stunning autumn flowers – my perfect colours. I really enjoyed making the piece for all the residents at O’Grady Court and I know from their reaction and kind words that they really like and appreciate their sun/moon that will look down on them for many years to come.
We have now completed 7 stages of the Capital Ring and have crossed the river to north London. Combining stages 4 & 5 took us from Crystal Palace to Wimbledon Park via Streatham, Tooting and Wandsworth Commons. Stage 6 was probably one of our favourite routes starting at Wimbledon Park with its massive boating lake and overlooking the City skyline, passing the famous windmill on Wimbledon Common, lovely walking over Putney Heath which took us up into Richmond Park. Now we felt we were on ‘home territory’
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 