The client for this mosaic came to me after she had purchased pottery from an artist in Africa. Unfortunately, the pottery broke during shipping, so she wanted me to make a mosaic artwork with the shards as a memory of her trip.
My client told me about her amazing trip to Africa (it’s been several years so I forget which country) and how she buys local artwork every time she travels. She was very excited to have this gorgeous pottery set as a memory of her time. The artist offered to ship it to her, and sadly it arrived with almost every piece broken. Her friends suggested she make a mosaic out of the shards. She decided that she wanted something more “fine art” than what she could do herself, so she asked me to help.
The pottery was beautiful, as was her story, so of course I wanted to help. I asked if she wanted to incorporate other glass or tile too, but she wanted to use exclusively the ceramic pottery. I came up with the idea of the design, which she liked. Then I found these Walker Zanger pop art porcelain tiles and realized how amazing and special they would look in this mosaic. I told the client I absolutely understood why she wanted to use only material from her trip, but offered her these as an option in case she wanted to reconsider. She loved the way they looked and how they organically fit with the pottery, so we went for it!
When I created the mosaic, I used the rims of the cups, bowls, and plates for the leaves and branches. I layered the ceramic for a three dimensional effect. For the background, I used the centers of the pottery. I decided on a simple brickish type pattern to give a sense of zen and to make a distinct change in andamento between the background and foreground. I loved how in the background, the different thicknesses between the dinnerware provided depth and texture.
I developed achy hands and a lot of blisters trying to cut this very hard, thick ceramic. It also had a tendency to crumble, which was incredibly frustrating. I stilled loved the opportunity to make this very special artwork, and the client loved it. So overall, absolutely worth it!
