We all know the term mosaic, we get mosaic tiles from the tile shop and install them in our customers’ bathrooms, swimming pools, kitchens or bars, nice convenient square sheets of little tile squares or circles on mesh or paper, and easy enough to use, pretty enough depending on colour and combination with other tiles, as borders or stand-alone. 

 

There may be a vague awareness that artistic mosaic is something altogether different – a mosaic artist can create impressive art to last a lifetime. 

 

But what if? What if the urge to do more, something different, became strong enough? What if the sight of cut-offs and broken tiles littering the floor like confetti started niggling, that there must be a use for all that? And couldn’t that splashback be made to look more exciting?

 

As a member of TilersForums.co.uk, I speak with ‘tradtional’ tilers often, and the idea came to me to host a artistic mosaic workshop for tilers who have not necessarily had the opportunity to create these types of pieces. 

 

With a have a huge choice of materials at our disposal, glass, ceramics, porcelain, broken pottery. We mosaic artists take inspiration from art over the centuries. Historic imagery can influence us – or maybe just a modern popular icon. The options are unlimited and can be as creative as our imagination allows.  

 

My inspiration for a workshop began after getting to know Egyptian interior designer and mosaic artist, Saad Romany Mikhaiel. After training alongside Saad, I visited Cairo to see the master at work, and helped him prepare for his first solo exhibition, which had the art world in a frenzy. Reuters came to his studio and interviewed him, and he is subsequently invited for the second time as a guest speaker by then-director and renowned mosaic artist Gary Drostle of British Association of Modern Mosaics, at a BAMM event in the UK. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Left: Spirit of Music. Middle and Right: Samson and Delilah. Saad Romany Mikhale. 

 

 

 

Saad and I have a longstanding working relationship, and so after asking Saad if he would share some of his design secrets at a weekend workshop, the plan was set in motion: I mention the workshop with Saad that would concentrate on perspective and light and shade on the world’s friendliest tile forum, tilersforums.co.uk, get the support from Dan and Dave who run it. We invite tilers to join – and two of the UK’s most experienced, high end tilers, John Pordum and Phil Hobson,  agree to take part. 

 

I am humbled by their participation – if anyone has no need to get out of their comfort zone, it is those two. Both are at the top of their game, and are deeply respected in the industry. They join with other mosaic artists to see what they can learn from Saad. 

 

Starting at 10am, everyone was a little nervous for various reasons. I personally had a myriad of emotions: I feel responsible, what if the participants are not happy, what if it is too much?

I had arranged it all – and I wanted everyone to be happy and feeling they got their money worth. Saad and I had sat in my home and had prepared the lessons for hours, I knew what was to come, I was excited and happy, but will everyone else feel the same?

 

But then, Saad takes hold of the room, and starts by teaching simple shapes – and everyone immediately relaxes. A little later... it begins to get taxing, but after an hour, everyone understands, all asking the mosaic master questions. 

 

Saad did not disappoint. He showed quite clearly that the rules of design are the same – however you may want to apply them – and because of health and safety limitations in the venue [the Gladstone Pottery Museum in Stoke-on Trent] we have to satisfy ourselves with coloured paper (we had prepared earlier), scissors and glue instead of tiles or glass, but it did not matter, it worked.

 

Step by step, starting with the basic shapes of the square, rectangle, circle and triangle we get taken through the differences that the direction of cuts and choice of colour make, and by day two these two tilers manage to produce these amazing mosaic eyes, – could they do more with simple tiles? You bet they could.

 

Will they be able to incorporate stunning features within their tiling work? Absolutely. Both Phil and John grasped the rules quickly, with the quick eye of the tiler who is used to precise cuts, and both their excitement was in the air – truly a joy to see at what they achieved!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For us mosaic artists, the workshop allowed us to introduce a new depth to our work, learning from an artistic master. Ultimately, it was an incredible experience for all participants. 

 

Following the success of the workshop, Saad and I are now organising an artistic holiday in Alexandria, Egypt, to take place in April 2012. It will comprise of six days of mosaic tutorials and four days sight-seeing in Alexandria and Cairo. Taking place just before Easter, flight costs will be relatively low. 

 

To take part, or to be kept informed with the latest developments of workshops, please email me via my website, makeitsomosaics.co.uk or call me on 01723 354072, mentioning Tile UK magazine.