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The Mosaic Artists Gallery at Mosaic Art Supply is a registry of online mosaic artists and mosaic studios. Each entry includes a thumbnail of the artist’s mosaic art plus a link to their website. If you are a mosaic artist interested in joining our registry, please apply by emailing your name and website to us. Mosaic Art Supply, LLC is not responsible for the content of external websites and makes no warranties for suitability for any purpose.

While it is possible to make some amazing art using only one type of material, the decision to use multiple materials in the same mosaic tends to stimulate the imagination, often in unexpected ways, in ways that leave the artist wanting to make a series of mosaics to capture just a mere fraction of what might be possible. This is because mosaic is dimensional. The artist might begin by thinking only in terms of the image to be rendered, but merely by handling the materials, the curious mind can’t help but think of what might be.

Troi O’Rourke’s fabulous Struttin’ Peacock is a great example of how tile of different thickness can be used in the same mosaic. Note that the fact that the surface isn’t flush is not a problem. To the contrary, the slight changes in elevation add a whole new dimension (literally) to the mosaic and help to set off the different fields of color.

Playing With Patterns

With mixed materials, there are differences in texture, size and shape (in addition to color), and with found objects such as seashells and artifacts, there is the significance of what those objects actually are in real life. And then there are all the different ways in which the materials could be arranged or grouped to contrast each other. The materials really do present an infinite regress for the artistic mind. I have gone into the studio very focused on a very specific design only to spend the entire session playing with different arrangements and variations. Sometimes I think I could live to be a thousand years old and not be able to complete all the designs I have already thought about. Thus is the nature of mixed-media mosaic art.

Groupings of Similar Items

Susanne Sorogon’s dragonfly is more of a departure from naturalistic rendering and makes greater use of mixed-media materials: beads, geode slices, millefiori, decorative tile and stained glass. Again, notice that the wings are not merely space to be filled but are used instead to play with patterns and groupings. The warm honey background and the intense blues of the figure make for a very effective contrast and are further proof of Sorogon’s skill as an artist. Note that this mosaic is ungrouted.

Below are some examples of mosaic portraits and impressionistic mosaic artwork with a discussion of how to create photo-realistic images in mosaic.

Frederic Lecut

As with painting, most of the work of creating a photo-realistic mosaic image is making sure the colors used reasonably match those of the model being depicted. In painting this can be done conveniently by mixing pigments. In mosaic this can only be done by sourcing different materials until you find what you need, which can be frustrating even with the aid of sample boards and online suppliers. Natural stone only comes in so many colors, and different brands of glass mosaic tile are only made in so many colors because it is produced as a building material and not really as an artist’s palette.

Artists frequently solve this problem by using “mixed media” and combining different materials such as stone, glass and ceramic in the same mosaic. Frederic Lecut of Mosaic-Blues.com is a master of this aspect of mosaic. His mosaic portraits shown here are made from multiple types of stone, glass, porcelain and colored mirror, some of which was sourced from recycled building materials.

Lecut says that the differences in thickness were not an issue for him because he works with the mosaic upside down in a reverse method. He pours concrete on top of the back of uneven mosaic, which fills in any differences in thickness, and then sticks a backer on top of the concrete. It is only later when he flips it over that he gets to see the finished mosaic.

Note that most novices prefer to work directly on a flat backer where they can see the mosaic as it is being created. This requires that the artist either cut their material to the same thickness or accept that the finished surface of the mosaic will not be flat.

Susanne Sorogon

Susanne Sorogon’s work is very sophisticated in that she subtly incorporates mixed-media elements (glass gems, accent tile, etc.) in mosaics that are photo-realistic. Many experienced artists would be capable of making an abstract mixed-media mosaic and a photo-realistic mosaic, but few would be capable of doing both in the same mosaic. One is reminded of the painterly flourishes that define the New Realism of contemporary painting, where the intent is to depict the model naturally, yet still make the paint itself interesting as it is in abstract painting. I particularly like Susanne’s use of upside down tile in the Motorcycle mosaic and how the embossed patterns on the backs of the tiles suggest asphalt that has been textured with non-slip divots, which is typically seen in the turns of race tracks, though conspicuously absent from the photo she used as a model.

Harjeet Singh Sandhu

Harjeet Singh Sandhu’s mosaic portraits of former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and 12th-century Sufi preacher Baba Farid Ji are well done, but what makes them amazing is that they are made from ordinary 3/8-inch vitreous glass mosaic tile, which is only available in a limited number of colors. In fact, at the time Sandhu made these mosaics, many of our normal colors were out of stock! Note that Sandhu was able to use this limited color palette to render two completely different skin tones in a realistic way. For that reason, I consider this pair of mosaic portraits to be something of a tour de force.

Learn by Looking

The best art is ultimately derived from looking at nature, but nothing seems to inspire an artist more than looking at great artwork by other artists. The reasons are simple: There is the competitive urge to create something even better, but there is also the discovery of new ways of seeing or rendering, a humble realization that the artist has done something in a way that hasn’t occurred to the viewer before.

The amazing thing about art is that this phenomenon occurs all the time, including when experienced professional artists look at naive art or art made by little children.

When artists browse other artists, there is a cross-fertilization of ideas where the synthesis is greater than the sum of the parts. There is the thought, “I can’t wait to do that myself and do it in my own way.”

Mosaic art is particularly suited for casual study by other artists because unlike painting, there are no hidden layers or semi-translucent layers and everything is visible as it was laid down. While a novice might benefit from classes or books for learning the best way to cut tile or transfer patterns or apply grout, he or she can learn more or less everything there is to know about the design merely by looking at it, including that critical element of style that is andamento, which is best expressed as the arrangement of tile in parallel or concentric work lines to suggest motion.

Triangular Tesserae

Normally I dislike mosaics made with triangular tesserae because they seem to be used by artists who aren’t as concerned with using andamento (arrangement of tiles) in rows or concentric rings to create a sense of flow or motion, which is a great source of visual interest in mosaic artwork, but David Cruise’s work really caught my eye.

David creates visual interest in localized areas of his mosaics by using contrasting colors and by contrasting light and dark areas. Notice how light-and-dark contrast naturally catches the eye and makes different elements more distinct. I also like how the andamento of the triangular tesserae creates a woven basket texture in the fruit bowl, however unintentional that might have been.

It is also worth mentioning that you can have the tile close together with minimal grout or no grout (if your mosaic is indoors and not subject to moisture). If there is no groutline, the artist needs to be more conscious of varing his or her colors in order to call attention to individual tiles and break up visual monotony. This can be done by mixing two or three similar colors or shades of a color instead of using all the same color, which is what Yetti has done in the background areas of her magical mosaic. David uses this approach to show depth and shading in his apples and oranges and other fruit and the torso of the female figure.

Mixed-Media Mosaic

There isn’t any need to limit yourself to just one type of material in making a mosaic. Different types of glass, ceramic and stone can be used together in the same piece in what is known as mixed-media mosaic.

More Great Mosaic Art

One of the largest collections of contemporary mosaic art online can be viewed at our Mosaic Artists Gallery. For a discussion of how to create photo-realistic mosaics and mosaic portraits, plus some great examples, see our page of Mosaic Portraits. For examples of mosaics that are whimsical and fresh without being tired or cliche, see our page of Fun Mosaic Art. For examples of using different types of materials in the same mosaic, check out our page of Mixed-Media Mosaic Art.

Below is a selection of customer artwork made from glass mosaic tile. The mosaics we have chosen for this page all demonstrate basic design principles: tightly-cropped compositions, use of contrasting colors, arrangement of tile in work lines that suggest motion (andamento). These fundamentals are the real key to creating beautiful artwork, no matter what the media. Note that many of the mosaics below were made using ordinary vitreous glass tile, which is one of our most economical materials.

Phil Lamie

“The Four Seasons Mosaics” were created in December 2012 under the direction of art teacher Phil Lamie. Over 730 students in grades K thru 5 worked on the project, which will first be displayed at the Children’s Art Gallery in Carmel before coming home to Towne Meadow Elementary.

   

Metamorphosis

“Metamorphosis” is another series of mosaics made under the direction of Phil Lamie. Every child in the Towne Meadow School (over 730 children ages 6 to 10) participated in the execution of the project. The finished mosaic consists of approximately 10,500 pieces of hand cut glass mosaic tile.

Evolve

The “Evolve” mosaic was made by Phil and his daughter Jodi, age 14. All materials used were from Mosaic Art Supply.

Linda Lenz

This Pink Ribbon mosaic sculpture was made by artist Linda Lenz as part of a fundraiser for breast cancer research sponsored by Kohl’s Department Stores. Linda’s ribbon was selected out of all entries to be displayed at Kohl’s corporate office during breast cancer awareness month. The other 15 ribbons (mostly painted designs) were displayed at various Kohl’s stores. Linda’s ribbon won the highest bid at the fundraiser’s auction and now resides in a mansion in Mequon, Wisconsin. The ribbon is made of glass tile, stained glass, mirror, fossils, and other found objects mounted on a fiberglass base.

Jill Freshman-Cohen

The following work by Jill Freshman-Cohen is a mosaic interpretation of James Earle Frasier’s well-known sculpture “End of the Trail.” This mosaic makes excellent use of andamento to give different visual elements a sense of motion. Observe the sky surrounding the sun and the sloping hill on which the horse is standing, and how interesting these elements look when compared to mosaics where tile is arranged randomly (or in arbitrary patterns such as rows of triangles.) Similarly, the size of tesserae is optimal for the size of the details being depicted. Note the horse’s head, mane and legs and how details of these elements are rendered with a single tile.

Jill resides in the Bronx, where she is a certified arborist for NYC parks, as well as the Queens forestry division. Jill plans to retire to Puerto Rico so that she can create mosaics full time.