Mosaic Maker | Educator

Over the past two years I have been exploring the idea of mosaic floristry. Latest work has been more about miniature garden, taking the garden stakes I usually make and working to about 10% of their size. The steel rods are really fine and the flowerheads bob as the wires vibrate with any movement. Some of the gardens are on one block with several flowerheads and stars. Here I have made several individual blocks with single or dual glowers so that they can be re-arranged.

Artists' studios are open for one weekend in Shrewsbury Town Centre. Explore the hidden corners of Shrewsbury. Have a peek inside the places where the artists and makers beaver away and find out how they create their work and what inspires them.

This is an opportunity to find something handmade and special.

Pick up a map at my studio to start your tour.

Saturday 30 November

and

Sunday 1 December

10 am to 5 pm each day.

I was priviledged to be invited by the Mostyn Gallery to exhibit my mosaic floristry as part of their In Colour Showcase of makers. The showcase runs from 2 February to 2 June 2019. I decided to submit my latest developments in mosaic, referencing the graphic lines of the 1930s with a series of taper tree wall panels and a new range of mosaic garden stakes. The Gallery are also stocking more of my mosaics in their shop, which opens up a whole new audience for my work.

The commission was to create a series of 20 centimetre sqaure panels, each to be a variation of a tree design. You can read more about the commission in the blogs section.

A romantic commission to create sixteen heart garden stakes for a couple renewing their wedding vows. One for each year of their marriage.

Fantastic opportunity to work with Year 1 and 2 pupils creating a series of three mosaics that reflect their school logo of the Gingerbread Man and the beautiful school grounds. These designs, created by the children, hang outside the school's reception to welcome everyone.

The very lovely people at Fifi Interiors in Milk Street in Shrewsbury commissioned a series of regal crown garden stakes to display (and sell) outside their shop during the recent royal wedding celebrations.

SMAG approached me to take part in a project they were running to make links to the Shrewsbury Food Festival, promoting healthy eating and growing your own food. My part was to work with museum visitors to create a series of two panels using the highly floral and decoartive Coalport ceramic collection for inspiration. Read more about the project in my blog.

What started as a way of utilising those annoying off-cuts of backing board, the flowerhead series has developed. A commission for a series of different and more elaborate flowers earlier in teh year has now perculated into a whole series of individually made garden stakes to add colour to a border.

To mark the centenary commemoration of the end of WW1 and at the Theatre Severn a new production of Poppyfields The Musical, there will be an exhibition of artists' work responding to those themes. After several explorations of ideas, the final piece has now been constructed and ready for submission. Willow pattern plates cut into cornflower petals represent both domestic life of 1914 and the flower of remembrance in France. The triangular shape with a glowing, glittering gold top was to create a dynamic upwards movement, uplifting with a bird rising out of the poppies. The cut away in the centre is to create an aperture through which to look beyond.

What to buy a school community on retiring was a question posed by a local primary teacher. She decided on commissioning a bespoke mosaic to be mounted on an exterior wall for the children to enjoy. The tree motif referenced the school's logo and the garden idea came about as the teacher had led the school's gardening club. It had to be light, colourful and playful! The mosaic measures 50cm x 50cm with a mid-oak stained wood frame, beige grout and a selection of broken china, stained glass and mirror tiles.

As part of a garden being opened to the public during the National Garden Open Garden Scheme 2018, a client wanted to include some 'garden interventions', just in case flowers were late to bloom! Altogether there were three designs created, anenome, daffodil and peony with three flowerheads of each.

This was an experimentation in using geometric shapes and floral motifs in preparation for a larger piece for an upcoming exhibition. Here are two of the three pieces to hang together in different combinations, smallest to largest, vice versa or randomly. I introduced a small amount of picassette, reducing several willow pattern plates to small rounds and flower petals. The willow pattern was making references to domestic china of the early C20th found in many working class homes.

Talking to colleagues at the Visual Arts Network in Shrewsbury, I decided to move the embroidered tree idea on towards more functional designs. The first two mirrors were 50cms in diameter so allowed a geometric shape to be surface patterned. Early feedback has been good so I'm experimenting on some smaller mirrors to see how the scale works.

Miniature tress have now been added to the forest that is now the studio wall. I have been playing with the perspective, using large and small trees. The embroidered idea is still a strong theme and getting some positive feedback after two Open Studio weekends in Shrewsbury.

The single trees worked in isolation as decorative panels, now I extended the design to create a double tree, making more of the curved base and the earth between the roots.

Looking back over some silk painting work created some years ago, I decided that the tree silhouette would be a good starting point. Someone had recently suggested using thermal panels, which can be cut using a utility knife. The positive and negative effect of the branches against a sky created beautiful patterns.

Series of mosaic roundels 50-30cms in diameter. This commission started with one roundel on the back wall and using a metal lizard water feature as inspiration.

The clients were so pleased with the effect of the sunlight on the mosaic that they commissioned two more in the series of lizards and dragonflies.

,As many of the mosaics are designed for outdoor spaces, I use highly reflective materials including mirrored glass ... a lot! The effect created as the sunlight dances and catches the designs just brings the mosaic alive.

This four by two metre mosaic was designed and made with pupil and staff input. The newt is the school emblem and red is definitely their school colour. Children from Nursery through to Year 2 came to work in the pop-up workshop and were very proud of the finished mosaic.