You are currently browsing the monthly archive for December, 2006.
Volubilis overview on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Those Romans sure got far. Here was a whole city of ruins, complete with sewage systems, impressive floor mosaics (guarded by no more than a simple chain) and what city is complete without a brothel.
Volubilis must have been an awesome bustling city in the first centuries AD. Citizens of Volubilis were exempt of Roman taxes, because they lived so far away. Must have been paradise!
House of Orpheus, Volubilis on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Marble mosaic floor ‘House of Orpheus’, Volubilis.
SANY0806 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
‘House of Orpheus’ marble mosaic floor detail, Volubilis
DSC01819Volubilis on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
‘The Exploits of Hercules’ marble mosaic floor, Volubilis
CIMG0444 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
‘Aphrodite taking a Bath’ marble mosaic floor, Volubilis
CIMG0421 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Bacchus checks out hot babe., originally uploaded by snarl.
a mosaic on the floor of the ‘Knight’s house’ in Volubilis, near Meknes, Morocco. Bacchus finds Ariadne asleep, Theseus having wandered off somewhere. The winged Eros makes a suggestion. Mosaic is about six feet across.
saucy on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Detail of a mosaic on the floor of the ‘Knight’s house’ in Volubilis, near Meknes, Morocco: Bacchus’ standing behind Ariadne’s bare leg. they went on to have six children together.
Hercules with pet Cerberus on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
in the floor of the ‘Labours of Hercules house’ in Volubilis, near Meknes, Morocco. mosaic is about two feet across.
hercules and the Cretan bull on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
in the floor of the ‘Labours of Hercules house’ in Volubilis, near Meknes, Morocco. mosaic is about two feet across, special appearance by dead lion.
4 Photos above taken in the middle of a torrential rain that cleared the ruins of other tourists, and washed all the dust off the mosaics so i could get a decent picture. not long after taking this picture, I shared shelter in an upturned bin with one of the site’s guardians, who walk around with whistles to warm people not to knock stuff over or walk on the walls.
Mosaic at Volubilis on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Roman mosaic on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Detail of a single mosaic on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Volubilis (Arabic: وليلي Oualili) is an archaeological site in Morocco situated near Meknes between Fez and Rabat. The nearest town is Moulay Idriss. Volubilis features the best preserved excavations in this part of northern Africa dating from the Roman Empire. In 1997 the site was listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
In antiquity, Volubilis was an important Roman town situated on the westernmost border of Roman conquests. It was built about 40 C.E., probably on the site of a previous Carthaginian settlement from the 3rd century B.C.E. Volubilis takes its name from the Berber name Alili meaning Oleander flower, which is common in the area.
Volubilis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mosaic Art Source - Mosaic Floor Images Archive
hungarian parliament iii: illumination, originally uploaded by averages.
A tour of Parliament Building sheds much light on the craftsmen of its time. Omnipresent among the works installed within the premises are stained glass and glass mosaics by Miksa Roth.
“Miksa Róth was only but 22 years old when the opportunity of getting on the highway to success was opened up before him; he was commissioned to prepare the windows of the church of Máriafalva (now: Mariensdorf, Burgenland, Austria). The study glass (Mary with the child Jesus) prepared for the occasion is to be seen in the first room, and constitutes one of the museums most precious works of art.
The significant breakthrough, however, for him was marked by the year 1896 when he won the competition for preparing the glass windows of the House of Parliament in Budapest. One year later he was the person due to whom preparing mosaic was established in Hungary.
His mosaic works the Rising Sun and the Pax and Tree of Jesse exhibited in the mosaic room won him a silver medal at the Paris World Exhibition, 1900. In 1902 at the Turin World Exhibition and two years later at the St. Louis World Exhibition (USA) he was awarded Grand Prix. After the next two years at the Milan Exhibition of Applied Arts organized for the occasion of the opening ceremony of the Simplon tunnel, he was already a member of the international jury, in the company of Victor Horta.
Besides, in these years he was also engaged in preparing large-scale mosaics placed at public places. Just to mention a few from among the most famous ones: the monumental Patrona Hungariae mosaic on the facade of the former Turkish Bank House on Szervita Square, Budapest; the mosaic pictures on the sidewalls of Saint Stephen Basilica; the mosaic on the groundfloor of the Music Academy. He prepared the mosaic of the Holy Right niche in the Royal Castle Chapel too, which was demolished after the Second World War and reconstructed in Balatonalmádi.
The Hungarian Parliament Building (Hungarian: Országház) is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary, one of the world’s greatest legislative buildings, a notable landmark of Hungary and a popular tourist destination of Budapest. It lies in Kossuth Lajos Square, right on the bank of the Danube
Hungarian Parliament Building - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Greek Orthodox Church at Madaba on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Madaba is best known for its superb, historically significant Byzantine era mosaics. Madaba’s most famous site is the Mosaic map in the 19th century Greek Orthodox St George’s Church. Unearthed 1864, the mosaic was once a clear map with 157 captions (in Greek) of all major biblical sites from Lebanon to Egypt. The mosaic was constructed AD 560 & once contained more than 2 million pieces, only 1/3 of the whole now survives.
6th century Madaba Map found during construction in 1898 of St George’s church, originally uploaded by anilegna.
Madaba, مادبا, is a capital city of Madaba Governorate of Jordan, which has a population of about 60.000. Madaba is the fifth most populous town in Jordan. It is best known for its Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics, especially a large Byzantine-era mosaic map of Palestine and the Nile delta. Madaba is located 30 miles south-west of the capital Amman.
Madaba - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
map portrays the physical charteristics of the Eastern Byzantine World… on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
including rivers, valleys, the dead sea & its neighbouring hills & towns… on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
The Madaba Map is the oldest extant map of the Holy Land and is dated to the middle of the 6th century AD. It was discovered late in the 19th century, during an excavation and reconstruction of a mosaic floor in St George’s Church in Madaba, Jordan. The mosaic is a detailed map of Jerusalem as it appeared at the height of the Byzantine period. The map depicts some famous Old City structures such as the Damascus Gate, St. Steven’s Gate, the Golden Gate, the gate leading to Mount Zion, the Citadel (Tower of David), the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Cardo Maximus.
Madaba Map - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Madaba’s Jerusalem Mosaic Map on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
1029 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
6th century Madaba Map - dead sea on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Mosaic, originally uploaded by Brent73.
How were the mosaics found in Madaba?
The first mosaics were discovered, purely by chance, during the building of the new permanent dwellings using squared-up stones from the old monuments. The new inhabitants of Madaba, made conscious of the importance of the mosaics by their priests, made sure that they took care of and preserved all the mosaics that came to light.
The mosaic Map of Madaba was discovered in 1896; the findings were published a year later. This discovery drew the city to the attention of scholars worldwide. It also positively influenced the inhabitants who shared the contagious passion of F. Giuseppe Manfredi to whose efforts we owe the discovery of most of the mosaics in the city. Madaba became the “City of Mosaics” in Jordan.
The northern part of the city turned out to be the area containing the greatest concentration of mosaic monuments. During the Byzantine-Umayyad period, this northern area, crossed by a colonnaded Roman road, saw the building of the Church of the Map, the Hippolytus Mansion, the Church of the Virgin Mary, the Church of Prophet Elijah with its crypt, the Church of the Holy Martyrs (Al-Khadir), the Burnt Palace and the Church of the Sunna’ family.
The Madaba Mosaic Map is an index map of the region, dating from the sixth century CE, preserved in the floor of the Greek Orthodox Basilica of Saint George. With two million pieces of colored stone, the map depicts hills and valleys, villages and towns in Palestine and the Nile Delta. The mosaic contains the earliest extant representation of Byzantine Jerusalem, labeled the “Holy City.” The map provides important details as to its 6th century landmarks, with the cardo, or central colonnaded street and the Holy Sepulchre clear visible. This map is one key in developing scholarly knowledge about the physical layout of Jerusalem after its destruction and rebuilding in AD 70.
Other mosaic masterpieces found in the church of the Virgin and the Apostles and the Archaeological Museum, depict a profusion of flowers and plants, birds and fish, animals and exotic beasts, as well as scenes from mythology and everyday pursuits of hunting, fishing and farming. Hundred of other mosaics from the 5th through the 7th centuries are scattered throughout Madaba
Madaba - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Virtual Trip through the Madaba Map Holy Places a fascinating trip through the Holy Places as they had been represented on the mosaic floor of the ancient church at Madaba (Jordan)
Gandi’s Room at Mani Bhavan on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Mosaic Floor in Ghandi’s Room on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Mosiac Tile at Mani Bhavan (Ghandi’s House) on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Mani Bhavan (Ghandi’s House) on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Mani Bhavan (Ghandi’s House) on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Mani Bhavan (Ghandi’s House) on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Mani Bhavan, located at # 19, Laburnum Road in the Gamdevi precinct of downtown Mumbai, acted as the focal point of Gandhi’s political activities in Mumbai between 1917 and 1934.
The mansion belonged to Revashankar Jagjeevan Jhaveri and the Mani family prior to that, Gandhi’s friend and host in Mumbai during this period. It was from Mani Bhavan that Gandhi initiated the Non-Cooperation, Satyagraha, Swadeshi, Khadi and Khilafat movements. In 1955, the building was taken over by the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi in order to maintain it as a memorial to Gandhi, to his frequent stays, and to the political activities he initiated from there.
Gandhi’s association with the charkha (Hindi: Spinning Wheel) began in 1917, while he was staying at Mani Bhavan.
Mani Bhavan is also closely associated with Gandhi’s involvement in the Home Rule Movement, as well as his decision to abstinence from drinking cow’s milking in order to protest the cruel and inhuman practice of phookan meted out to milch cattle common during that period.
Mani Bhavan: Information from Answers.com
Thanks for the link Hbyerl 
Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura_1 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura - mosaico on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
mosaic of the front of San Paolo church, work of Filippo Agricola and Nicola Consoni (XIX century)
San Paolo Exterior Mosaics
The gold mosaics are impressing, especially on a sunny day or in the evening when the façade is floodlit. The mosaics that were here at the time of the fire were moved to the arch over the apse. The present ones were made between 1854 and 1874 by Vatican workshops, based on designs by Filippo Agricola and Nicola Consoni. Christ is shown between the Apostles Peter and Paul. Below is the Lamb of God on the mountain of Paradise. The four rivers symbolize the gospels, and the twelve lambs drinking from the rivers symbolize the Apostles. The cities are Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The lower section shows the Old Testament Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel.
San Paolo fuori le Mura - Churches of Rome Wiki - A Wikia wiki
Church mosaic on Flickr! left side of the church entrance.
Church mosaic on Flickr - Photo Sharing! right side of the church entrance.
Stanford Campus Church Mosaics
the snake and the playground, originally uploaded by carolyn_in_oregon.
Neighborhood: The Mission
24th Street
Between York and Bryant
San Francisco, CA 94110
The mosaic snake sculpture, entitled “Quetzalcoatl,” by local artists Mark Roller, Colette Crutcher and Aileen Barr, was created under the auspices of Susan Cervantes, founder of Precita Eyes Muralists. The serpent represents Quetzalcoatl, the Mesoamerican feathered serpent god, who is both life-giver and culture hero, bestowing various gifts on humankind such as agriculture, writing and architecture. These gifts are represented by five cast concrete medallions along the snake’s body. The body and head of the snake are formed out of concrete and covered with mosaic consisting of broken commercial tiles and several hundred handmade tiles, representing Quetzalcoatl’s feathers.
24th Street Mini Park - San Francisco - Yelp
Thanks for the links Linda.
American Visionary Art Museum on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
American Visionary Art Museum on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
avam exterior on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
IMG_1071 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Entrance to the Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore.
Visionary entrance on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
IMG_1065 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
The museum is housed in three buildings, along with some outdoor space and is partially covered in this mirrored mosaic. The works inside are all by artists with no formal training, but some were simply spectacular.
What is The American Visionary Art Museum?
The American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) is an art museum located in the Federal Hill neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. The city agreed to give the museum a piece of land on the south shore of the Inner Harbor under the condition that its organizers would clean up residual pollution from a copper paint factory and a whiskey warehouse that formerly occupied the site. It has been designated by Congress as America’s national museum for self-taught art.
Photo of Rebecca Hoffberger by Craig Terkowitz
Who is the Visionary behind it all?
The founder and director of AVAM is Rebecca Hoffberger, a former psychiatric nurse who left her job to “trumpet the wonders of raw human creativity” [1]. She raised $7 million in six years from donors such as Anita Roddick before opening the museum to the public on November 24, 1995.
Although her ability to raise large quantities of cash is impressive, her rejection of academic scholarship and her refusal to follow tradition have upset prominent members of the art world. For examples, Chicago art dealer Carl Hammer said, “To open a museum of this magnitude, and the fact that no one had ever heard of her before… She totally ignored the rest of scholarship and just did it completely on her own. It gave people immediate bad vibes… The museum did things its own way, without coming to anyone else” (Fine 2004, p. 253).
Despite her philosophies, and often in fact because of them, the museum has won the support of collectors and the public through its exhibitions that examine the relationship of art to the human condition rather than to the canon of art history. The museum has no staff curators, preferring to use guest curators for its shows. Rather than focusing shows on specific artists or styles, it sponsors “themed” exhibitions with titles such as Wind in Your Hair and High on Life. Hoffberger takes pride in the fact that AVAM is “pretty un-museumy” [2].
AVAM has 55,000 square feet of exhibit space but has a permanent collection of only 5,000 pieces. Some of this work is displayed in a gallery on the first floor of the Main Building, throughout the James Rouse Visionary Center, and outdoors when new temporary “themed” exhibitions are being installed.
American Visionary Art Museum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mosaic Art Source American Visionary Art Museum Mosaic Archive
DSC01006 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
DSC01005 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Icarus mosaic @ American Visionary Art Museum, the coolest art museum ever!
Mosaic Art Source American Visionary Art Museum Mosaic Archive
Chardonnay Tree, originally uploaded by Linus Gelber.
Mirrors AVAM on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
The Bling Tree, originally uploaded by Linus Gelber.
The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore is an exquisite, insane place. It’s a loopy small-scale Guggenheim of a building, encrusted all along the front facade with chips of splintered glass and shards of mirror. The effect is welcoming, enthusiastic, and a bit dotty.
The patient tree out front is also covered with plates and bits of glass and mirror. The trunk is tiled from ground level up; the branches are festooned with shiny colorful strands, garnished with the occasional hoops and rosettes, all blazing under the relentless sun.
Icterus Baltimore Aquus Marinus on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
I spotted this most rare blue-colored Baltimore Oriole, the Icterus Baltimore Aquus Marinus, perched in the employeee parking lot of the AVAM.
Mosaic Art Source American Visionary Art Museum Mosaic Archive
mosaic stair on Flickr - Photo Sharing! sydney
Steps located on the coastal walk between Bondi Beach and Coogee, Sydney, Australia
Mosaic Art Source - Mosaic Stairs & Step Images Archive
Mosaic on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
16th Ave. Stairs on Flickr - Photo Sharing! san francisco
Stairway to heaven? on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Mosaic stairs on Flickr - Photo Sharing! san francisco california
Golden Gate Heights stairwalk July 30 2006 - 120 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Golden Gate Heights stairwalk July 30 2006 - 121 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Golden Gate Heights stairwalk July 30 2006 - 119 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
The moon and stairs on Flickr - Photo Sharing! Moraga street stairs
Moraga stairway on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Moraga stairway on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Moraga stairway plaque on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
16th Ave. Stairs II on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
This mosaic staircase was inspired by the mosaic steps that lead up a long hill to the neighborhood of Santa Teresa, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps project has been a neighborhood effort to create a beautiful mosaic running up the risers of the 163 steps located at 16th and Moraga in San Francisco, California.
Artists Aileen Barr and Colette Crutcher led the creation of the 163 mosaic panels that were applied to the step risers, over 300 neighbors joined us in making them, and over 220 neighbors sponsored handmade animal, bird and fish name tiles imbedded within the mosaic. The City permitting process was completed on August 18, 2004. KZ Tile, a major San Francisco tilesetting company, generously agreed to set the mosaic panels into the risers and tile the step treads with rough, nonslip tile.
How was the mosaic installed?
The mosaic was created in 163 separate panels by the artists, working together with project volunteers. High-fire outdoor tile was used. The panels were laid out on mesh backing, then applied to the risers by a professional tilesetter, according to the highest industry standards. Finally, the tilesetter grouted the mosaic and paved the treads with ADA-compliant tile.
16th Ave Tiled Steps Project - San Francisco
Mosaic Art Source - Mosaic Stairs & Step Images Archive
Mosaic steps in Santa Teresa in Rio. (same steps from previous 2 pic.) on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
A escada de azulejos da Lapa. on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
the great madness on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Escadaria Selaron, Lap on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
A escada de azulejos da Lapa. on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
101_0057 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Escadaria Santa Teresa - Rio de Janeiro on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
A escada de azulejos da Lapa. The stair of tiles on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
A escada de azulejos da Lapa. on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Jorge Selaron Palma Louca - Photo Journals - Selarón’s world -
“I was born in Chilli in 1947 and, after travelling, working and living in more than 50 countries, I arrived in Brazil in 1983. In 1990, I started work on my major masterpiece which, little by little, turned into the most original stairway in the world. It has 250 stairs and is 125 metres long.
In the beginning, everyone laughed at me I covered the steps in green, blue and yellow tiles - the colours of the Brazilian flag. As I worked, my profession changed from painter to sculptor, my hands covered in blood, calluses, irritating and in pain. Even though the work was difficult, I was passionate about it.
The rent was late, the phone was cut but every time I succeeded in finding some money, I bought materials and continued, obsessed and possessed. I worked without rest and I stopped when I had no more material left. When that happened, I painted paintings to earn some money so that I would be able to continue my work. Since 1977, I have painted and drawn over 25,000 pregnant women, my choice of subject due to a past personal issue. I have already painted more than 300 tiles and I have put much of my life into my masterpiece. I have invented a fantastic unique technique which consists of constantly changing the tiles. This gives a unique energy, and makes it a living, mutating work of art with over 2000 different tiles, collected in over 60 different countries.”
Mosaic Stairs - Santa Teresa Steps - Mosaic Artist - Jorge Selaron
Mosaic Art Source - Mosaic Stairs & Step Images Archive
Heads of State - Mosaic Artist - Daryl Lynne Wood
I am honored to present this month’s featured Mosaic Artist, Daryl Lynne Wood
Daryl Lynne’s latest mosaic ‘Heads of State, Round Table Summit’ is so incredibly unique that I knew there must be a story behind it. I asked if she could provide a little insight into her inspiration & process…
Daryl Lynne When I work in my studio I listen to CBC all day. I hear so many programs about Round Table Summit Meetings along with all the atrocities on the daily news. I become overwhelmed with the thought of wasted human life in areas of cultural conflict.
Being able to create art work in a peaceful setting usually seems so far removed from the everyday suffering of so many people, that I wanted to make some small effort towards the idea of communication and tolerance amongst varied cultures.
My purpose became to manifest “peace by piece”. I laid each mosaic piece in the hope of communicating an alternative to violent conflict and the idea that mixed cultures could co-exist the way varied materials coexist in harmony in a mosaic.
M.A.S. Mosaic Gallery - Mosaic Artist - Daryl Lynne Wood
Mosaic Art Focus - The Mosaic Art Source Newsletter
Please Note: This Mosaic Image may not be reproduced in any form without the legal authorization of the artist. Please be aware that Mosaic Artists worldwide have united to form an International Mosaic Art Watch Group that will support the prosecution of anyone who does so.
Josef Norris
Kid Serve Supervising Artist & Director Josef Norris shares his experience creating mosaic murals with children:
- m.a.s. any advice for artists interested in working on large scale mosaic projects with children?
- Josef The most important part of any kids project is to form a strong partnership with the adults involved. Be careful of volunteers – they’re great if they show up – but don’t count on them. Work with small groups of kids, usually not more than 6 at a time.
M.A.S. Mosaic Article - Kid Serve - Creating Mosaic Murals with Children
Mosaic Art Focus - The Mosaic Art Source Newsletter
Mosaic Art Source Kid Serve & Josef Norris Mosaic Image Archive
Mosaic Artist & Photographer- Arlene Piarulli
The Prix Picassiette International Mosaic Exhibit in Chartres, France included a rich array of subject, material, texture & color in both 2 & 3D mosaics. Special thanks to mosaic artist & exhibitor Arlene Piarulli for sharing her photos with us!
The Prix Picassiette Mosaic Exhibition was created in 1996 at the 10th anniversary of the 3R association. The Association promotes the creation of mosaics and was inspired by Raymond Isidore who covered his house with mosaics. The “maison picassiette” is located in Chartres, France.
M.A.S. Mosaic Exhibit - Prix Picassiette 2006 Mosaic Photos
Mosaic Art Focus - The Mosaic Art Source Newsletter
Please Note: This Mosaic Image may not be reproduced in any form without the legal authorization of the artist. Please be aware that Mosaic Artists worldwide have united to form an International Mosaic Art Watch Group that will support the prosecution of anyone who does so.
Mosaic Art Source - Raymond Isidore & La Maison Picassiette Image Archive
Mosaic Nativity on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Wishing everyone love, laughter & happiness this holiday season!
Donna & Aurlie Young
Mosaic Art Source December Newsletter - Happy Holidays! - Vancouver, BC
eastie26, originally uploaded by ♥ mercy.triumphs.judgment.
the shrine has stations of the cross, plus other miscellaneous mosaics.
Madonna & Child Jesus on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Detail of the Nativity from the ceiling of the Martorana, Palermo, Sicily.
Sicily is home to a number of fine 12th Century mosaics executed by Greek (Byzantine) craftsmen with an Arab workforce.
Mosaic, as a term, is derived through generations of gradual change from the Greek mouseion, “appertaining to the Muses.” In the laterLatin there are the terms opus musivum “mosaic work, musivarius, mosaic worker,” but probably the English word “mosaic” is derived immediately from the French mosaique, which with its earlier form mousaique can only be borrowed from the Italian or Provençal and cannot be the descendant of the earlier French form musike.
Both “mosaic” and “museum” have there roots in the same Greek origin…The Mouseion being the first ‘museum’ founded in Alexandria in the timeof the Ptolomies (2nd Century BC).
FAIRY TALE OF THE “SNOWGIRL”, originally uploaded by Noisypond.
FAIRY TALE OF THE “SNOWGIRL”, 1994
Designed and fabricated by Khaim Pinkhasik (born 1940), Chicago.
Based on the Russian fairy tale told to Khaim Pinkhasik as a child, the nocturnal scene depicts Father Winter in full white beard in a snow filled landscape, the centre of which is a Christmas tree with its star full ablaze. In the foreground, Daughter Snow is holding a lantern while all around her animals of the forests come out to look.
Though the scene is based on childhood stories, it may also be an allegory for Soviet severity which even at its most stern and cold, represented by Father Winter, could not suppress the spirit of the people, the Daughter of Snow, to find beauty all around and celebrate tradition.
The mosaic on display is composed of many individual pieces of glass, each hand-cut and placed in its designated place. There is no paint used to enhance color or shading in this process. Choice of color and size dictate the various intricacies and details.
It is not unusual for a large mosaic to have several thousand pieces of precisely hand-cut and placed glass, often requiring many months of intensive hand labor to complete.
Pinkhasik was born in 1940 in Minsk, Russia where he also attended the local art school and graduated in 1965. Over the next 15 years Pinkhasik received many commissions in the former Soviet Union to do mosaics of the Communist leaders, Lenin and Stalin, as well as many lesser Soviet officials. His work can still be seen in numerous public buildings and museums throughout the former Soviet Union.
In 1980 a Jewish organization sponsored Pinkhasik and his wife Valentina to immigrate to the United States and settle in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1982 he moved to Chicago. His work has been widely praised, including an appearance on the Jay Leno Show and CNN, while his mosaic portraits of Illinois Governor George Ryan and former President George Bush have received wide publicity.
One of the principle oppressions Pinkhasik endured was that of controlled artistic expression. He yearned to be unhindered in form and subject. His release came upon coming to America and can be felt in his more recent work. Pinkhasik believes that in America “there is freedom to blossom and grow in artistic creativity”. There is also a deep spiritual heritage that has begun to emerge in his work as he acknowledges his God-given talent while enjoying unfettered expression. Like his mosaics he is illuminated from within.
Mosaic Stained Glass by Khaim Pinkhasik
For centuries intricately detailed scenes have been depicted by inlaying small pieces of variously colored materials to form pictures or patterns. Mosaics have adorned public places as well as the homes of nobility and commoner alike. Mosaics have been done with wood chips, colored stones and tiles, glass and semi-precious stones.
For the first time, however, inspired mosaics are being presented in translucent glass.
This process was developed by Khaim Pinkhasik. Each individual piece of glass is hand cut and placed into the design. Intricate detail is achieved by the size and shape of the glass pieces alone without the use of hand painting. Color is dependent upon the stained glass stock and again, is not accomplished by hand painting or tinting.
Generally, mosaics are inlaid with opaque materials in some form of cement. Therefore, they can be viewed from the front only. Pinkhasik mosaics are different because they are made of translucent glass pieces set with a clear fixative on clear glass. The result is a work that is not only viewable from the front, but from the back as well. In addition, the completed work is translucent which means natural light brings them to live like no other mosaic before. When used as a window they become vastly more significant than leaded glass. An entirely new and breathtaking dimension is revealed when artificial light is applied from behind.
Yuriko Tse in Irina Charny’s Magic Butterfly class
Learn to make your own Mosaic Butterfly at the Institute of Mosaic Art
Irina Charny - Mosaic Class
Magic Butterfly — Mixed Media Mosaics Instructor: Irina Charny
Level: Intermediate
Prerequisites: Some mosaic experience
Cost: $200 Sessions: 2
Materials:$45 payable to instructor on the first day of class. Includes a mix of millefiori, Cinca porcelain, beads, gold and other unusual materials. Students may purchase or bring a sampling of vitreous glass or other additional materials. Student discount will apply at Mosaic Studio Supply on site. Go to the current classes page for class dates and times
Delve into the wonderful mysteries of mixed media mosaics and explore the world of color and pattern with award winning mosaic artist Irina Charny.
Irina was born in Russia and emigrated to the States where she has pursued a successful career as a mosaic artist.
Her unique and emotive figurative work explores the nuances of shape, mood and form and her use of color and pattern has made her work stand out in the world of modern mosaics. Ms. Charny brings her unique style and understanding of different media and how they can be combined to IMA for her signature course in which she shares her techniques, views and knowledge with students for the first time.
Known for her breathtaking mosaic butterfly forms, Irnia will guide students in the creation of a mixed media mosaic to be executed on a pre-cut butterfly form (provided).
Students will learn about combining materials, using unusual materials, cutting and setting techniques for mixed medias including ceramic, different types of glass including a combination of vitreous glass, gold, millefiori, unglazed porcelain, beads, and other materials.
Course will include lecture and discussion about the design process including the use of color, pattern, and texture in mosaic. Students will design and execute their own mosaic for interior display. The second day of class will include a discussion about demonstration of grouting and Irina’s unique way of finishing the edge of a piece for professional presentation.
Students will not grout in class, but will use both sessions for mosaic creation. Mosaic experience is required, as this is not a beginning course.
Mosaic Art Source mosaic definition:
millefiori
millefiori - italian “mille” (thousand) “fiori” (flower) - decorative glass made by cutting and arranging cross sections of fused glass rods of various colors and thicknesses.
mosaic art source - mosaic terms glossary - mosaic definitions - mosaic resources
Butterfly by Stacy Alexander, originally uploaded by John and Stacy.
Glass mosaic butterfly by Mosaic Artist - Stacy Alexander - 2006
Mosaic Dragonfly Box, originally uploaded by John and Stacy.
Vitreous Glass tile on wooden box
Stacy Alexander, mosaic artist
2006
Mosaic Art Source mosaic definition: