Reading Time: 9 minutes Former professional dancer Michael Kruzich brought the skills he’d learned while dancing – discipline, repetition and a strong work ethic – with him to his mosaic practice. Working primarily in the Ravenna method, Michael creates mosaics to express and fulfil his talents. Lynn Jones asks him about his journey so far.
Category Archives: ARTISTS WRITE
Talking to Birds
Reading Time: 11 minutes Helga Maribel Sanchez found her way to The Ruins Project by making three tiny filati-filled rings. And then ten more rings. She became utterly obsessed with the act of pulling filati for the little circles of The Ring Wall at The Ruins, writes Rachel Sager.
African Homestead
Reading Time: 3 minutes African Homestead hangs at Kenyatta Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Created by Kenyan artist Avni Shah with help from her local community, and under the tuteledge of mosaicist Jim Anderson, it depicts an African village scene. Avni writes about its creation.
Wanderlust
Reading Time: 8 minutes Virginia-based Bonnie Fitzgerald has been dedicated to creating and teaching mosaics since the mid 2000s. The concept of ‘wanderlust’ perfectly describes her artistic journey and she writes about it all here.
Artist profile: Mónica Ojeda Cerón
Reading Time: 3 minutes BY MÓNICA OJEDA CERÓN
In a bonus feature for the website version of Issue 4, Chilean artist Mónica Ojeda Cerón writes an introduction about her life as a mosaicist.
The making of Mona Lee
Reading Time: 3 minutes BY AGNIESZKA KWIATKOWSKA
Agnieszka Kwiatkowska created Mona Lee at a time of transformation in her own life. Here, Agnieszka writes about the inspirations and thought processes behind her piece, which is currently being shown at the sixth Ravenna Mosaico biennial event.
The essence of life in glass
Reading Time: 8 minutes After 40 years working in IT designing corporate computer systems for global companies, Yorkshire-based Pete Jauneika embraced early retirement in 2019 to concentrate on his other passion: mosaic art.
Badgers for Chesterfield
Reading Time: 3 minutes BY CORALIE TURPIN
Inspired by geology and light, Sheffield-based sculptor Coralie Turpin has created a number of public artworks across the UK. Here, she tells us about one of her latest exterior projects – a badger-themed, mosaicked sculpture for a new council housing scheme in Chesterfield.
Changing course: My journey out of lockdown
Reading Time: 6 minutes BY FRANCES TAYLOR
Frances Taylor writes about her passion for exterior mosaics and looks back on how Covid-19 changed the course of her business.
Creating coral in glass
Reading Time: 5 minutes BY ELENA FLEURY-ROJO
Elena Fleury-Rojo’s latest collection depicts the “juxtaposition between the weight and durability of rock with the fragility and brittleness of glass”. Here, Elena writes about her love of travel and how she was inspired to recreate coral in glass.
Bringing nature to city playgrounds
Reading Time: 6 minutes WRITTEN & NARRATED BY LYNN JONES
For California mosaicist Wilma Wyss, the desire to make art that enriches public spaces is what excites her most about mosaics. Here, Lynn Jones talks to Wilma about how she expresses her artistic vision through large-scale outdoor mosaics.
The inside and outside: Two architectural installation projects
Reading Time: 6 minutes WRITTEN & NARRATED BY DEBORA ALDO
Connecticut-based Debora Aldo writes about two of her projects, providing insights into what’s involved in creating site-specific, architectural mosaics.
Wisdom and nature infused in glass
Reading Time: 5 minutes BY CHRIS BECKETT
After majoring in art at university, Chris Beckett spent most of her working life as a primary teacher. She discovered glass 17 years ago and hasn’t looked back since.
Imagination, play and art
Reading Time: 6 minutes WRITTEN & NARRATED BY KAREN FRANCESCA
Karen Francesca writes about her journey from a play-filled childhood to studying a masters in art psychotherapy. She describes how she combined her passions for art and gardening to forge a career in community and public art, which creates meaningful connections between people.
Piecing us together
Reading Time: 5 minutes WRITTEN & NARRATED BY KATE KERRIGAN
Kate Kerrigan writes about her inspiring ‘Piecing us together’ project, which has taken her across the US, where the people she meets create a small section of mosaic that will eventually be joined together in one piece. To Kate’s delight, she found much more than mosaic on her journey – healing, connection and joy.
My biggest challenge in glass
Reading Time: 5 minutes WRITTEN & NARRATED BY ABIGAIL RUDKINS
New to leaded stained glass, and used to working on smaller pieces with copper foil, Abigail initially thought completing a commission for three large windows might be out of reach. But with the support of other artists and through hours of learning, she pressed on through self-doubt to create this beautiful piece.