When I started Mosaics class last September I decided to do 3 pieces with the same general design using different mosaic techniques. I thought it would be a good way to learn about this medium.
What I learned with this first mosaic was profound. I wanted this to be very controlled and exactly 11″ x 14″. The technique was to cut out a slab of clay and then cut the pieces and put them together like a puzzle. Well, as soon as I started to move the cut pieces of the puzzle they changed shape and I couldn’t figure out how to put them back together. With the help of my mosaic teacher, Jessica, I got it back together and quickly realized that the idea of straight boarders was out of the question. This is where I learned that I only have some control over the clay and what the end product is going to look like. 
Now I let the ideas come to me instead of imposing them on the clay and the mosaic. As I see the mosaic in my mind I create what I see. Each piece takes a long time because although I generally get an idea of the whole mosaic before I start, I see the details as I go. It took a while for me to see how to put this together after my original plan didn’t work out. I love the end result and see that it’s me. I love the fluidity and movement. Since this one I’ve gotten a little (but not much) faster now that I know my process.
The second in the series is made of Glass. I created the tree with clay as I did in the first one and then added all the background using glass and pebbles. I textured the tree with a piece of real tree bark.
The third in the series came as a complete surprise. I decided to make a mosaic as a gift. It was going to be a smaller version of the first two. Again, you can see that I really don’t control the end product. I started by making the tree as I did in the glass piece. When I placed it on the board I realized it needed to be way bigger than I had planned. After I glued the tree onthe board I saw the coyote with the bandana howling at the moon and the bird in the tree. I don’t know where the coyote came from but I think he’s linked to the person this one is going to. The background is cut and broken ceramic pieces and the border is glass.
This was a little challenging to make because the background pieces are all different sizes and textures. It’s a combination of clay tiles that I cut up and broken pottery. I love the end result and the coyote is so fun.
I didn’t know it was the third in the series until it was almost finished and I realized that I used different materials than in the first two. I had another piece in mind for the third one. I guess it’s now going to be a series of four instead of three!
Judy A Cohen 