Piece by Piece Artists Embrace Natural Materials

Piece by Piece started the new year by experimenting with a variety of natural materials including stone, marble, wood, seashells, and precious stones and minerals. This workshop was a part of our January theme of natural materials.  Instructor Ellen Dinerman, brought the group back to mosaic roots, using a limited palette of muted and organic colors rich with texture. Some artists infused a bit of modern materials to add verve to their work.

This workshop also presented the opportunity to understand the special qualities of these natural materials. While some rocks and stones can be easily chipped, others require a more precise tool to shape the material. Participants tried their hand at the traditional hammer and hardie, tools dating back thousands of years to create mosaics. Precious stones and minerals, which cannot be broken or chipped, were incorporated and featured as special elements to their work.

While some artists created beautiful abstract designs, others used the materials to interpret landscapes and scenes from nature itself. All of the artists who attended the workshop enjoyed the process of designing with rough materials to create beautiful flowing mosaics.

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