Mosaic Beach Blog

Latest piece completed

Bamboo coffee table. 3' x 3' stained glass in a wrought-iron base. It took forever but I love it. (and I love the wrought iron ledge under the coffee table so I can store all my stuff under there and show off the mosaic!). YEAH!

Wicked Blog

http://torontocraftalert.blogspot.com/

For those of you in the crafty way check out this wicked website. Lots of info on shows and general artsy-fartsy goings-on in the city.

New Piece

just finished this one for a client ... thought you guys might enjoy seeing it!

Floor Medallion

Hey guys!

Well, I finally finished the medallion. For those who haven't been by lately, I had been working on a huge (49.5" diameter) marble mosaic for a new retail store called INDIVA at 83 Bloor West. (just West of Bay Street). I have had so many requests for the pics I thought I should post some here for you. I had their logo blown up to the appropriate size & then used the mesh method AND tile tape   to make it easier to install. It took just shy of 100 hours but was worth it in the end don't you think??

What am I working on for '07?

Hmm, I get that question a lot. '07 is bringing the big move, but also a push into expanding my personal creativity (and improving my spelling).  I am working at incorporating different materials into my mosaics, like stained glass. My big goal this year is to get better at cutting stained glass which I surprisingly enjoy. I would also like to draw better so am looking for a class to help me with that, and I would like to be less rigid about the andamenti (laying out the tiles) rules. I am such a slave to tradition.

What are your 2007 creative resolutions?

How did I start Mosaic Beach Studio?

I am constantly asked how I got my start in the mosaic biz. It is a bit of a tale but one I want to share because so many people I meet on a daily basis are unhappy about their careers or at a crossroads of some sort. This is my tale of encouragement!

No, I don't have an art degree or background in mosaic. I had a terrific job in sales that I enjoyed but the company was purchased, departments changed & things really weren't fun anymore. After working full-time for 12 years (while going to university at night for 6) I decided it was time to do that backpacking tour that everyone else did when they were 18! or 22! I was just a wee bit older. I travelled south east Asia for nearly a year and had a terrific time but when I came home broke & ready to get back to work I found my heart wasn't in it anymore. I spent a couple years working in sales in the dot.com world and really disliked it. I felt that I was not offering any value to the world & was happy when the job disappeared with all the other dot.com jobs in 2001. (although my pocketbook sure wasn't!!)

I decided to do a bit more travelling (South America this time) & came back with barely a plan as to what to do next. I even thought of selling everything and moving to Venezuela to teach English. It was an interesting time. During the previous few years I had been mosaicking as a hobby (that will be another musing post on how I found mosaic!) and had done a bit of tile work. So when a contractor buddy was in a jam and asked me to do a tile job for him I said sure. And then another one asked. And so on and so on...so I stuck out a shingle doing artistic tile work & mosaics and there it began. Tile & mosaic installations are physically demanding & I have a bad back so I learned quickly this was not a long term career move. Plus, I hated getting up at 7am. :) People had often asked me to make them mosaics or teach them how so I thought...hmmm, business opportunity? Also, it was bloody hard to find materials anywhere and I kept having to special order them from the US. I decided to rent a studio space, offer classes & carry some materials...and VOILA, 4 years later we are still kicking...COOL EH!?

So if you are thinking about a career change or just a change of scenery..go for it. You just never know where you'll end up. And that really is the coolest thing about it.

Got an inspirational story? Share it!

Cheers, Tanya