Birds

BIRDS

After finishing the course, I wanted to challenge myself by creating something significantly larger than my previous works. A 100 × 20 cm mosaic felt ambitious, and it truly was. This piece is intended for my kitchen, and throughout the process, I learned an enormous amount.

I chose to work with ceramic tiles, which I found much more comfortable than glass. They feel safer to handle, and I really enjoy their matte surface. In my earlier glass mosaics, I cut myself every time. With ceramics, it didn’t happen once, which made the process far more relaxed.

I started with a digital sketch and transferred it onto a wooden board using a projector. This approach made working at this scale much easier.

Before this project, I created two mosaics using glass tiles: one before the course, and another afterwards using the reverse technique. While I’m glad I experimented with it, I realised that I don’t enjoy the reverse technique very much. For Birds, I worked face-up with glue so I could see the result immediately, which felt more intuitive to me.

An important challenge in this piece was showing the direction of the birds’ feathers through the placement of the tesserae. Each bird is made using only one colour, so the movement had to come entirely from the direction and rhythm of the small pieces. Gary mentioned this in the course, and applying it here was both demanding and very rewarding. I intentionally kept the background simple to create a clear contrast with the birds.

Looking at the finished work now, I can see mistakes, but this feels like the beginning of a journey. I’ll take a short break, and then continue.

Thank you, Gary! Studying with you was truly inspiring and motivating.