Contemporary mosaic art has an almost limitless variety of style and form, ranging from flat surfaces to three-dimensional objects. This album displays the work of 45 international artists with brief descriptions of their lives and artistic philosophies. As a source of ideas, it is similar to Martin Cheek's Mosaics Design Sourcebook (LJ 10/15/98), with a broader range of styles and motifs. There are no projects, but the mosaic works are beautifully photographed with detailed close-ups as well as views of entire pieces, many of which are outdoors or are architectural features in buildings. Recommended for arts and crafts collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
Glass mosaicists take note and check out this book. Authors Locktov and Clagett have put together an impressive portfolio of artists working with mosaics in glass, ceramic, stone, and mixed media. Despite the varied materials, the section of "Mosaic Design" devoted to glass and mixed media mosaics is so rich in inspiring works, it will drive home even further the notion that the resurgence of mosaics is the most exciting thing happening in flat glass today. The group of glass artist featured includes Erin Adams (whose work is featured on page 6 in this issue), Ellen Blakely, whose preferred medium is shattered safety glass salvaged from vandalized bus shelters and store windows, Felice Nittolo of Ravenna, Italy, who works in Byzantine styled mosaics, Lucio Orsoni of the Orsoni factory who specializes in the use of smalti (small, glass mosaic elements) and Diana Maria Rossi, whose highly faceted surfaces have a strong emotional impact. The artists whose works employ other media offer plenty in the way of inspiration, making, this handsome volume a valuable resource for today's mosaic movement. -- Glass Craftsman Magazine, December 1998 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
This book will inspire mosaic artists of all levels with more than 250 color photographs dramatically documenting the work of forty-two international mosaic artists. This book is not a how-to guide or step-by-step guide, rather it is pure inspiration. This book features a wide range of projects: commercial, home decor, and outlets for creative impulses. Some examples include a swimming pool, floors in public building, fanciful home interiors, mirrors, entryways, teapots, small art pieces and monumental sculptures, etc. The mosaics are created in a variety of media - glass, marble, stone, as well as a mix of the three media. The scope of this book is international, with contributors coming from the United States, Italy, France England, Norway, Israel, and Japan.
About the Author
JoAnn Locktov is a former film producer and currently a decorative painter and ardent admirer of mosaic art. Originally from California, she is a graduate of UC Berkeley in Economics and Art History.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Introduction:
Mosaic design is a fascinating art based on paradoxes that must be embraced. Among these are the pieces, multiple objects of simplicity fused into a singular, complex wholeness; the irregularity that springs from deliberation; and more often than not, the creation that is wrought from destruction. Such paradoxes are put into a singular, complex wholeness; the irregularity that spring from deliberation; and, more often than not, the creation that is wrought from destruction. Such paradoxes are put into context by the mosaicist when the principles of other visual arts are applied. By shaping tesserae like a sculptor, choosing colors like a painter, and weaving patterns like a fiber artist, the mosaicist presents his or her vision. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
