ArtBuzz

Bluegill Glass Mosaic No. 2, 2006

Bluegill Mosaic No. 2, 2006 Sicis Iridium glass tile, glass taxidermy eye, copper. 11" H x 17.5" W x 1.5" D
Purchase Bluegill Mosaic No. 2 for $550 ($500 plus $50 S+H).
My daughter Mya did so well last summer  helping me with mosaic that this year I had her create a whole line of fish. She got to do the fun parts—laying the tile and working out the gradients and shading— I did the mortar, grout, copper banding and provided some small amount of editorial assistance. The work sells at the normal studio rate because it's totally worth it. Her skills are far beyond what you'd expect from a teenager, or even most professional artists. Most of the tile used on this mosaic is from the Iridium line of glass from Sicis. As the light or viewing angle changes, the iridescent surface of the tile closely resembles the  scales of a live fish. The   photo above shows the iridescent sheen. The second pic shows the copper banding that finishes and protects the mosaic. Mosaic is set with mortar on a Hardibacker substrate over plywood and finished around the edges with copper banding. Indoors or out, this mosaic will last lifetimes.

Rainbow Trout Mosaic, 2006

Rainbow Trout Mosaic, 2006 Sicis Iridium glass tile, glass taxidermy eye, copper, Hardibacker substrate. 9" H x 21.25" W x 1.5" D Collaboration: John T. Unger + Mya Smith
Purchase Rainbow Trout Mosaic for $550 ($500 plus $50 S+H).
My daughter Mya did so well last summer  helping me with mosaic that this year I had her create a whole line of fish. She got to do the fun parts—laying the tile and working out the gradients and shading— I did the mortar, grout, copper banding and provided some small amount of editorial assistance. The work sells at the normal studio rate because it's totally worth it. Her skills are far beyond what you'd expect from a teenager, or even most professional artists. Most of the tile used on this mosaic is from the Iridium line of glass from Sicis. As the light or viewing angle changes, the iridescent surface of the tile closely resembles the  scales of a live fish. The   photo above shows the iridescent sheen. The second pic shows the copper banding that finishes and protects the mosaic. The mosaic is set with mortar on a Hardibacker substrate over plywood and finished around the edges with copper banding. Indoors or out, this mosaic will last lifetimes.

Brook Trout Glass Mosaic No. 2, 2006

Brook Trout Mosaic No. 2, 2006 Sicis Iridium glass tile, glass taxidermy eye, copper, Hardibacker substrate. 11" H x 19" W x 1.5" D Collaboration: John T. Unger + Mya Smith
Purchase Brook Trout Mosaic No. 2 for $550 ($500 plus $50 S+H).
My daughter Mya did so well last summer  helping me with mosaic that this year I had her create a whole line of fish. She got to do the fun parts—laying the tile and working out the gradients and shading— I did the mortar, grout, copper banding and provided some small amount of editorial assistance. The work sells at the normal studio rate because it's totally worth it. Her skills are far beyond what you'd expect from a teenager, or even most professional artists. Most of the tile used on this mosaic is from the Iridium line of glass from Sicis. As the light or viewing angle changes, the iridescent surface of the tile closely resembles the  scales of a live fish. The   photo above shows the iridescent sheen. The second pic shows the copper banding that finishes and protects the mosaic. The mosaic is set with mortar on a Hardibacker substrate over plywood and finished around the edges with copper banding. Indoors or out, this mosaic will last lifetimes.

Lunula Tropical Fish Mosaic

Lunula Tropical Fish Mosaic, 2006 Vitreous glass tile, steel frame. 17.25" H x 17.25" W x .75" D Collaboration: John T. Unger + Mya Smith
Purchase Lunula Tropical Fish Mosaic for $560 ($500 plus $60 S+H).
Mya and I collaborated on a few mosaic panels this summer that can either be hung on the wall or converted to table tops. She was really into fish by this point in time, so that's what we did. Mosaic is set with mortar on a Hardibacker substrate  in a steel frame. Indoors or out, this mosaic will last lifetimes.

Lineolatus Tropical Fish Mosaic

Lineolatus Tropical Fish Mosaic, 2006 Vitreous glass tile, steel frame. 17.25" H x 17.25" W x .75" D Collaboration: John T. Unger + Mya Smith
Purchase Lineolatus Tropical Fish Mosaic for $560 ($500 plus $60 S+H).
Mya and I collaborated on a few mosaic panels this summer that can either be hung on the wall or converted to table tops. This one is particularly striking. A great accent for kitchen or bath, patio or yard. Mosaic is set with mortar on a Hardibacker substrate in a steel frame. Indoors or out, this mosaic will last lifetimes.

New Iridescent Glass Fish Mosaics

My daughter Mya and I collaborated this summer on the five fish below… she got to do the fun part, actually cutting and laying out the tile. I built the forms, framed them in copper, set the tile and grouted the mosaics. I'm amazed at how good she's gotten in the last two summers! These are easily the equal in quality of any professional mosaic artist I'm aware of.

Fish are a great subject for mosaic. The tiny tesserae (cut glass bits) give the impression of scales and the iridescent glass creates a highly realistic shimmer on the surface of these fish. When light moves across them, they look almost real.

All five are one of a kind and can be purchased through the new storefront I'm setting up on esnips. I'll still post work for sale directly on the ArtBuzz blog from time to time, but esnips makes creating the PayPal buttons a lot easier and quicker. To see larger photos or to buy one of these fish, just click the little widget buttons below and visit the esnips page.

 

       

   

 

Since each mosaic is one of a kind, I've placed PayPal buttons only on the images of the full fish, and left them off the detail images (which you can check out on my mosaic catalog page at esnips). That way, there's no risk of accidentally selling the fish twice.

If you are interested in a work which has already sold, it is possible to commission a similar work. A commissioned work will differ from the original to some degree but in the case of mosaic I can usually create a reasonably close match. The two brook trout mosaics in this gallery will give you a good idea of  what to expect in this case— they're not the same piece, but they're similar enough that it's a bit hard to tell them apart (hint: one has more brown where thetail meets the body). I can also create custom mosaics from any image you supply.

Iridescent Trout Mosaic by My Favorite Child Prodigy

Scroll down to view detail images.

 

This is my daughter Mya's first solo project in mosaic. She did an absolutely amazing job on the gradients and shading— way beyond what you'd expect from a 15 year-old, or even most professional artists.To be honest, I'm actually a little bit jealous. I'm now encouraging her to go ahead and get a degree in Classics rather than business. That way, if she can't find work I'll be able to bring her on as a full partner in the studio. Right now, her heart is set on a career in writing and/or comics. So, as soon as this piece sells, she'll be getting her very own powerbook as payment for all the great work she did here over the summer.

 

       

       

 

Most of the tile used on this mosaic is from the Iridium line of glass from Sicis. As the light or viewing angle changes, the iridescent surface of the tile closely resembles the actual scales of a live fish. The first detail photo above shows the iridescent sheen. The second pic shows the copper banding that finishes and protects the mosaic. In the third image, you can see both the normal and iridescent coloration, as well as getting a sense of Mya's amazing work on shading.

 

Brown Trout Glass Mosaic, 2005
artist/designer	Mya Smith & John T. Unger
medium	Iridescent Vitreous glass tile, Stone beads, glass eye, Hardibacker substrate, framed in copper.
size	21" x 27.5" x 1.25"
availability	Unique Piece, act quick!
price	$900.00
S&H	$60.00 UPS Ground
	Purchase item ($960 with S+H).