Sarah Kelly’s book sits a little worse for wear on my bookshelf. With crumpled corners and pages marked with grout stains, this book has been with me since I was introduced to mosaics. In those first heady months, I remember pouring over the sumptuous photos of Elaine Goodwin and Sonia King’s elegant mosaics and then carefully underlining instructions so that my mosaics would look equally refined. I soon learned that this was wishful thinking!
As the title suggests, this book is designed as an instruction/project book for beginners, yet it also holds value for more experienced artists. It’s my “go to” book whenever I’m stuck because it offers clear and concise instructions on all aspects of making mosaics. For instance, a chapter on cutting instructions includes nipping vitreous tiles, cutting ceramic tiles, scoring stained glass and using the hammer and hardie. As I often change materials, but with sometimes months (or years) in between, the accompanying photos act as a visual reminder of the correct way to use the tools.
(Book review published in MAANZ Opus Oracle, December 2015)
As the title suggests, this book is designed as an instruction/project book for beginners, yet it also holds value for more experienced artists. It’s my “go to” book whenever I’m stuck because it offers clear and concise instructions on all aspects of making mosaics. For instance, a chapter on cutting instructions includes nipping vitreous tiles, cutting ceramic tiles, scoring stained glass and using the hammer and hardie. As I often change materials, but with sometimes months (or years) in between, the accompanying photos act as a visual reminder of the correct way to use the tools.
(Book review published in MAANZ Opus Oracle, December 2015)