Red Orchard Mosaic

Red Orchard Mosaic

Outdoor wall panel mosaic

5-6 weeks of work

Recycling ceramic casualties

Broken porcelain shards

Ceramic inserts—leaves and animals

Craig is drilling some holes in the corners for me, getting ready for final installation at a Pezula garden—an outdoor barbecue/braai area. 

Edit: Many years have passed. Craig has moved to the USA, and the client has passed away. I do not make ceramic inserts anymore but am developing online tutorials in a more structured format, in due course, so you can make your own ceramic mosaic tiles and pieces.

Outdoor Garden Table

              

                                       Outdoor garden table with small leaf tile impressions and pink grout

Sold!

Metal table frame that has been powder-coated and galvanized by CX Steel, with
Mosaic leaf tiles and 9mm waterproofed fibre cement board
To make the pink grout, I added red paint to white grout powder. 

tiny leaf tiles in different sizes

Too pink of a grout job?

lighter pink grout

Autumn Tree of life Mosaic

                                               

This mosaic was a commission for a kitchen splashback.

I used my handmade leaf mosaic tiles, broken tiles, flowers, and creatures in the same red-brown tones. After laying it out, I chose glass mosaic tiles for the background in soft caramels and soft opalized colors. I tried to break every mosaic tile to enhance the mosaic effect and not to use the same shapes next to each other or to create patterns.

How to Mosaic on Mesh

Sometimes, it is easier to mosaic on mesh first, rather than directly onto the substrate.

I buy my mesh from a tile shop. Then, once I have my design idea drawn onto the mesh, I apply a watered down  glue to the back of the tile and stick it down on the mesh. Except it’s not that easy. All sorts of things can go wrong. The glue might block the holes of the mesh, and the mesh gets stuck to your work surface. If the weather is wet, the glue never seems to dry. If the completed mesh squares get wet or are kept in a humid environment, the glue stops working and the pieces fall off. All of these things have happened to me and were accompanied by lots of swearing and worrying about the commission being a big flop.

Then I would go to sleep, and in the morning I would think I had the solution and try again. 

I believe this project has brought me to tears more than any other. Collaborating with a renowned artist meant following their direction closely. I significantly underestimated my quote, yet I still found joy in the process and felt privileged to be part of it.

How to Mosaic Using Ceramic Leaf shapes

Making the Leaf Mosaic Pieces

Here’s how I created the ceramic leaf inserts for the mosaic.

I began by rolling out a smooth, even slab of clay, about 6 mm thick. It’s important to keep the thickness uniform so the pieces dry evenly and don’t warp during firing.

Next, I gently pressed fresh leaves into the clay surface to capture their natural texture and vein patterns. I experimented with a mix of foliage—wild geranium, nasturtium, bougainvillea, and cluster fig leaves—each one leaving its own distinctive print.

The variety of shapes and textures gives the finished mosaic a beautiful, organic look—almost like a patchwork of garden memories preserved in clay.

Once the clay has firmed up a little more—no longer sticky, but still slightly pliable—carefully cut around the leaf shapes using a pottery knife (or even an ordinary kitchen knife works perfectly well).

Then leave the pieces to rest overnight. Avoid moving or handling them at this stage, as the clay is still soft and fragile and can easily warp or lose its shape. You can place newsprint and then a board over the leaf tiles and weigh it down—but do not overdo it, just enough weight to prevent warping during the drying process

The next day, once the clay has firmed up past the floppy stage, gently lift the pieces and trim away the excess clay between the leaves—you can recycle those offcuts later.

Use a damp sponge to neaten the edges, keeping the actual leaf in place to protect its beautiful imprint from being wiped away.

Peel off the leaf and gently wipe the edges one more time.

Now it’s time to let the pieces dry slowly and evenly. Avoid drying them too quickly, as that can cause warping or cracking. Patience really pays off here!

Once dry, the pieces will be fired twice—first for the bisque firing, then again after glazing. You can choose to apply color pigments or underglazes either before the first firing or later during the glazing stage, depending on the look you want to achieve. Each option creates its own unique finish and depth of color.

I love the “surfboard” shape of these leaf forms—elegant, slightly curved, and so easy to handle. They nestle together beautifully on the drying board, fitting neatly side by side, ready for their transformation in the kiln.

Craig's Table

My tabletop in progress

Sally, my mosaic student, did well with her 2nd mosaic project.

One of my first leafy tabletops

mosaic seat in progress, with red leaves, a cat, and
other bits and pieces

Green glazed leaves over a brown pigment in the veins of the leaf detail on the tabletop

An easy mosaic project, using leaf mosaic pieces in dove grey, blues, and mauve

'mosaic lessons' and various mosaic things decorating the outside of the Knysna Pottery House

an owl and a hare with various odd leaf tiles that no one wanted

More chair seats using leftover leaf mosaic pieces

Sally, my mosaic student, is doing a fine job of an umbrella stand for her mother, who is the owner of one of my first leaf tabletops. So this umbrella stand will match it nicely.

Winter, mosaic artist in hibernation

I really should update this blog more often. I only like to do that when I actually have something new to show- but I have no new  mosaic projects for a good few reasons. It is winter, it is cold and my enthusiasm levels are low.

I would like to start a new range of really small ceramic things- buttons, inserts, miniature art. The Knysna Pottery House is going full steam ahead, with many projects and commissions and a new pottery teacher on the team. I am temporarily without transport, so am stuck at home for a bit.

My grown up sons have left home,  I still have my kiln and slab roller at home, all I need is some clay, Plaster of Paris for the moulds, and  some enthusiasm. And of course a market to buy the new range.

I have been decorating ceramics- doing quite a lot of houses and landscapes on buildings, painted on large platters and I have enjoyed that for a while. I discovered I can do a good portrait as well. But who on earth would want a portrait of themselves on a tile or a plate- except the Queen of England maybe?

 Recently a SA artist became famous overnight because he did an "artwork" depicting our president with his rude parts exposed. Oh- the hoo ha that created. Maybe I should do an artwork of  Prez. Zuma and his multiple wives and children, grandchildren- - also shocking in some way- and get free publicity?  Ha ha! No way- you have to be absolutely crazy to attract that kind of hate and negative media attention from all the verkrampte (conservatives) in this country. I am certain the artist got a few death threats. Please note- I have not named the artist or the artwork- as it deserves no more attention.

So here are a few of my ceramic plates.

Noetzie beach, Knysna

Palm trees

Thesen House, Knysna

2 large carved vases and a white mosaic mirror by Ruth

Some old houses in Knysna.

Coffee table with purpose made handmade tiles and glass mosaic tiles

Step One- the galvanised metal base

Step 2: Cut the fibre cement board to size 

Step 3: Attach fibre cement to metal base using a pop rivet gun

Glass has been glued over cut outs in sides and top.
Then the handmade tiles were made especially.
This corner had to be re-done as the original got accidentally broken

Went to the Tile House to buy glass mosaics tiles on special-
R45 per sheet

Start arranging the glass tiles- play around with designs

I used clear silicone to attach the glass tiles to the glass sheet

Making progress, and thinking about grout colour

Drying. Tomorrow I will grout the table and add a photo of  the final result on this blog post