Tumbling Clown

This entire design is based on the shape of a cross - from the blue and gold border to the shape of the subject's spread limbs. The clown was drawn from life, inspired by a visit I made to the Moscow State Circus, which had a rather old-fashioned, 1950s' feel to it. The central X of the figure dictated
the line of action of the background which radiates out from it, while the zig-zag border is very much part of the design and helps to emphasize the overall joviality of the piece.

    Desinger and maker: Martin Creek
     Size: 42.5 cm (17 in) square
       Method: Direct
   Medium: Vitreous glass, gold smalti and natural jasper stones

Carrion Crow

This crow is one of a pair of marble paving slabs. I chose this particular bird as a subject because I wanted to use a large area of black granite which contains tiny flecks of sparkling mineral. They catch the light in much the same way as the sheen on the feathers of the real bird sometimes does. I like the way such a simple design with its large, 'plain' areas allows the subtle changes in the natural stone to give the work its intrinsic beauty.

   Desinger and maker: Martin Creek
    Size: 46 cm (18 in) square
   Method: Indirect
   Medium: Marble and granite

Fire Salamander

The design for this paving slab is based on a live creature which Thomas found in a sewerage tank while on holiday in the Ardeche in southern France. Its jet black body had flaming 'Van Gogh yellow' patches and the pose shown here is one he kept for hours on end as he basked in the sun. I left the background deliberately plain and muted to show off the creature's bold colouring.

      Designer and maker: Martin Creek
       Size: 46 cm (18 in) square
   Method: Indirect
   Medium: Marble

Winged Horse

This design has a charming, deliberately naive and slightly airy quality about it, which is not surprising, as it was inspired by a child's drawing. The purple and gold border lend a rich quality to the piece and the positioning of the gold smalti 'dots' was crucial to that overall effect.
I like the challenge of taking a simple drawing, executed in about a minute, and trying to keep that immediately and spontaneity, even though it takes three days to make as a mosaic.
  
                  Designer and maker: Martin Creek
                      Size: 42.5 cm (17 in) square
                           Method: Direct
                  Medium: Vitreous glass and gold smalti

Palm Tree Pot

This colorful pot proves the point of how, when viewed from a distance, the different coloured tesserae fuse together and the mosaic can appear to come alive - or is it just a mirage?!


        Designer and maker: Liz Sims
                      Size: 12.5 cm (5 in) square
                           Method: Direct
                  Medium: Vitreous glass

Button Box

This piece is lively alternative to the Bead Box. Once again, the essential beauty of the buttons have been allowed to dominate the design. As with the bead box, if the entire box had been covered in buttons the finished effect would be overwhelming. So often it proves to be the case that 'less is more', particularly in the case of a mosaic, where the very nature of making an image from many small parts creates a rich, busy result. Limiting the palette, or in this case, the number of buttons, helps to combat this.

                Designer and maker: Martin Creek
                      Size: 30.5 * 21.5 cm (12 * 8 1/2 in)
                           Method: Direct
                  Medium: Ceramic Cinca and Vitreous glass

Cat Firescreen

Kim Williams is a mosaic artist with a very strong sense of colour and design. Placing a cat on a mat in front of a roaring fire is a very witty idea for this firescreen. The colourful vitreous flames shine out because they are glass, in contrast to the non-reflective surface of the ceramic Cinca tiles which were used for the labby.

                   Designer and Maker: Kim Williams
                         Size: 51 * 71 cm (20 * 28 in) square
                            Method: Direct
                   Medium: Ceramic Cinca and Vitreous glass

Whiting Table

The starting point for this design was the way that, as part of their window displays, traditional fishmongers used to place the tail of whole round fish in their mouths, ready for the pot.
It was important to mosaic the dark line of the whiting's back neatly, as this line gives the piece its circular andamento. Long, thin tesserae were used to mosaic the delicate fins. Pieces of broken mirror juxtaposed with silver smalti, placed both right (silver) side and wrong (blue) side uppermost, were used to 'pepper' the background and give it sparkle.

                  Designer and maker: Martin Creek
                      Size: 50.5  cm (20 in)
                           Method: Direct
                  Medium: Vitreous glass, silver smalti and broken mirror with Raku tile eye