Great Falls of China! Half done! Work in progress mosaic mural by Sandy Robertson. (c)
A great meld of English Mosaic Blues and Fine China! Check back to see finished in a few days.
This shows a mosaic uncleaned, in progress and how you need to stick with the vision as it unfolds......this type of mosaic comes from the heart, a journey that takes it's own course, as does a waterfall...it's fabulous to be so free!

Queens Park Ipswich - interesting article on the mosaic project

http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/indigenous/pdfs/ilg_numbellie_seat_casestudy.pdf
This article gives some good info on the mosaic chair project we are working on at the moment in the studip.

We are working behind the scenes to bring this project together, this week.
Cheers
Sandy Robertson
OzMosaics
http://www.ozmosaics.com/
workshops, community projects, classes, mosaic shop

Tribute to Banjo Paterson, Man from Snowy River Mosaic "high country"

Mosaic for a swap: Palm Grove Australia: Sandy made a modern piece of mosaic art with strips of glass and decorative thinset (cement based adhesive). Streaking the thinset and layering curved wine bottle glass and textured glass, white and grey cement captured the elements of the outback palm grove and paper bark trees, and ghost gums.

Sandy Robertson - "High Country" Italian Orsoni Smalti and Thinset combo. I love all Banjo Paterson poems particularly The Man from Snowy River and this mosaic was inspired by the High Country of Australia. The rocks depict the rough terrain, the white thinset is "snow" as it greets and showers and the rider pushes the horse forward, ploughing through ice and snow. I loved using the Orsoni Italian Smalti - the texture and colours are divine and you can buy the smalti from my studio shop or online mosaic shop!

It's sold by a small piece or a lovely chunk!

The rider's drysabone looks great in smalti chunks and the horse has great beauty and grace with the adamento! I truly enjoyed making this mosaic art.

Sandy Robertson - Angel of the Morning - Pique Assiette "Balladiva"
This beautiful fine porcelain paint was found in an antique shop in CAnberra, Act whilst we were visiting Mark in CAnberra. The exquisite pink roses are porcelain and I broken them down with a hammer and rebuilt them to give a "blown rose" effect in the mosaic. It's delicate and simply deceptive. The mirror arms and legs just fell from my Leponitt mosaic cutters. I glued the pieces down in the mosaic with white thinset (available from OzMosaics STudio shop). Of course I nipped some china cups for the ballerina's tutu. A piece of paua shell (also available in the shop) adds a delicate angel wing. I dedicate this mosaic to Popette (aka Maureen) as she loves it so much and encouraged me to complete it.

Maureen Randolph - Shattered Reflections

The above mosaics were made at Studio OzMosaics and entered in the MAANZ 2008 Sydney Open Exhibition October 2008.

Australia Zoo Mural Tribute Panel Two

Panel #2 Australia Zoo Steve Irwin Tribute Mural

Donate to the Mural! If you wish to help sponsor the mural making materials, please visit this link: Donations for Mural Making/Materials

All donations go toward the cost of the substrates and materials for the bases of the mosaics and will be acknowledged on the website.

Panel no 2: Fandango! Featuring flamingoes, pelicans, doves, butterflies, flowers, dragonflies, a swan and more! Mosaics Rule!
We are now starting on the 4 mural panels featuring Steve Irwin, a huge elephant, lots of little elephants, crocs, kangaroos, emus, giant camel, lots of wildlife creatures...... and Australia Wildflowers. stay tuned.
It's mosaics 24-7 to be sure!
Thanks to all the amazing team of helpers who have come often and happily to grout, make coffee and share the joy of this mosaic tribute for Australia Zoo.


To the hundreds of people who have made a mosaic for the mural and/or donated to help pay for the mural (it grew to such a big mural) thanks a million times over.

Stay tuned for lots of slide shows, as soon as I have time to put it all together.
hugs
Sandy Robertson
Mosaic artist/tutor\
mosaics to go!
www.ozmosaics.com
workshops, materials, commissions and fun!
President MAANZ www.maanz.org
Mosaic Assn of Australia & NZ

The Learning Seat aka "the everybody chair" Mosaic Art

Hi from Sandy!
Visit this link for view a slideshow on the making of the mosaic seat at Karalee. It's finally completed and it's incredible. An amazing mix of Gaudi inspired mosaics, Aboriginal art design, traditional and whimsical mosaic tesserae, methods - but mainly the fun making the mosaic, the lessons learned by all and the frienship is what I will remember.

The opening of the Community Hall is this Saturday and we will be there with "bells on!". It's so exciting and no photos do justice to the wonderful art produced by the students. I am so proud to be the artist in residence on this massive project, aided by mosaic addict volunteers, parents, teachers and Jannette Evans, a very talented Aboriginal Artist. The project was a wonderful collaboration and David Robertson, (my husband), Shirley Hinkley (my mosaicking mum), Maureen Randolph (aka the Popette) and Polly from the Trolley (aka Shirley Whitton) and many others put many long hours behind the scenes at my OzMosaics Mosaic Studio and helped keep me on track.

Cheryl Charlton, the deputy head at Karalee State Primary School, is an amazing person and I can't say enough about her enthusiasm for the arts, the school and all things mosaic. Thank you so much Cheryl for inviting me to be part of this huge adventure. The teachers were all so helpful, the staff were simply perfect and of course, the students have touched my heart forever. Thanks students for all the laughs, the friendship and making me think outside the square constantly. I hope most of you take the skills and the memories into your future lives and remember the people who introduced you to smashing and breaking, nipping and tiling and most of all enjoying mosaic art.

I cannot wait till Saturday, two more sleeps!
Cheers and wonderful work everyone!
Sandy Robertson
Studio OzMosaics
http://www.ozmosaics.com/
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Learn to mosaic
Workshops
Mosaic supplies and shop
commissions
and more!

Mosaic Artist visits Canberra

I am currently visiting Canberra, ACT for a few days R & R. Visiting the War Memorial, Parliament House, ARt Galleries, Museum, and lots of markets and funky whatnot shops. Enjoying the place but not the cold weather and wind. Went to the football yesterday to be miserable and watch the Broncos lose to the Raiders. Bad.

However, Broncos were not full strength team after SOO - so not a bad effort actually.

Bought a wonderful old artist easel yesterday, over 75 years old (at least) and I love it. Wish I knew it's history will do some research when I get back to OzMosaics.

Found some beautiful mosaics in Canberra to share photos soon.
Off to visit more fabulous places today - back home soon. Miss the cat and the fish.
cheers
SAndy
and big waves to Shirley, Popette, Polly and my mosaic mates.
xx

Karalee Mosaic Chair Project - 11 June 2008

http://mosaicdiva.smugmug.com/?preview=1
Please visit the link above and click on Karalee Seat gallery - Learning Seat. There are lots of fabulous photos in a slide show to view of the chair progress. The painting started today by an indigenous artist and it looks great.

The mosaics on the chair are completed, cleaned and sealed and once the paintwork is done to surround the mosaics all is well! The opening of the Community Hall at Karalee State Primary school, Karalee, Ipswich Queensland is on SAt 20 June 2008 2pm with a Fete. If you are able, please visit and have fun, chat and view the chair and the wonderful huge community hall.

Congratulations to all who have been involved. Karalee is a lovely school and students, teachers and community should be so proud of their achievements and their school. Thanks to the faculty who went out of their way to make us so welcome during the artist in residence program and the installation of the mosaics.

We will miss you very much but can't wait for the opening.
Cheryl you are an amazing lady!
cheers
Sandy Robertson
Mosaic Arist/teacher OzMosaics Studio, Brisbane Qld Australia.
http://www.ozmosaics.com/
shop for everything you need to make mosaics at OzMosaics studio shop by appointment.
workshops/classes and commissions.

Mosaic Artist Sandy Robertson - Mosaic Chair Project - Karalee Australia

Almost finished the seating chair project! Here are some pics of the mosaic chair before final cleaning and scrubbing, applying some more beads and fill, more tiles around the tree skirt....then comes the sealer and afterwards all non-mosaic covered areas will be painted!

This chair was dubbed the "everybody chair" as just about everybody in the school has put down a piece of tile or tesserae. The project was a wonderful collaboration - mosaic artist, cement man who built the fantastic chair, landscape architect, indigenous artist, teachers, faculty, family and the STUDENTS, plus community helpers and mosaic addicts and a special thanks to Dave, Shirley, Shirley, Popette, Brenda, Jan, , Cheryl and so many others!

We will be back at school, unless it's raining cats and dogs, which it is now (!)...I have to go to hairdressers at 6am! ....and then to school to finish the project. The opening is Saturday week and before then I have a trip to Canberra as well! So much to do, so little time! We will take a video tomorrow as it's impossible for me to photograph the chair in one go, it's so big and so many curves and corners. Oh dear, the paperwork is piling up but it will have to wait until next week!

ps - here are a few pics of waterfall mosaic made at a workshop recently for a park project at Ingham NQ.

Now for some sleep!
cheers
Sandy Robertson
Mosaic Artist, Mosaic teacher
Mosaic Workshops, mosaic shop, mosaic addicts group....
http://www.ozmosaics.com/
sandy@ozmosaics.com
Brisbane Queensland Australia

Mosaic your 'art out!

Mosaic Shop upgrade

Re the mosaic shop at OzMosaics website. We are currently upgrading it and the product photos are being reentered due to an upgrade problem.

Please be patient while we upload all the photos of the products.

If you wish any product info please contact dave@ozmosaics.com or phone 07 38474873.
Thank you.
Kind regards
Sandy Robertson
www.ozmosaics.com

Karalee Mosaic Seat update - WIP OzMosaics Mosaic Studio

Here are a few more photos from the work in progress on the mosaic seat at Karalee State Primary School, Ipswich Queensland Australia.
Sandy is very proud of the mosaic art on this chair, made by the students at the school and a collaboration with parents, teachers and mosaic addicts, helping to piece together the artwork to fit onto the huge concrete chair.

Pieces are still being added to the chair using thinset (cement adhesives). Approx one more week to put down all the mosaic, grout, fill in a few gaps, polish and seal. After this another artist will work with some of the students to paint indigenous artworks on any areas not adorned with magical mosaic artworks. It will be quite stunning. The vinegar will be working overtime to bring up the lustre of the mosaic tile and mirror......the final seal will enhance the black grout and bring the chair to "life". We are sure Gaudi is looking down and smiling.....the grid work done by students looks really exciting and forms "cushions" on the seat. The big gum leaves will be polished and grouted.

More mosaic koalas, kangaroos, magpies, hearts, greenery and general mosaic artworks by the students will be applied next week. We had to down tools today due to rain (I always bring rain on a big outdoor mosaic installation!!!)......so we hope it fines up after raining all weekend, to allow us to keep on schedule. Thanks again to Dave, Shirley and Maureen for their incredible support and assistance working on this mural installation.

Hi to all the students and teachers who have been so encouraging and such fun! We are looking forward to the opening day! Gosh, it's really pouring down hard now on our Queenslander tin roof - what a beautiful sound. I am looking forward welcoming the ladies from Ingham tomorrow for our project development workshop at the studio this weekend. I can't wait to assist in the design of the incredible waterfall mural, tabletop and pavers for the park renovation.....!!
till next update....note in your calendars the mosaic MAANZ conference for October 2009, Brisbane is the venue!
cheers
Mosaic Artist and Mosaic teacher, Sandy Robertson
http://www.ozmosaics.com/
shop, supplies, tools, grout, mastic, thinset, workshops, classes, mosaic fibreglass mesh, tiles - everything you need to make mosaics! Contact dave@ozmosaics.com for class bookings, supplies or helpful assistance. Visits to the studio are by appointment please. 07 38474873