Hanging Mosaics

Mosaics made of stone, ceramic, glass and concrete are heavy.

A mosaic realized according to the reverse method weigh around 11 lb / square foot or 53 kg / m2.
Those realized according to the direct method are 40 % lighter at about 7 lb / square foot or 34 kg / m2

Reverse Method	Direct Method
11 lb / sq ft	7 lb/sq ft
53 kg / m2	34 kg / m2

American walls are usually built of 3/8" or 1/2" sheetrock, a light and flimsy material, not designed to support heavy loads.

 

A mosaic such as Veiled Black and White measures  35 x 28 " (88 x 61 cm) and weighs 65 lb (31 kg)

You cannot hang such a mosaic from a drywall with a wire on a hook or nail.

I have given some thoughts on this matter and am now (2014) building my mosaics to make your life easier...

The frames of my mosaics now incorporate an horizontal ½ V-shaped wooden bracket running the whole length of the mosaic.

I am also providing a wooden rail also ½ V-shaped, and with holes in it. It is slightly shorter than the bracket of the mosaic.

This rail is to be installed on the wall with Plastic Toggle Drywall anchors or equivalent anchors.

I recommend you use expandable Toggle anchors rather than the Self drilling ones.  

The anchors above are rated at 143 lb, 2 of them will hold a load of 286 lb.

You will also need: 

• screws longer by 3/4" than the ones provided with the anchors, 
• flat washers for these screws.

The tools you'll need are : 

• Pencil
• Level
• Electric drill
• Drill bits
• Hammer
• Hand screwdriver

Center the rail where you want the mosaic to be and mark the holes on the wall with a pen or a nail.  Make sure the rail is horizontal. Use a level.

Drill the holes (5/16" in our case) to install the anchors. 

 

 

If you happened to hit a stud, use a regular screw to secure the rail into the stud (through the dry wall), without using an anchor for that hole.

Insert the Anchors in the holes. Try to insert them so their legs will expand vertically up and down versus left and right. 

Following the instructions, expand the anchors behind the sheetrock

Anchor expanding on back of the sheetrock

Install the rail there, by screwing it into the anchors. 

I recommend you use a hand screwdriver rather than the electric one which might develop too much torque, which could damage the wall around the anchor.

You rail is now installed

To install your mosaic you just need to position its bracket slightly above the wall rail, and let it down into it.

Voila !

The whole operation should not take you more than 15 minutes.

Enjoy your mosaic.

 

If you have more questions about the installation of mosaics please contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com or by phone at (334) 798 1639.

You are also very welcome to contact me if you would like to purchase one of my existing pieces or commission the piece of your dreams or simply to discuss any aspect of the wonderful Art of Mosaics.

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Les 3 Sisters - Bilingual Edition !

On June 18, 2014, I completed Mariam and Miriam mosaics by applying a final coat of wax.

June 18 is a very special day for French people.

In May 1940 the German troops went around the famous and impregnable Maginot Line, invading with Tanks and Dive bombing Stukas from the North through the Netherlands and Belgium, when our brilliant Military commanders were expecting them to come from the East.

The French government begged for the invasion to stop and signed a shameful armistice, the French armed forces were disbanded and soldiers requested to surrender their weapons and themselves to German Authorities.

A little known general of the French Infantry escaped to England. On June 18, 1940, he broadcasted on the BBC Radio what is now known as the "Appel du 18 Juin" asking all French men and women to join him to fight the Nazis.

His name was Charles de Gaulle, in my opinion one of the last heroes of French History.

But...

What has this to do with mosaics ? Are you asking.

Nothing !

I just could not resist speaking about this little known part of the history of France. When I was a kid we were told about this again and again, so we would remember. Now, I am not sure this story is told any more. So I tell it.  Lots of movies and legends tell us about the Davids who against all odds take down the Goliaths of the world. When it really happens, it is worth telling !

Back to mosaics, to celebrate June 18, I am pleased to bring to you The 3 Sisters :

And pour vos yeux etonnes, la version francaise : Les trois soeurs

Unless something very unexpected happens one day, these 3 pieces will never be together again. Mariam is flying to France with me on June 24, On June 20, I took Veiled Black and White to the Wiregrass Museum of Art where she will participate to the B14 Biennial show. Miriam is staying with me in Headland and is presently available.

If you are interested in her, in my other works or to simply discuss the wonderful art of mosaics, please contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com or by phone at (334) 798 1639.

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What really matters is what you like !

As I was getting in my car to drive home after Sword training 3 weeks ago, I received a surprising phone. This guy, calling from what I thought was Pakistan, asked me if I could sell him a picture of the Afghan Girl mosaic ! 

I could not exactly figure out what he wanted as he had a foreign accent (I know, he probably felt the same) so I asked him to email me the details of what he actually wanted.

I received his email the next day. He actually is an Afghan citizen, living in Australia, and his wife is going to open an Afghan restaurant in Newport NSW - close to Sidney. He had browsed on line for a picture of the Afghan girl, and my mosaic was the only one he liked ! He intended to have it printed and framed to display her in the restaurant.

I was not willing to sell a digital file, but I proposed to sell him a banner I could have printed here. We agreed on pricing and shipping costs, Amed wired me some money, and I had the banner printed ! 

Afghan Girl Mosaic banner 3 x 7'

The printing on a plastified canvas actually came out very nice. This banner is 3 x 7' ( 1 x 2 m) and should really look stunning in the restaurant. It was also much easier to ship than an original mosaic... 

Hopefully I should be able to show you pictures of the restaurant within a few month. It should be delivered in Australia this coming Wednesday June 11.

This is the first time that I sell a reproduction of one of my pieces. I was not so sure about this, but the result being excellent I will start offering this option.

For a fraction of the price of an original, one can own a beautiful signed reproduction... Something you might want to consider.
 
What really matters is what you like and how much you are willing to pay for. How you relate to the piece and enjoy being around it.

If you are interested by a paper or canvas print of one of my work, please contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com or by phone at (334) 798 1639.

You are also very welcome to contact me about my original pieces or simply to discuss any aspect of the wonderful Art of Mosaics.

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Twin Sisters

Today is a great day. I have the great honor and privilege to introduce, for the first time on stage together, the soon to be famous Twin Sisters : Mariam and Mariam Mesh.

On this picture, Mariam (on the left) is close to ready for delivery (she will be flying to France at the end of the month). She has been framed, I only have to left  to grout the gap between the frame and the piece itself, and some waxing and buffing. 

As for Mariam Mesh (on the right), she needs a second round of grout before I send her to Eddy to be framed.

I grout each piece 3 times. It may sound a little extreme, but it is the best way to achieve a very good finish. I actually spend quite a few hours finishing each piece after flipping them ! 

This evening, I did the last round of grouting on Mariam, (edges only) and the second round on Mariam Mesh. Tomorrow will be cleanup day for my beauties ! 

Mariam Mesh will be available for sale in July, if you are interested, please contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com or by phone at (334) 798 1639.

You are also very welcome to contact me to discuss any aspect of the inspired  Art of Mosaics.

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Evolution

Design evolves, Techniques evolves

When I laid the tesserae of my first pairs of mosaic eyes in 2011, I was inspired by a picture seen in a French photo magazine before 1992.

Was this the picture of a real Tuareg lady ? I don't know, the fabrics look really flashy and brand new, I doubt they spent any time beaten up by the desert sun and wind. But I had loved the combination of colors, the Green eyes, the Blue veil and Red scarf, and the warm ochre of the sandy background. 

This gave birth to Green Eyes

Green Eyes is made of porcelains, travertines, granites and glasses, and her dimensions are 13 x 25" (32 x 65 cm).

She flew to Dubai last December and I have heard that she has since moved to Pakistan.

The, last winter, a French friend of mine asked me if I could make for her a mosaic in the like of Green eyes !  So I went back to work. This time, I would use different, slightly richer materials.

I decided I would build two mosaics, mirror image of each other. One I would call Mariam's Eyes, and her twin sister, which I sometimes call Mariam Mesh, for she is built on a Fiber Glass Mesh (more about this later).

By the beginning of May, Mariam was ready to be framed.

You can see here how my technique has evolved. I am trying to render colors in a non traditional way - somehow in the same way a picture is printed.

By the end of May, Mariam's sister is ready to be flipped, although the process of her flipping will differ from the usual one.

Please remember that this is the back of Mariam Mesh, before it is glued to her support.  In the end, it will be the mirror image of Mariam, but you are now seeing her back which is why she looks so much like the above Mariam...

If you are interested in my Mariam mosaic - available in July - or would like to learn more about mosaic, please contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com, or by phone at (334) 798 1639. I have other mosaic eyes available, I take  commissions of mosaic eyes, and other mosaics. 

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