This video is an accelerated take of my building the Mugen mosaic, a portrait of my late Border Collie Mugen who died 3 years ago, realized in Opus Pixellatum. The music is from Beethoven, and it is interpreted by my 2 nieces Charlotte and Luana. So here, you have the best of the 2 worlds of music and mosaic, a family business !
If you would like me to build a model of a mosaic portrait of your pet please contact me atfrederic.lecut@mosaicblues.com
I
am a modern mosaic artist with a deep admiration for ancient Greek,
Roman and Byzantine Arts.
You can see my own mosaics on my
site at mosaicblues.
If you are interested by my work or
would like to drop me a line please contact me by email at frederic.lecut@mosaicblues.com or by phone at (334) 798 1639.
The Myth of Andromeda and Perseus has been the subject of numerous ancient and modern works of
art, which typically show the moment when Perseus rescues her from the Monster Cetos.
Andromeda & Perseus - Fresco, Pompeii
When her mother Queen Cassiopeia boasted that Andromeda was more beautiful than the Nereids, Poseidon sent the sea monster Cetus to ravage the coast of Ethiopia. An Oracle
announced that to save his kingdom the King would have to sacrifice his daughter to the monster. And so Andromeda was chained naked to a rock on the coast.
Perseus, who was passing by on his way back from slaying Medusa came to rescue the Maiden. Sneaking upon Cetus under a cloak of invisibility, he killed him, set Andromeda free, and married her.
On this 3rd century mosaic from Gaziantep, Turkey, Perseus is still holding the head of Medusa slained earlier in the story.
The names on the mosaics are written in Greek characters as People from that part of the empire were generally speaking Greek rather than latin.
Mosaic borders were expertly used by Roman mosaicists to create the same effect wooden frames have on paintings. The relatively simple design of this one contrasts with the intricacies of the mythological scene and pulls our eyes and attention toward the main scene.
Here is this pattern :
Andromeda - Perseus Mosaic border pattern.
I am currently building a library of Roman Mosaic borders to be used in modern mosaics.
Meander border on Carola Quinta Mosaic (Work in Progress)
Would you be interested in using some of those patterns for your own art ? Please contact me at frederic.lecut@mosaicblues.com.
In Southern France Gard, the archaeologists of INRAP bring out the mysterious antic town of Uzès.
Since October 2016 over 4,000 square meters have been methodically dug in the highs of the city of Uzes.
The excavations in front of the old Gendarmerie barracks
Nothing was known of the antic Uzès except its name of Ucetia, and that it was the starting point of the aqueduct leading the water from the fountain of Eure to Nimes, through the Pont du Gard.
Initially the archaeologists didn't think it was a major discovery. But the great quality of the vestiges they found testify of the importance of this Roman settlement.
Two magnificent mosaics
In front of the barracks of the Gendarmerie, where once was the vegetable garden of the gendarmes, a row of rooms was cleared, one of which, 60 square meters, has its floor covered with two magnificent mosaics, older than the ones discovered in Nimes.
In the center of a succession of geometric borders a sun like image is surrounded by 5 crowns, themselves framed by four animals: an eagle, a fawn, an owl and... a duck.
The Eagle
The fawn. Note the gorgeous Svastiska border.
Minerva's owl ?
A radiant pattern adorns the medallion of the second mosaic, ornated of a red bordered cartouche at first sight empty. In reality, a name is written in white tesserae on a white background. Who is this Loukios Koinilos? A Lucius Cornilius? Was he the owner of the place, the mosaicist himself,or a patron who'd helped finance the building?
It is not know yet if the building was a domus - a private villa owned by an important man of the city, or rather a public edifice as the dimensions of the hall and traces of colonnade suggest.
What was the symbolism of the mosaics ? Some animals might be attached to deities. The eagle to Jupiter, the doe to Diane, the owl to Minerva. But a Duck...
The Duck ???
Excavations will continue until August. Hopefully more beauties will be unveiled.
One of the radiant wheels.
Don't you love this border ?
A simple piece embedded in the pavement of a different home
Plusieurs fois par an, je travaille à la commission pour des collectionneurs. Dans une mosaïque personalisée, le collectionneur a l'inspiration originale et est souvent impliqué dans la conception. Nous travaillons ensemble. C'est une expérience très enrichissante, j'apprécie vraiment la discussion et les echanges de vues entre nous. Nous apprenons à mieux nous connaître;au-delà de la mosaïque elle-même, c'est une relation que nous construisons.
Je connais Liz et Marty depuis plusieurs années. Marty la surprend toujours avec des cadeaux tres originaux. Pour ce Noël, Liz voulait le surprendre. Et donc, en octobre dernier, elle m'a demandé si je pourrais - en douce - faire une mosaïque juste pour lui!
Pan and Syrinx (1617-19) - par Pierre Paul Rubens
Elle avait en tete un portrait du dieu romain Pan, dont Marty a touours apprecie la personnalité sauvage et créative.
Liz souhaitait une mosaïque dans le style romain classique.
Pan et Amadryad - Pompeii
J'ai dessine quelques avant projets. Les teintes delicates et puissantes de cette magnifique piece m'inspiraient beaucoup .
Liz et moi avons finalement decidé d'interpreter une interprétation médiévale du Dieu cornu.
Cette partie du projet - la communication entre artiste et collectionneur - est une partie très importante du processus. Il est primordial d'arriver a bien se comprendre. J'essaie de saisir la personnalité du collectionneur, sa motivation et son goût pour lui proposer quelque chose qui réponde vraiment à ses besoins et à son mode de vie.
Une fois d'accord sur le principe de la conception, je me suis mis au travail. J'ai décidé d'utiliser pour mon modele une bordure de style classique. Les bordures sont a la mosaique ce que le cadre est au tableau. Elles font converger le regard de l'observateur vers le sujet principal - l'Emblemata - au centre de la mosaïque. Les Musivarii romains utilisaient systematiquement ce type de parure dans leurs oeuvres.
El Djem - Tunisie, 2nd siecle avant JC.
Pan étant - entre autres choses - un dieu des forêts et des arbres, je choisis d'utiliser une bordure de feuilles de Laurier.
Et pour le fond, je m'inspirai des arabesques du superbe arbre de vie de Maitre Gustav Klimt.
Le 14 Octobre, je posai mon modèle sur l'etabli et me mis a l'ouvrage !
October 14, C'est parti !
Durant la pose, je tenais Liz au couranten lui envoyant des photos, vidéos, des détails sur la pièce, afin qu'elle puisse en visualiser la progression.
Detail de la bordure
Le 9 novembre, apres avoir posé toutes les Tesselles...
Je pre-scellai la piece.
Le 15 Novembre, Liz est venu a l'atelier Mosaicblues à Headland pour retourner sa mosaïque!
Le retournement d'une mosaïque realisee en méthode inversee est un moment très émouvant car on y voit la mosaïque pour la première fois. C'est un peu comme la première fois qu'une belle femme se déshabille, un moment unique et plein de suspens ! On sait jamais a quoi s'attendre !
Après le retournement, je nettoyai la colle, appliquai le joint, l'imperméabilisai et encadrai la pièce.
Pan, le 24 Novembre 2016
Et le jour de Noël, TADA ! Marty a découvert son Pote Pan!
Pan & Marty, le 25 decembre 2016
Des mosaïques personnalisées de ce type sont souvent offertes lors d'anniversaires personnels ou de mariage, ou pour la fete des Meres. Ce sont des cadeaux inhabituels et spectculaires. Il faut compter entre 2 et 3 mois entre le moment où un collectionneur me contacte et l'achèvement d'une mosaïque et je ne peux créer que quelques-unes de ces pieces chaque année. Et donc, si vous êtes intéressé par une telle mosaïque, s'il vous plaît contactez-moi au moins 3 mois avant la date pour laquelle vous souhaitez,
A few times a year I work on commission for collectors. In a custom mosaic, the collector has the original inspiration and is often involved in the design. We work together. It is a very pleasant experience,I thoroughly enjoy the discussion and sharing involved. We get to better know each other, beyond the mosaic itself, we build a relationship.
I have known Liz and Marty for several years. Marty always surprises her with fancy presents. For this Christmas, Liz wanted something really cool, special and original for him. And so last October she asked me if I would - secretly - make a custom mosaic for him !
Pan and Syrinx (1617-19) - by Pierre Paul Rubens
She had her mind set on the Roman God Pan, whose wild and creative personality Marty had always enjoyed.
Liz was looking for a mosaic in the Classical Roman style.
Pan and Amadryad - Pompeii
We went through a few possible designs. I was inspired by the delicate but powerful hues of this gorgeous Roman piece.
And Liz and I finally decided I would work from a modern rendering of a medieval interpretation of the horny God.
This part of the commission work - the communication between artist and collector - is an very important and pleasant part of the process. It is primordial to get a good fit. I try to understand the collector's personality, her motivation and taste to propose her something that really meets her needs and/or her lifestyle.
Once we'd agreed on the principle of the design, I actually went to work.
First I had to create a model. I decided for a wide traditional border. Borders act like the frame of a painting, they focus the eyes of the observer toward the main subject - the Emblemata - at he center of the mosaic. Roman Musivarii used this kind of adornment on all their pieces.
Pan being - among other things - a god of forests and trees, I chose to use a Laurel Leaves border.
As for the background I drew my inspiration from the arabesques of Gustav Klimt's Tree of Life mosaic.
And so I laid the model on the bench and went to work on October 14 !
October 14, the begining !
I kept Liz posted of the progress with pictures, videos, details about the piece, so she'd get an idea of what was happening...
November 2nd
And she had a peak at the creative process
Detail of the border
On November 9, I had laid all the Tesserae.
I pre-grouted the piece...
And on November 15, Liz came to Mosaicblues studio in Headland to flip her mosaic !
Now the flipping of a reverse method mosaic is a very moving time, because you actualy see your mosaic for the first time, and so people love this, it is, like the first time a beautiful woman undresses, a unique and dramatic moment.
After the flipping I had to clean up the glue, apply the grout, waterproof it and frame the piece.
Pan, November 24, 2016
And on Christmas Day, Marty discovered his Buddy Pan !
Pan & Marty, Dec 25, 2016
Custom mosaics are often presented for Mother's Days, Birthdays or Anniversaries. They make dramatic and outstanding presents.
It takes usually 2 to 3 months between the time a collector contacts me and the
completion of a mosaic; and I can only create a few of these pieces every year.
So if you’re interested to offer a custom mosaic, please contact me way ahead of
the date you might want it either by phone at (334) 798 1639 or
