How to Mosaic Art : Principles of Opus Pixellatum

This a first post of a series dedicated to my Opus Pixellatum Technique © and the many variations it allows. 

Investigating Mosaic Art's Opus Pixellatum

This first post describes the original, basic Opus Pixellatum technique as I designed it, and how I came to realize its dramatic potential. I will systematically address the wealth of phenomenal variations allowed by this technique, one at a time, in my next posts on the subject. 

I originally developed Opus Pixellatum in 2015 to be able to quickly realize a set of big mosaics. Cutting the tiles is a very time consuming activity. I had found with Mosaic Art Supply a reliable source of great quality square glass tiles and I wanted to figure out a way to work exclusively with their tiles, without having to cut them.


It took lots of thinking and experiments. I finally came up with a powerful technique that cut by half the time needed to lay a mosaic. 

Basically Opus Pixellatum is a way to do mosaics using a model that pixellizes an original drawing or picture, just like a digital image is pixellized as a great number of cells aligned on horizontal rows and vertical columns. My goal here is not to explain the process that creates a pixellized model from an original graphic document, but to explain how one builds a mosaic from this model. 

From a picture like this one : 

I designed a model after this original picture of Daniel's eyes

I design a model like this : 

Blank model of Daniel's Eyes

The principle is easy : Each number printed on the model corresponds to a color of a grayscale palette. 

7 colors - Grayscale.

If one would lay the tiles in the order of the numbers we would have the following progression : 

Black Tiles are laid

Dark Grays are laid, can you guess ?

2 nuances of Gray, now you surely see it...

4 colors : Black and 3 Grays, there we are.

5 colors laid.

A perfect 7 colors image.

Practically, you lay all colors at the same time and in order to keep a small grouting gap between the tiles  it is better to first mount every other tiles. 

Laying every other tiles allows more precise positionning

When I first started to use Opus Pixellatum, I was pleased of how fast it was to build a really good looking mosaic. One day I decided to wait until I had fully completed laying half the tiles before I’d start laying the next other ones. And here is what I saw...

Half the tiles are laid on this portrait of a Yezidi refugee.

On this portrait of a young Yezidi refugee only half the tiles had been laid.... Our brains can intuit what the whole picture is... That is flabbergasting  ! 

I found the key to some really cool mosaic art !

I did not know yet where I was going with that, but I sure intended to seriously investigate this unexpected occurrence !

Here are what Daniel's eyes would look like with half the tiles laid : 

Only half the tiles have been laid on this mosaic portrait

Key to the unlocking of Opus Pixellatum's potential is not so much the fact that it works with half the tiles laid, but that it does with half the tiles NOT laid, and that their spots can be used for something else !

The next posts of this Opus Pixellatum series will explore this. I will systematically explore the subject and will expose each variation in a dedicated post.  

In the meantime, enjoy Daniel's and his mosaic's smiles !

A very happy Daniel shows off his mosaic self portrait.

I am a French mosaic artist  established in Alabama. In 2015 I created a new mosaic technique. I named  it Opus Pixellatum. When I realized this technique allowed for much more than I was expecting I decided to share it with fellow mosaicists.
 

If you'd like me to create a model of a custom mosaic pattern from one of your picture for you to build it, please contact me by email at frederic.lecut@mosaicblues.com 

or by phone at (334) 798 1639 
 

 You can also subscribe to my   

Mosaic Newsletter

Opus Mixtum I

It's been a long time since I took Latin. Today I started on a new project. Something which I believe was never tempted before. Ta Da ! Outrageous ? I am going to mix 2 different techniques to realize one only piece...

Opus Tesselatum is the technique mostly used in Classical Roman mosaics. It is also the one I used to create many pieces.

Aujourd'hui je m'attelle a un nouveau projet. Nouveauté inédite !  

Je vais construire une mosaïque en utilisant 2 techniques très différentes !  

Opus Tessellatum est la technique employée par la plupart des mosaicistes Grecs et Romains Classiques et Byzantins.  Une technique qui a fait ses preuves et que j'ai employée de nombreuses fois.

Maribel's eye - L'oeil de Maribel

I invented Opus Pixellatum to build my series of Yezidi Eyes Mosaics.

J'ai invente Opus Pixellatum pour bâtir ma série de mosaïques des Yeux des Yézidis.

Yezidi 37's eye - L'oeil de Yezidi 37

Here is the piece you'll get to know as "Mixed Opus" until you figure out what it actually represents.

Et voici la pièce que vous connaîtrez sous le nom de "Mixed Opus" jusqu’à nouvel ordre - ou que vous deviniez de quoi ou qui il s'agit ! 

Mixed Opus - Aug 23, 2016, le 23 Aout 2016

I am a French mosaic artist based in Alabama. My Art is about Inspiration. 

I am presently working on several huge mosaic portraits of the eyes of inspiring people, and on several community projects.

If you are interested by my work, please contact me by phone at (334) 798 1639 or by email at frederic.lecut@mosaicblues.com

 
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Je suis un Artiste Mosaïste installe en Alabama. Le but de mon Art c'est d'inspirer.

Présentement, je travaille a de grands portraits des Yeux de personnes dignes d'admiration, ainsi qu'a plusieurs projets de mosaiques communautaires

Si mon travail vous intéresse vous pouvez me contacter par téléphone au 334 798 1639 (aux Etats Unis), ou par email a frederic.lecut@mosaicblues.com

 

Vous pouvez aussi souscrire a ma Lettre d'Information

The WMA Mystery Mosaic

With the precious help of my good friend Greg Henderson, I designed last fall a new way to design and build mosaics. I named it Opus Pixellatum in reference to the digitalization of the design.

I will develop the concept in a next post. Asian Face is a good illustration of an Opus Pixellatum mosaic

My whole Yezidi Eyes collection is realized in Opus Pixellatum. 

Now, beginning this next Thursday, April 21st, at the Wiregrass Museum of Art, YOU - the public, will have the opportunity to build an Opus Pixellatum mosaic - the Mystery Mosaic - all by yourself ! 

I designed this Mystery Mosaic after a famous portrait. Measuring 4' x 4', this is the biggest mosaic I ever designed. I even had to build a special platform to work on it ! 

The principle is simple : it is basically Mosaic by Number ! Beside the colourful borders I already laid, the mosaic is composed of several thousand 3/4" x 3/4" glass tiles. There are seven different colours numbered from 1 (Pitch Black) to 7 (China White). These tiles are to be glued on the model, following the numbers printed on it. 

 

The mosaic is built reverse method : the tiles are laid upside down, on a mirror image of the actual finished mosaic. Once all the tiles are laid, a supporting frame is glued on top of the mosaic, then flipped, and one can see the mosaic for the first time ! 

Platform and Model have been installed in the downstairs hall of the Wiregrass Museum of Art.

Beginning on Thursday, April 21, and the duration of the "Made in Alabama" show, visitors to the Museum will have the opportunity to carefully and precisely glue the tiles on the model.

 

This being a Mystery Mosaic, I told no one (not even my daughter, ho was not pleased about it !) whose portrait the mosaic is and you are all encouraged to figure it out. 

Regular updates of the progression will be posted on a special WMA Mystery Mosaic Facebook Page.

Join us this coming Thursday at the Art after Hours event, and glue some tiles ! 

I am a modern mosaic artist with a deep admiration for ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine Arts. You can see some of my own mosaics on my site mosaicblues.

 

If you are interested by this project or by my work in general  or if you would simply like to drop me a line, please 

contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com   

or by phone at (334) 798 1639. 

 

 
You can also

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Note : tiles used for the Mystery Mosaic are provided by Mosaicartsupply in Atlanta, GA.

Watercolor translation - Mosaic Collage

One great thing about mosaic, you meet some nice and very creative people. I was contacted early this month by Jenni Mc Guire, who started creating mosaics in 1998. 

Jenni and I work in different ways. When I spend lots of time designing and creating a model before I cut any tessera (see my last post "Digital drawing of a Mosaic Portrait")  Jenni lets the mosaic create itself from the beginning. This is a little bit like a musician sometimes lets the music flow through them. Of course, this only can happen if you have a serious mastery of your instrument. 

Jenni has developed a very interesting mosaic technique that allows just that, she called it "Watercolor Translation".  Her friend Dodie Johnston, a writer and mosaic artist, interviewed Jenni last month about it, to help promote this technique, and Jenni allowed me to be the first to publish it ! 

I will now let you enjoy the

Dodie Johnston’s interview 

with Jenni McGuire

Dodie: I’m curious about this new mosaic technique you developed that you call Watercolor Translation. What can you tell me about it?

Jenni: Watercolor Translation is a blending of multiple art genres – watercolor painting, mosaic, and music. That’s kind of an unlikely hybrid, but one that’s very rich. It’s an abstract technique that focuses on the process, not the outcome, which can be freeing. So often in art, people are focused on the finished product, what something will look like or what kind of statement will be made. Watercolor Translation takes the emphasis off of outcome, and allows the artist to access their own inner landscape. Hopefully , they will enjoy the journey and end up with a beautiful piece in the end, but without the preoccupation about production.

Lacuna, Ceramic and glass

Dodie: How did you come up with this?

Jenni: People often ask me where I get my ideas for my mosaic pieces . Which is kind of an odd question -- where does anybody get their creative ideas?… Maybe they ask because they find my work odd. (laughs) When I thought more about that, I realized there are some influences on my work that aren’t obvious. One of the most powerful is music. I listen to music most of the time while I’m working in my mosaic studio. Not just a boom box radio on in the background, but full, good quality sound, thanks to my husband, Mark, who designed and built these great speakers, EQed the room, and made the sound in the studio an integral part of what happens there. I realized that music influences the very fabric of my art work.

As you know, I play the fiddle and in the contemporary music world there is a tremendous amount of blending and borrowing from various traditions, which creates these amazing hybrids of composition. So bringing the cross-pollinating I’ve experienced in music to my mosaic work was a natural evolution.

I love playing with contrasts—liquid/solid – hard tiles depicting a melting popsicle, straight edges arranged as flowing water, solid made to look squishy, that sort of thing. 

Hot Day - by Jenni Mc Guire

So I played around with a painting technique I learned at Findhorn in Scotland many years ago, primal painting, which involves abstract painting to music. Then set about “translating” that to my familiar world of mosaic. It was fascinating to take the flowing, fluid medium of watercolor, and see what hard, straight-edged tiles could do with it. The results have been fascinating-- quite beautiful, and I’ve even used the method with 3D surfaces.

Dodie: Do you teach this technique in your classes?

Jenni: I’ve taught mostly mosaic sculpture classes, but I’ve been teaching more and more Watercolor Translation workshops too. The facility must have the right audio equipment because full, rich sound is an integral part of the experience. Living with a sound engineer ruined me for being able to hear music on crummy systems. It makes a huge difference! Good sound defines one’s experience much more than most people realize. Noticing this is both a blessing and a curse.

The music in the WT process is deliberately instrumental and non-cognitive. You’re not thinking about the meaning of lyrics, nor associating with anything in particular, you’re just feeling the flow of it. It also touches on different temperaments so different areas of your creative sources are stimulated. It’s very powerful!

Dodie: Can beginners do your workshop, or is it more for experienced artists?

Jenni: Both! I’ve had rank beginners and experienced artists all in the same class. Mosaic in general seems somehow less intimidating than other art mediums. I often have people in classes who’ve experienced what I call “art trauma”. You know, they were at one time told they are not artistic, or internalized that their sister was the artist in the family, or felt if they didn’t paint like Rembrandt right out the gate, they were hopeless. WT sidesteps all that, letting people explore color, then form, in a non-intimidating way. It lets you question your own internal rules, because you’ve removed the focus on all the “shoulds”. For example, when you get to the tiling/translating part, if you come across a bit that you painted yellow, and you don’t feel like putting yellow tiles there, put something else! You get to decide what works best for you. I’m certainly not going to tell you not to put blue there instead, but you get to ponder it. People begin to notice where they restrict themselves, where they can let go more.

Dodie: Do you use any particular materials?

Jenni: I use a mix of ceramic and glass – all kinds of different tesserae - tile, dishes, vitreous, stained glass, smalti. I like to integrate a lot of texture with color. For classes, I provide a great variety of materials, but I also have students bring supplies to share, like a big potluck. That creates a sense of abundance and sharing, and gives everyone that much more to choose from.

Dodie: What kind of feedback have you gotten from students?

Jenni: Really positive feedback, which is great. I love being able to share a process that has meant a lot to me, and love seeing what other people do with it. I’ve had people tell me the experience was quite transformative for them. Some have integrated the method into how they do mosaics in general. Others have found it freeing and everyone finds it just really fun. Most people are pretty satisfied with the outcome and the piece they created. The final “products”, though not a focus of the workshop, are compelling.

Regine's Roadkill Redemption 2013

Dodie: I want to try it!! When can we sign up for a class or a workshop?

Jenni: The next WT workshops I’m teaching are at the SAMA conference in Philadelphia on March 11th and 12th. They’re just one day – enough time to get a taste of the process. A full weekend is preferable, but you can get a lot out of just a day. After that, I’m still working on summer and fall scheduling. 

If people are interested, they can email me, (jen@jennimcguiremosaics.com) and I’ll put them on my mailing list to let them know the next dates and places I’m teaching Watercolor Translation.

You can enjoy Jenni's great mosaics at jennimcguiremosaics.com

Hot Coils by Jenni McGuire

I am a French Mosaic Artist. I live and work with 2 Border Collie Puppies, 2 useless cats and many chickens in Alabama and sometimes I operate a second studio in France. You can see more of my mosaics on my mosaicblues page. 

If you would like to commission a mosaic, or simply discuss mosaics in general please call me at (334) 798 1639 or drop me an email at  frederic.lecut@gmail.com.

You can also Subscribe to my Newsletter where I share with news about Materials, Techniques and Sources of Inspiration of modern and antique (Specially my beloved Greeks and Romans) Mosaic Artists and Patrons ! 

The Candy Store

Do you remember when you were little and would walk in the candy store ? Or into any store containing stuff you liked ? comics books, cakes, colored pencils...

Well, this is how I feel every time I visit Championnet Carrelages in Paris.

I got off the plane on June 21st at Paris Charles de Gaulle. My daughter Mathilde, also a talented mosaicist, picked me up and we went directly to Championnet's. 

A dream come true ! Every time I get there I feel like Ali Baba when he got into the treasure cave...

I visit this place about once a year and bring back quite a load of tiles from them.

They carry an amazing choice of gorgeous ceramic; stone and glass tiles, from the most ordinary to amazing.

Not that much smalti, but their collection is growing and I brought back a few beautiful red and yellow ones this year in my bag.

I do not know of a better place to purchase tesserae

I usually purchase my glass tiles on line, and I am generally quite satisfied this way, however, in a few cases, the color of the tiles I received was not what I had in mind when I ordered. This happens because of your computer screen or your browser's  settings. The same thing can also happen when you order something printed on paper from a book.

No problem of this kind here, what you see is what you get !

 

After our visit to the candy store, Mathilde and I stopped by the Cafe de la Renaissance a few hundred yards from the Rue Championnet, where I enjoyed my first shot of French Express Cafe !

Do you recognize this place ? It is a very beautiful and traditional French Cafe, most everything  must date from the 30's, and part of the movie Inglorious Basterds was shot in this place. 

The following wee, after I installed Mariam in her new home of Normandy, I drove down to Provence with my parents.

A new shop had opened in Manosque, selling local farmers production...

 

I was back in the Candy Store ! 

If you have questions about the wonderful art of mosaics, if you have a special dream that you wish to explore, or would like to purchase one of my pieces, please contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com or by phone at (334) 798 1639.

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