As you design and create a mixed-media mosaic, learn to effectively choose/preserve/enhance natural materials, contrast them with the properties of glass, and set them directly into cement mortar for a more durable end product. All skill levels welcome. There's something compelling about combining nature- and human-made materials in mosaic. Doing so challenges the traditional notion of mosaic as a strictly hard-material medium and provides a context for considering humanity's place on the ephemeral/durable continuum. Students will take advantage of Pilchuck's natural setting to forage for sticks and stones to combine with various types of glass into cement mortar. Along the way we review some basic principles of mosaic construction and discuss/practice how to preserve and enhance natural materials for use in mosaic. Each student will have the opportunity to build at least one mosaic start to finish: processing materials, composing with their choice of design templates, and setting directly into cement mortar.

About the instructor:

An award-winning mosaic artist since 2005, with an aesthetic steeped in materials analysis and innovation, Kelley began teaching her unique blend of contemporary and classically-influenced mosaic techniques in 2009. She's known worldwide for her unordinary work and her enthusiastic, inventive, yet technically-grounded approach to teaching that regularly moves students beyond their own creative expectations.