June Martin
mothandtwig.com
Instagram: @mothandtwig
Many years ago I spent time in Barcelona, Spain, where I fell in love with the architecture and mosaic work of Antoni Gaudi. The experience left me with a yearning to explore mosaic art. Upon returning to the states, I found a school where I learned from some of the best mosaic artists on the West Coast. I honed my mosaic art skills. During this time, I was also making jewelry, so I combined the two mediums and was instantly hooked.
I utilize a variety of materials including ceramic tile sourced from Morocco, stained glass, smalti, 24kt gold smalti, Italian millefiori, filati, slate, turquoise, chrysocolla, red coral, found objects, and really, just about anything I can get my hands on that looks interesting and will work small scale. I develop my own mortar colors which is just as important as the actual mosaic patterns as background can either make or break a design. For me, the challenge and joy is in creating intricate patterns in small spaces, meticulously placing each piece. I love the imperfections in many of the materials I use. It is this combination of meticulous and imperfection that I feel makes for interesting and beautiful pieces. My work is a nod to traditional micro-mosaic, albeit with a contemporary twist.
Instagram: @mothandtwig
Many years ago I spent time in Barcelona, Spain, where I fell in love with the architecture and mosaic work of Antoni Gaudi. The experience left me with a yearning to explore mosaic art. Upon returning to the states, I found a school where I learned from some of the best mosaic artists on the West Coast. I honed my mosaic art skills. During this time, I was also making jewelry, so I combined the two mediums and was instantly hooked.
I utilize a variety of materials including ceramic tile sourced from Morocco, stained glass, smalti, 24kt gold smalti, Italian millefiori, filati, slate, turquoise, chrysocolla, red coral, found objects, and really, just about anything I can get my hands on that looks interesting and will work small scale. I develop my own mortar colors which is just as important as the actual mosaic patterns as background can either make or break a design. For me, the challenge and joy is in creating intricate patterns in small spaces, meticulously placing each piece. I love the imperfections in many of the materials I use. It is this combination of meticulous and imperfection that I feel makes for interesting and beautiful pieces. My work is a nod to traditional micro-mosaic, albeit with a contemporary twist.
