Sustainability

I am continually trying to improve my footprint both in my mosaic practice and in my personal life, which is not easy given my love of travel, and that my adhesives and grout are cement heavy.

In my personal life, I try to shop in a considered way, and this now extends into my mosaic work. I am much more excited by a used plate or cup, rather than a bought-in tile. And quite often, a received bit of pre-loved china stimulates a thought process for a new mosaic.

That said, occasionally, I have to buy new, which includes non-slip tiles for flooring!

Reuse of Materials as Tesserae

  • a metal shelving using with bone china crockery on it

    Pre-loved Crockery

    Bone china tea sets, vintage china, broken ceramics, wastage from ceramicist friends...

  • random glass nuggets in a pile

    Glass Nuggets

    I have the tiniest glass kiln which once belonged to a dentist, used to make random nuggets from donated glass deemed too jaggy for mosaics.

  • a composite image of various mosaics made with china, including a madrill and a moth

    Inspiration

    I am inspired by the materials received and love how they have a future life as a mosaic.

Adhesives and Grout

I generally use a cement based adhesive and grout made by BAL which is robust and "fit for purpose". However, it is cement based! They have acknowledged this and are doing their best to mitigate it, including incorporating recycled materials into their products. Visit their site to find out more.

Visit BAL's Site

Where plastic comes in (😉)

  • childrens hands are visible creating a mosaic on plastic

    Working in the Community

    Using sticky backed plastic enables all abilities to participate, allowing tiles to be changed and changed again as required.

  • colourful bird mosaic from various china laid out on plastic

    Working Small and with Different Heights

    It enables me to work in minutiae, and with precision when working with crockery that has different thicknesses. Plastic transfer tape secures the mosaic before sticking elsewhere.

  • a plastic bottle, filled with plastic and encased with chicken wire

    Creating Structural Substrates

    I sometimes create "eco bricks" using plastic waste, which is then incorporated into the mosaic structure. Otherwise, it heads to the PKC recycling. I am exploring how I can reduce the plastic use.

Travel (the elephant in the room)

  • composite image of ancient pots each with different animals on them

    Stimulating New Ideas

    Getting to see ancient and modern motifs. These pots in the Nicosia Archaeological Museum saw a shift in my mosaic practice.

  • a group of people talking with a mosaic sculpture, in an ancient courtyard

    Finding New Like-minded Tribes

    Either with mosaic groups, with other artists or with family, the learning from each other, new skills, new ways of working, new outlooks.

  • a carving of two hands holding each other

    Challenging my Perceptions

    Meeting with other cultures, religions and mindsets enables change in my own for the better.

Sharing Knowledge and Exploration

I am an active member of CLOSING THE LOOP Group, part of Applied Arts Scotland. We meet monthly via Zoom, and explore materials, research, different ways of doing thing, bouncing of ideas... all with the aim of questioning and improving our environmental footprint.

Read more about Closing the Loop