PinnedWhat makes a mosaic ‘Roman’And it’s nothing to do with when it was made or what material they used for the tesserae (Latin for mosaic tiles). To understand this we first need to look at examples of their architecture, their temples are good examples of this. Copying the Greek examples they used certain geometry…Roman3 min readRoman3 min read
Sep 18, 2022Roman Mosaic Patterns & Sound WavesThe following is an autogenerated translation from a Facebook post by Dālet Prosokè and reproduced with his permission. A surprising discovery happened in the distant 2011 in which, for the first time, I realized the relationship between the geometric modules created by Pictor Imaginarius and the behavior of matter subjected…Roman Mosaic2 min readRoman Mosaic2 min read
Jan 10, 2022The Tessera That Got Away!Blog post 9th January 2022 Ever been working at a table and dropped one of the tesserae on the floor then spent ages trying to find it? I’m sure we all have, especially that one you’ve cut which was ‘just right’ for the space left, but what can it suggest…Roman2 min readRoman2 min read
Aug 14, 2021How long did their mosaic floors take to make?A look at the past to understand some things about how fast we should be able to work and why it is so important. To answer the question of how fast can you work we need to look at how fast we think the mosaicists from the time of Rome…Roman3 min readRoman3 min read
Aug 7, 2021Marble surface finishes, what do you get? by Lawrence PayneThe world of marble is an endless and challenging venue for mosaicists. With all the different colors, textures, and finishes to choose from, it can be difficult to understand what you’re working with. Do you know the difference between polished, honed, and brushed finishes on marble surfaces? Here is a…Mosaic2 min readMosaic2 min read
Sep 1, 2019STONE SUPPLIES — WHAT TO LOOK FORSupply What is the first thing I look for in getting stone for making copies of Roman mosaics? It’s supply, can I get more of it, is it easy to get hold of or would it just be a limited supply? I need to know I can get more of…Roman5 min readRoman5 min read
Aug 27, 2019Critiquing the finished mosaicWhat do I look for in a finished mosaic? Here is something from the teaching course, but you can use it when looking at your own work. This is what I use every time, it works whatever the mosaic subject. Below are the main points to go through. Look for…Roman3 min readRoman3 min read
Aug 18, 2019Resizing figure mosaicsFirst you need to find out what size the mosaic would be if you completed it using the same number of tesserae as the original, effectively making a piece for piece copy. The main thing to remember that in Roman mosaic work your unit of measurement is a tesserae, not…Roman3 min readRoman3 min read
Jun 7, 2019Hammer & Hardie — Do you need them?(For my Youtube playlist (@romanmosaics) on using the hammer & hardie click here) In mosaic work if you were asked what tools are represented the most it would have to be either nippers or the hammer and hardie. …Roman4 min readRoman4 min read
Jun 7, 2019Book ReviewEvelina Della Vedova (2008). The Mosaic…from the copy to the interpretation. Udine, Italy: Litho Stampa. This book is presented as the ‘Technical manual of the Scuola Mosaicisti del Fruili’ This mosaic school in Spilimbergo, Italy has been in existence since 1922 and has a very high reputation in the world…Art4 min readArt4 min read
