Top tile picks from Cersaie

Cersaie in Bologna is without a doubt, the largest trade show I've ever attended. As someone who's seen more than his share of trade shows, I think I know what I'm talking about. I spent three solid days combing though the halls of Cersaie and I think I saw everything.

With that said, on the tile side, I saw two new products that really stood out. Both were from Italian manufacturers and bother were (surprise!) variations on the mosaic theme.

The first of the products that's tied for the winner in my eyes is Beside from Refin's Mosaici d'Autore series. Beside is a play on the term B-side and I'll explain that in a minute.

When I first saw Refin's booth I saw walls, the bar and then benches covered in a really interesting texture.

Refin's booth at Cersaie 2011

Upon closer inspection I figured out what it was. Before I divulge that though, look how cool this stuff looks on a wall.

Figure it out yet? Beside is the B-side of a ceramic tile that's been glazed and mismatched on purpose. All ceramic tile has a grid pattern on its reverse side to make installation easier and in Beside, designer Masilimiano Adami chose to use the b-side to make the statement.

Up close, Beside looks like it would never work. But once installed, Beside adds a texture to a wall or a floor like nothing I've ever seen. Beside is available in a whole host of sizes in addition to the 5cm by 5cm mosaic I'm showing here and it's available in 11 colors. It will hit the market in Europe in a matter of weeks and in North America, we ought to see it in the first part of 2012. If you're interested in this tile, ask for it at your Refin retailer.

Tied for first with Refin's Beside was Mosaico+ with their new series, Pulsar.

There was a real move in Italy to have mosaic tiles leap off the wall and add texture in addition to color. I'd been warned before getting to the Mosaico+ booth to expect a a mosaic that appeared to be woven and man, was my intel right.

Detail from Mosaico+'s booth at Cersaie, 2011

I've written about Mosaico+ before (here, here and here) from other shows where I've seen them but in Pulsar they've broken new ground. Pulsar mosaics are made from sintered glass and came about as a collaboration between Crono Giugiarno Designs and Mosaico+. Nobody's doing anything like this and when used on a wall, the individual tessera fit so closely there's no need for grout. These pieces are 6mm thick and come in 10 colors. It's great, distinctive stuff.

I'm hard pressed to pick a favorite between Pulsar and Beside, hence the tie. What do you think?

Pulsar's available in Europe now and will be washing up on these shores in early 2012. Again, those links: Refin and Mosaico+.

Mosaico+ has a winner in Dialoghi

Another favorite from Coverings last year was back this year with a new booth and a new product line that's really fired my imagination. That vendor was Mosaico+ (Mosaico Piu in Italian) and one of their new product lines is Dialoghi. Dialoghi means dialog in English and it's certainly an apt title.

Dialoghi consists of a number of mosaic shapes that are available in a host of stones, colored glasses, woods and metals. In a few weeks there will be an interactive planner on their website available where you'll be able to mix and match their tiles to your heart's content. You'll then be able to design your own, fully-custom mosaic pattern and it'll arrive as 30cm x 30cm sheets, all ready to install.

Planners and randomizers aren't unusual on manufacturer's websites when it comes to the mosaic niche. What makes Mosaico+ so cool is their shapes. It's easier to show rather than tell so here goes.

See what I mean? Bravi Mosaico+! Their new website will be up and running in a few weeks but in the meantime, you can look at the rest of their offerings.

Italian manufacturer Sicis at Coverings

I make no secret of the fact that I love fine-art mosiacs. Even though they're a different category all together, I have a great fondness for mosaics produced in a more production-oriented environment too. A longtime favorite among these mosaic factories is Ravenna-based Sicis.

Sicis' work provocative and it's wonderful to see an Italian company doing business all over the world with a consistent, in-your-face marketing message and the goods to back it up. Nobody does production mosaics in glass anywhere near what Sicis does and it was a great thrill to see them at Coverings this week in Las Vegas.

Sicis rolled out six new color stories at the show this week and were kind enough to provide me with clear photographs of each. Sicis works in very large formats. Here's one of my photos of their booth in Las Vegas. It's Easier to appreciate the work in isolation though.

There were six new color stories as I mentioned earlier and the vignette above is showing how they presented Tango.  Here are a couple of their official shots that show off the thinking behind Tango.

Next up was Gypsy.

Followed closely by neutral but still interesting Mink.

Here's one of my close ups from the Mink display.

The chiaroscuro in the Skyline color story lends itself to the old world as well as it does the new.

Savile has me rethinking everything I think I think about grey.

And if Sicis can't poke you in the eye with an image, they're do it with a name. This is Nude.

Great job Sicis. What do you guys think? Could you imagine using some of the room-sized installations these patterns and color stories are intended for?

It's the 2011 Mosaic Masterpieces tour

Two of my favorite people in fine art mosaic-dom are leading a tour of the great mosaics of Italy from October 3rd through October 10th, 2011.

These favorite people are 2011 Best 3-D Mosaic at Mosaic Art International Julie Richey (on the left) and the editor of Mosaic Art Now Nancie Mills-Pipgras (on the right). That these two are leading it ought to make anybody drop what they're doing and register immediately. These women know their stuff and they're animated and fun at the same time. Witty repartee and thorough explanations are guaranteed.

The tour begins in Rome, my favorite city on the planet. You'll be in Rome for three days and while you're there you'll get a backstage tour of the Vatican Museums micromosaic studio and see mosaics from the 4th Century in Santa Maria in Trestavere and from the 20th Century in the Museo Ara Pacis.

After three days in Rome you'll head to the Tuscan Coast and the small city of Porto Santo Stefano for lunch and then to Capalbio to see Niki de Saint Phalle’s Tarot Garden. After a leisurely stroll through the gardens it's back to Rome.

After Rome, the tour takes the train to Ravenna where Ravenna's annual Notte d'Oro will be taking place. Notte d'Oro is Ravenna's mosaic festival and in a city synonymous with the art form, it's a big deal. After three days in Ravenna (with an optional two-day class at the Mosaic Art School of Ravenna), folks on the tour have the option to head to Venice for three days or to fly home from Ravenna.

The tour costs $2850 USD (not including airfare) prior to April 1st, $2950 thereafter. There's a $400 payment due upon registration and the final payment is due August 1, 2011. You can read the entire itinerary on Julie's website and you have any questions, her contact information is there. The tour includes meals, transfers and hotel stays.

Whattya Say? Who wants to go to Italy?

Congratulations Yulia and Julie: results from Mosaic Art International

Yulia Hanansen and Julie Richey are accomplished mosaic artists, great friends of this blog and recently-announced prizewinners at this year's Mosaic Art International juried show.

Yulia was awarded best in show by the three-person, international jury. She won for Jupiter: Great Red Spot, her interpretation of the Great Red Spot visible on the surface of Jupiter.

"Jupiter: Great Red Spot," c. 2010.
Materials: Layered stained glass.
Size: 36" x 56"
Price: upon request

From the artist: "Jupiter has always fascinated me as unrealized star- a planetary body that is too small for a nuclear fusion action. It is a giant planet that we can never land on. And it is in charge of one of the greatest hurricanes that we can observe- the Great Red Spot."

Artist statement continued: "Because of a layered layout, this mosaic required some research on structure of the GRS. I had to contact a NASA scientist who was very generous and sent me a couple of papers that she has written on cloud deck observations of Great Red Spot."

I've long appreciated Yulia's ability to make art and science co-exist in her work and it's a thrill to see her recognized with Mosaic Art International's Best in Show.

Another artist whose work I revere and whose friendship I treasure is Julie Richey. Julie won Mosaic Art International's Best 3-D Mosaic for her figurative dress sculpture, La Corrente.

"La Corrente," c. 2010
Materials:Marble, smalti, seashells and 24k gold
Size: 29” h x 22” w x 22” d
Private Commission

From the artist: "La Corrente is about beauty amidst destruction."

Artist statement continued: “It was created during the Gulf oil spill and it alludes to the many destructive forces, both man-made and natural, that creep in with the current.” Richey describes her work as “utilizing the innate opulence of mosaic materials – 24k gold smalti, marble, semi-precious stones, iridescent glass and minerals – to embellish sculptural forms in unexpected ways.”

Both women have fantastic websites that showcase more of their work and both women have work available for immediate sale and are open to private commissions. I invite you to explore both of their sites to gain some insight into how this most ancient of art forms is expressed in its highest forms today.

Julie's site is called Julie Richey Mosaics and you can find Yulia Hanansen's site is called Mosaic Sphere. Drop in, say hello and tell them I sent you.

Congratulations once again Yulia and Julie!