Glass mosaics

Arts & Activities, Jan, 2005 by Rubin Steinberg

MATERIALS

* Colored glass

* Wooden boards

* Sand paper

* White gesso and paintbrushes

* Glass cullers, hammers and newspapers

* Slides or reproductions of mosaic works

* Markers, paper or felt

* Spackle or grout

* Goggles, rubber gloves and hand lotion

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will ...

* learn about mosaic art in the Byzantium era through the 20th century.

* create preliminary mosaic using pencil, marker, paper or felt.

* learn proper, safe procedure for working with glass.

* create their own glass mosaic.

A hundred years ago--or so it seems--my college art teacher gave me the address of a stained-glass shop owned by two generous brothers. Their stained-glass scraps and many visits sustained me through 36 years of teaching. I recently donated two large boxes and four large, full shopping bags of the glass remains to the Museum of Contemporary Art School here in Chicago. They will do more mosaics and continue a tradition that dates back to the 12th century and the Byzantine Eastern Roman Empire.

We come by some materials in circuitous ways. The art department received a gift of approximately 30 tiltable drawing tables. Not really having room for them, our teachers gave many to students interested in starting their own art studios. Other tables were to be disposed of. I took 12, detached the drawing boards from the stands, and used them for glass mosaics.

We first prepared the boards by sanding the wooden surface to remove any varnish. Next, we painted the surface with white gesso, which was used to reflect the colors of the glass tesserae (small pieces of mosaic glass) back into the room. Using a color other than white would absorb and change the glass colors. We wanted the colors as brilliant as possible. White glue, which dries clear, would then be used to glue the glass to the surface. The relationship of glass and light is unique. The reflective qualities of glass hide many errors when used in mosaic student work. (The boards under the glass really took a beating from hammers, glass cutters and so on.)

We did mosaic art as opposed to transparent window art. Eastern Roman Empire mosaic was a natural follow up to using stones and clay to work out patterns. Since I had a file of slides of previous student works, and of Byzantium slides, my artists knew what was expected of them.

Byzantium was the flower of the mosaic craft steeped in religious tradition. Mosaics seemed to suit the extremely rigid sacred atmosphere of Byzantium, and transparent stained glass adapted well to the more fluid Western cultures. Christianity changed mosaics from a minor to a major craft. Emperor Constantine had the first Christian church built in Rome, over the tomb of the Apostle Paul decorated with mosaic glass. Glass mosaics were used extensively in Byzantium art and architecture.

Through each century from the 12th century to the present, various improvements in aesthetics and methods, combined with inventive accidents, brought stained glass to its present state. In England, Charles Winston (1814-1864) explored and revised many of the old techniques and glass formulas that had become lost over the centuries. Glass makers around the world use his revised formulas today.

The 20th century's prime examples of mosaic as a creative media can be found in the surrounding walls of California's Watts Towers, slowly built by one man, Simon Rodia, over many years as a naive creation--it is unmatched in sculpture and architectural skill.

Mosaic differs from regular stained glass in that the glass is applied to a surface with glue rather than held together with lead strips (such as church windows). The surface to which glass can be applied varies greatly depending upon the artist's need. With the exception of plastic, glass can be adhered easily to most surfaces with white glue. My students worked on wood this time.

Students began their mosaics by first sketching three to six drawings in black, white and color. We also did a collage unit using colored papers to "pre-create" and translate their projects into glass. A sequential development of the project goes from black and white, to color (markers), to paper and/or felt, and then to glass. It depends how involved with materials you wish to be.

By this time, my students have already seen many slides of student and professional work, as well as church windows to understand the basic process. An overhead projector is also used to see the colors as the pieces are placed on the viewing screen. Color mixing in easy because the transparent media allows change when pieces are overlapped one.

The gesso process comes first, and then the placement of the broken glass pieces, each about the size of a quarter. Leave a space about the thickness of the edge of a dime between the glass pieces for the spackle or grout, which is then applied in the space between each piece with a spatula or tongue depressor. This ensures a solid, regular surface.

Glasscutters or hammers were used to create the shapes used in the projects. If using a hammer to break glass, all breaking must be done under newspaper or between the pages of a magazine. A strong paper bag can be used as well. Nippers can be used to clip edges and points. Cover carefully to protect the eyes (needless to say, goggles are the best safety measure). When using a glasscutter, care must be taken to hold it upright with the teeth facing away from you. Bear clown vigorously as you put the cutter toward you to ensure a clean cut. When you see a white line in the glass, it is cut. It is not necessary to carve the glass like a turkey. One cut ensures separation when you tap the glass on the back of the white line. The teeth of the cutter are used for trimming different widths of glass--it takes practice!