…loving it! It’s been a long time in gestation, but oh so worth it. 

There is a connection between art making and the development of our capacity to be aware, awake to detail and present in our everyday lives. This capacity for ‘awakeness’ is one way of understanding mindfulness. For me, mindfulness and the benefits that can flow from adopting a mindful stance in daily life are pretty much summed up by one word: noticing. 

Today we went to walk the dog at the beautiful communal green space in our town, which Londoner’s call the ‘Common’. Nothing noteworthy or unusual in that. Except that today, we took our sketchbooks and pencils. After giving the dog a good run, we each took it in turn to choose a spot. A place to sit quietly for 15 minutes or so, to notice. And then to draw from that place of noticing. No right or wrong drawing, no judgement. Just noticing, getting inspiration from our visual senses, from things that would normally escape our attention, and then using that as a springboard for making marks on paper. A serenity enveloped us and a few minutes into the quiet act of drawing, I noticed my daughter was happily humming to herself.

So much is wrapped up in this practice of noticing. Trauma expert, Bessel van der Kolk, pinpoints noticing as an important part of effective trauma processing. It is also fundamental to art and creative making. Therein lies one of the connections that motivates my research and practice. My MSc studies last year elucidated the role of neurotransmitters in the act of noticing – more of that to come! 

We sat, we noticed, we drew. Our different characters and styles emerged in our hour of drawing – Toby going into fantastical realms, Isabella developing her characters that she loves to draw.

I got absorbed in noticing the lines in a branch. The pattern and flow of them. The ‘andamento’ of us mosaicists. Perhaps there is the starting point of some mosaic pieces in this simple act …

As we walked home, my 9 year old son said “Mummy, I have loved this afternoon”. Me too. Being together. Really being. 

Thank you, art of noticing. 

Friends,

Finally, after an 18 month break while I undertook my MSc at King’s College London, my classes are starting again! I’m picking up the golden threads from the last 7 years of classes and weaving in some new ones! 

On offer will be an eclectic mix – all the foundational and experimental mosaic making (in a weekly rolling programme of classes that start this week) plus new courses in the spring which bring together art, creativity and mosaics with a focus on wellbeing.  Make sure you are on my mailing list if you want to hear about these.

The studio is all ready for people arriving tonight – and I am full of anticipation as I love gathering new groups and know that there is so much inspiration and goodness that comes from us humans beings hanging out  together and creating. It is a joyful endeavour to pass on the creative skills of this ancient art form. 

In preparation, I have been looking at inspiration for designs –  getting out my trusty and well thumbed books, catalogues and images that are springboards for making.

Perfectly timed, the latest copy of Mosaique Magazine arrived a couple of days ago (full of eye candy, I particularly loved the stunning mosaic of Prince). 

Inspiration is everywhere – in a leaf, wood grain, objects, patterns, images (micro and macro from cells and snowflakes to mountains and seas), in books, words, light and shadows, scribbles and doodles.

The connection of the visual image with our inner worlds – our experiences, memories, feelings – is the fertile ground for soulful art. 

I am looking forward to seeing lots of new creations emerging during the next few weeks as classes get underway.  I have truly missed the warmth of this creative hub of mosaic classes – it’s good to be back! 

A whole year has passed – one whole lap around the sun – since I last wrote. In 14 years since I began writing and publishing my blog, the only other time that so long elapsed between blogs was after the birth of my children – but I guess the process of learning at MSc level and especially in researching and writing a dissertation is a bit like having a baby! It certainly was painful at times and required much stamina and determination…

The last year had allowed me the space to connect my own thinking between the spheres of creative making and mental health (both wellness and recovery). There is much to share… but for today, just a little hello to say I’m back! and thank you to new subscribers and to those of you who have stayed in touch during the year by email and on the Glittering Shards FB page. This week I hope to post new course dates for 2017 – with new initiatives combining mosaics, creative making and wellbeing (at last!).

In the meantime, do you like my brand new Christmas reindeer?

He emerged as I did a little taster sessions with some of my wonderful friends I made on my MSc in Mental Health Studies. We all agreed as we reflected on what we had learned about mental health that community-based creative making totally rocks!

Behind the Glass : the inner world of mosaic artists

A wonderful array of work from professional and amateur (lovers of) mosaic, all accompanied by thoughtful, insightful and at times very moving descriptions of each artist’s inner process. The themes are strong and clear – mosaic making is an ‘inside job’.

Go see the exhibition here!

I hope you enjoy it and if you want to share your thoughts, please do so  in the comments in this blog post.

Concetta

 Behind the glass:

the inner world of mosaic artists

We live in a time of art and craft revival, where people are re-discovering the joy of making and the connection between creative expression and well-being.  Running quietly alongside this welcome trend is a long history of art as therapy, both in the clinical sense and in the radical edges of the Outsider Art movement. From the suicidal intent in the poems of Silvia Plath to the joyful paintings of Agnes Martin, creative expression has long been considered as linked to both mental well-being and mental suffering (Jamison, 2011).

Whilst this idea is generalisable across all forms of creative expression, there is a strong sense in the mosaic-making community that our beloved medium is unique in its ability to facilitate an intimate relationship between the maker and their inner experience – be that one of well-being, distress or recovery from life’s adversities. Some  would argue that the practice of mosaic creates a direct and deeply attentive link between hand, head and heart during the making process (Severini 1952, Sizemore 2012)

Many mosaic makers, both amateur and professional, work from a sense of intuitive knowing that the act of mosaic-making is intrinsically linked to their emotional and mental well-being.

However, the relationship between mosaic making and mental health is not necessarily linear or one-way. Is our mental health (or ill health) the source of our creative expression or is our creative expression a way of maintaining or influencing our mental health? Or both?

Sometimes this relationship is obvious. At other times the relationship is more hidden, as if looking through an opaque glass. This is when the urge to create and the compulsive act of making – of ‘going with the flow’ of the mosaic – takes on a life of its own. Indeed, many talk of the mosaic itself taking on a life of its own, much like the characters in a book at the hand of a passionate author. Suddenly, the implicit movements of the mind and heart come out from behind the glass.

This online exhibition is an exploration of this link between mosaic-making and the mental and emotional states of the mosaic-maker. The exhibition will go live on this website on 10th December 2015.

It is hoped that the resulting online exhibition will develop into a book that celebrates the inward-outward journey of mosaic-makers and their art.

If you would like to submit a photo of one of your mosaics for consideration, please follow the instructions below :

Instructions for submitting a mosaic piece to the online exhibition

• The exhibition is ‘virtual’ – you do not need to send the actual mosaic, just an electronic version of a photo of the mosaic to the email address below.

•  The online exhibition is open to all mosaic makers, amateur and professional. Submitting a mosaic image does not guarantee a place in the virtual exhibition as only a limited number can be selected, but please be encouraged to have a go even if you have never done anything like this before.

•  You do not have to create a new mosaic for this exhibition. You may submit a piece that you have already made.

•  You may only submit one image.

•  The photo you send must be taken against a neutral background and either well cropped or with no background showing at all. Close-up’s / detailed images are fine if you feel that best represents what you want to show. It must be a high quality image so, if necessary, ask someone who is skilled with a camera to help you.

• Your image must be accompanied by a short (max 150 words) statement of how your mosaic relates to the theme : “Behind the Glass: the inner world of mosaic artists”. Please note, the finished mosaic does not have to depict the theme in an obvious way. The mosaic you choose can focus on the ‘end product‘  (ie. representation of your inner world through the mosaic piece) or on how the process of mosaic-making interacted with  your inner world (eg. making as expressive, therapeutic, calming, inspiring, invigorating, disturbing…). The important bit is that you describe briefly, in your own words, why you have chosen this piece in response to the theme of the exhibition.

• Because the online exhibition includes themes of mental health and recovery, this may touch on sensitive subjects for some participants. You are welcome to let me know if  you wish to remain anonymous should your image be selected for inclusion in the online exhibition.

• There are no costs for submitting or participating in the online exhibition.

•  To submit a mosaic for the online exhibition, please email ONE HIGH QUALITY photograph that represents your response to the theme : “Behind the Glass: the inner world of mosaic artists” to concetta@glitteringshards.com

• Please make sure you include the following information in your email:

Your name:

Your country of residence:

Title of your mosaic piece:

Should you be successful, do you wish your participation to be anonymous in the online gallery?

If you have a web site address that you wish to be included, please give the url :

Please write a short statement (max 150 words) about how your mosaic piece relates to the theme “Behind the Glass: the inner world of mosaic artists”:

The online exhibition will go live on 10^th December 2015 at www.glitteringshards.com/behindtheglass

References

Gino Severini, from “Mosaic and Mural Art in Antiquity and in Modern Times”, 1952.

Lillian Sizemore, presentation to the British Association of Modern Mosaic Annual Mosaic Forum, 2012 https://sfmosaic.wordpress.com/tag/gino-severini/

Jamison, K.R, Great wits and madness: more near allied?”, 2011

I started a thread of inspiring quotes a while back. Time to resume with this nugget…

If I were to wish for anything I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of what can be, for the eye, which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible. Pleasure disappoints, possibility never. And what wine is so sparkling, what so fragrant, what so intoxicating as possibility?

Soren Kierkegaard

I once referred to myself a mosaic possibilitarian. What kind of possibilitarian would you like to be?

This is a repost from nearly a year ago with an update because…

…drum roll…

…I finally started sticking the mosaic to the wall (*takes a bow*)!

Read the original post and then scroll to the bottom for the pics of how its looking. It’s a modest start (there is a lot of wall) but this project is going to have some quirky elements to it.

I can also thoroughly recommend sitting outside your front gate  making mosaics as everyone stops to talk – its art making and community building all rolled into one!

______

Finally, finally, Taking some quiet moments to start sketching ideas for my next mosaic – a wall 4.25 x 1m. Feels good to play with ideas, to know that the whole process will be an experiment of flow – playing with line, colour, proportions and beautiful materials. I think I will be using my glass saw a lot for this project…

My daughter has been coming up with sketches too as we sit together. It was her idea to have a sign – Home Sweet Home – in the story (and there is definitely a story board emerging on this wall!). It is lovely to sit with her and indulge my love of whimsy through the magical eyes of a child. We are making our mark in mosaic together…

Next week, I start my postgraduate studies at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at Kings College London – my next step in this journey. My blog posts and online presence has been and will change, but I will still be here and aim to blog at least once a month…

In the last few weeks, I have been writing a 4 week course on Mindfulness & Mosaic Making which I hope to make available both online and real time in the near future…

In the meantime, I thought I would share a nugget or two as I go along…

Mosaic, Mindfulness & the Hands

Mosaic Angel, Concetta Perot

“He who works with his hands is a labourer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.”               St Francis of Assisi

Put another way…mindfulness provides us with a unique way of connecting head and hand and heart when we mosaic…and mosaic making provides us with an ever-present opportunity to practice mindfulness through this most solid and tactile of creative mediums.

More to come…do share your own nuggets below!

…the new academic term will be with us. This threshold was always one I savoured as a child and I relished getting my new stationary and books together, their clean pages a symbol of the possibility that a fresh school year held.

Right now I find myself rather deliciously and for the first time in  many years, yet again  in that threshold moment. In September, I begin post-graduate study at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at Kings College London, on a Masters studying Mental Health. My particular research focus will be developmental trauma, in particular the use of alternative modalities such as art, mindfulness, writing and movement as tools for recovery and brain change. If you want to read a little more about my journey with this, read here.

This blog has always been a reflection of my life and so the flavour of it will change, as it has done over the years. My love and passion for mosaic will morph and merge with my studies…watch this space.

In the meantime, I wanted to share some resources with you that will give you opportunities to study and feed your own passion for learning – free open source learning. This is undoubtedly one of the most awesome things about the internet.  Take a look…

Coursera

Future Learn

EDX (Harvard)

Open Learn

And I can’t write a blog post about free online learning without mentioning the marvellous Ted.

Life is full of seasons and transitions. I started feeling the desire to return to study at least 2 years ago and am so glad I listened to those internal prompts – not that I am under any illusion about the level of work it will entail! But as I found with Glittering Shards, when our work is underpinned by passion and a sense of doing what is ours to do in any given season of our lives, work and play merge.

Do have a look at all the amazing courses available above and whether you want to learn for your work and professional life or just to develop as a human and broaden your horizons (as my friend Mike does – enrolling on courses about Dante’s Divine Comedy and Homer’s Iliad!), if you are a ‘lifelong learner’ there should be something that grabs you. Follow your learner’s nose…you never know where it might lead…