Author: gertrud

USA mosaic trip – part three – Detroit

Published by gertrud

In Detroit my dear friend Miriam Engstrom, psychologist, singer and actor, who I met at our posting in Ankara, showed me around this incredible interesting city. Miriam is from a three generation Detroit family – so she took me to the place her grandmother worked in. Inside the Guardian Building – colorful tiled comb structured vaults by Rookhook Ceramics (later restored by Pewabic Pottery) and cast iron gateEdit Later we visited the Pewabic Pottery established by Mary Chase Perry Stratton in the early 1900 in Detroit. The pottery workshop is one of the few renowned ceramic manufacturers in the US until today. The pottery developed in swing with the arts and crafts movement in America as in Europe at the beginning of the 20st century. As Mary C. Stratton Perry came from a fine art degree and a career in painting china, she started making vessels. Later she became more and more a ceramic artist and fabricant for ceramic tiles and mosaic style art for architectural surfaces. In Detroit there are eight public buildings that …

USA Mosaic trip – part two – Washington DC

Published by gertrud

From New York I travelled with the bus to Washington DC. Washington is well known to me because it was my 4th visit. But so far I visited friends and museums in general. I never had a mosaic focus. This time next to seeing good old friends I dedicated two days to a mosaic focus. The first was on the cold and windy Monday April 15 to the Maverick Mosaic Studio of Bonnie Fitzgerald. Bonnie received me in her studio, which is located in her house in the woods near Vienna, Fairfax County, Virginia. I was astonished that so much high quality and versatile work comes out of this relatively small studio. Next to the studio Bonnie showed me all her wonderful own mosaics and the rich collection of mosaics that she keeps in her house. We chatted and I was surprised that we easily spent two hours exchanging thoughts and information about the passion that connects us. I departed with the advise to visit the catholic Basilica in DC and an invitation to observe …

USA mosaic trip – part one – New York

Published by gertrud

Using my freedom in between postings ( my husband and I are in transition between Brazil and China) I am currently visiting friends and mosaics in the US before I will head to this years summit of the Association of American mosaic artists (SAMA) in Nashville /Tennessee. It’s a good time of the year spring everywhere, new beginning, opening, exploring…. Last week I was in New York visiting my cousin. She pointed out new mosaics in NY subway stations. So one afternoon I spent underground. Traditionally the subway stations in New Yorks Subway (which was opened in 1904) are tiled in white tiles with the station names and some ornaments that could count as mosaics made out of colored ceramic tiles. There are many modern art works in mosaic techniques in several stations. I came across the following: More recently art works were commissioned by the subway authorities for the newly build Q – line. The so called Chuck Close mosaics (Large photograph like Portraits modeled in glass mosaic) at 86 Street, Jean Shin’s large …