these are 2 new mosaics by my friend ruth. the first one is titled embrace, and the second one is coy koi. you cannot tell from the photo, but the round portion of coy koi is recessed to give the impression of a pond. ruth has such an eye for detail, and really knows how to work with color!

here is a backsplash that my friend from PA did. joanne did a great job with ceramics on this mosaic. i like the clean and simple look, and her colors are fresh and neutral. i think she used just the right amount of black in her crazy paving to balance out the whole black tiles.

the photo shows how i typically come up with combinations for colors, as well as the mix of van gogh and mirror. i lay out 2 tiles of each color and type that i am thinking about working with. this forms a kind of small grid, which allows me to see how the tiles look together.

in the photo, you can see several combinations that i have laid out. the colors may not come across very well in this photo, but you can get the general idea. this is really a fun process, and i approach it like i am playing. these are the ones that i liked... and i like some more than others.

i have completed mosaicing the frame area. tomorrow i will glue the mirror in the center and grout.

i don't grout much these days... working primarily with smalti and golds... but this technique is really pleasant to grout. the mosaic is very flat, so it cleans up easily. i always enjoy watching the mosaic appear as i clean the grout off. i am interested to see how the deep burgandy looks with the black grout.