Create a garden in mosaic

Beautiful garden art pieces are traditionally made of mosaic and ceramic tiles.  Nowadays, by using broken china, art glass, glass jewels, recycled mirror, stones, shells and other found objects, the mosaic artist has the freedom to recycle new or used objects as a way to express their personal expression and accomplishment.

Here Becky Norris shows us two of her elaborate projects that transform her garden with colorful garden art.

Becky Norris’s door arbor and surrounding garden

Becky says, “This is the decorative panel I made to face my raised vegetable bed made from an old metal closet.  I took a single pane glass full-length door and created a glass on glass mosaic on it for my arbor area.  The arbor was of course inspired by our Jeanne Sammons, but the ‘raised bed behind it with the picket fence is just an ordinary rusted metal storage cabinet!  We used pallet boards for the picket fence and then added the wooden door with the glass panel in it to decorate the front. ”

Mosaic in the making

We don’t think Becky worries if she ever breaks a plate at her house!  But, this project consists of art glass snipped to size, and flat gems or jewels filled in with white grout.

The flower arrangement takes shape

Don’t you think, once you assemble all the supplies that this must be a very relaxing serene craft, placing each piece as if in a jigsaw puzzle?

Mosaic detail

Flea Market items to use for mosaics

• Flat ceramic tile
• Stained glass found at craft stores Example
• Crushed glass Example
• Thrift shop plates and china
• Auto glass, (tempered…the kind that crumbles into uniform pieces)
• Costume jewelry and charms
• Beads and gems, (flat round ‘jewels’ ) Example
• Buttons and pennies Example
• License plate letters
• Mirror
• Shells

A myriad of colors show in the intricacies of the design

“I made all of this glass on glass piece myself, cutting each flower petal by hand.”

Becky dreamed up a field of flowers, grasses, insects and birds to echo the real foliage beyond

How Becky’s window fits into the garden

“It took about a year start to finish in this entire area, including the arbor made of the doors, Jeanne Sammons style, and then the raised bed with the glass panel.”

Magic mosaic tiled tub

For Becky’s second matching project, she took a set of different items and assembled them into something fantastic and unique. And, it’s a fountain!

FMG: Becky, it’s your life’s work, it looks like!  I wonder if you like the ‘doing‘ best or the completed project best?

Becky: “It is always about the doing, but I certainly love the sound of the water in my garden and I believe the birds are coming to the sound of the water also. This was a very long project but I am happy to have it done. Now I get to put the plants in around it and watch the corner get prettier”

Becky’s tub in place

Becky says, “This is the tub, in place, leveled and the base and first piece of the fountain are in place. I made all the pieces that I used to mosaic the tub out of clay, painted them, fired them and glazed them then glued them to the outside of the tub and grouted just like a tile floor. I also made all the pieces that will form the fountain.”

Each tile piece was handmade and fired in a kiln

“I used pink tiles a friend took out of a bathroom she is redoing and I added a darker pink to it and fired the glaze, then cut the pieces to fit around the rounded ends of the tub but did not mosaic the back side since I knew it would be beside the fence.”

“This project has been in my head for quite some time, I am glad to finally see it come together.”

The fountain is stacked up, each sphere is different

“The fountain will circulate water from the bathtub, up through a pipe and will come out of a top coffee pot and will pour back into the tub.  Two of the large balls are covered with pennies and the center ball has stained glass designs on the full area. The dark area has a frog in the center to match all the frogs on the bathtub.”

Becky’s completed mosaiced tub fountain

“The tub and fountain is finally completed.  It sounds wonderful in the garden….   Now to get the plants in there and some fish, then will have to wait till spring to start all the plants around it. I can’t find any bee balm for sale this time of the year, and I sure can’t plant the roses right now. I can’t wait to enjoy sitting and listening to this each day,” Becky tells us.

More detail:

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge