Description:
Superb colorist Kaffe Fassett departs from his usual medium of textiles to unleash his magic on the world of mosaics. Teamed with expert needle artist-turned-mosaicist Candace Bahouth, Fassett proves no less adept at manipulating the harder materials--glass and ceramic tesserae, broken china and tiles, mirror fragments, pebbles, seashells, and even faux pearls--than his accustomed softer substances of fabric and yarn. As with most of Fassett's oeuvre, this volume is more an assemblage of highly imaginative ideas than a traditional how-to approach. A number of the projects do include step-by-step instructions and there is good coverage of the basics (tools, materials, bases, tesserae preparation, adhesives, grouting), but the presentation presumes the readers' willingness to experiment, as well as some degree of confidence in their own creativity. But again, as is typical of Fassett's productions, the simple act of leafing through these pages offers unlimited inspiration. Stunning photographs abound with brilliant hues and spectacular creations by the authors and by mosaic artists around the world: grottoes, chapels, cars, walls, furniture, terraces, entire buildings. And perhaps mosaic work is not so different from textile manipulation after all: witness the many pieces composed like a patchwork quilt, or the tapestry-upholstered armchair that reveals itself actually to be entirely covered not in fabric but in ceramic tesserae. This volume is truly a feast for the eyes. --Amy Handy
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