Lifestyle & CultureMosaic Art

The Everchanging World of Mosaic Artwork – Past, Present And Future

(4 min read) One of the inexhaustible modern sources of questionable knowledge, the Wikipedia, says: “A mosaic is a piece of art made from assembling of small pieces of colored glass, stone or other materials.”. For once, Wikipedia is right, especially about the “other materials” bit.

Most of us witnessed art forms going through some major changes from time to time, and in recent years controversy seems to be the main fuel of modern art. That isn’t necessarily bad, but it seems that the universal statement of beauty is getting lost in the process. Art forms such as fumage and scratchboard are very interesting, and art pieces created with these respective techniques can be gorgeous and breathtaking, but are they necessarily a progress? From painting with colors made of dried herbs and lapis lazuli, to painting with smoke, has the art world gone full circle and came back to its primitive beginnings?

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Scratchboard Art by John N. Egnew, “Maternal Instincts”
Handmade Mosaics Art _ Mosaic Artwork _ Custom Tile Mosaic Designs
Fumage Art by Steven Spazuk
Handmade Mosaics Art _ Mosaic Artwork _ Custom Tile Mosaic Designs
Fumage Art by Epiphany


In all of this commotion of new approaches and equivocal methods, one thing remains solid – mosaics are still made of small pieces of various materials. One might ask how do mosaics manage to stay relevant, and not become boring and outdated with their never-changing techniques. The answer to that question is quite simple – the materials change.

Handmade Mosaics Art _ Mosaic Artwork _ Custom Tile Mosaic Designs
Marble Tesserae


It all started back in bronze age with some simple, but lovely, pebble mosaics in Tiryns, the legendary place from which powerful Heracles performed his twelve labors. Greeks then started using pebble mosaics more and more often, which lead to the invention of the famous tessera technique.

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Pebble Mosaics Art
Handmade Mosaics Art _ Mosaic Artwork _ Custom Tile Mosaic Designs
Pebble Mosaics Artwork

Sharp lines of regular shapes of tessera, as well as their density and color, implicate that the Greeks were trying to imitate the contemporary paintings. Marble, limestone and deep black basalt, were later accompanied by marvelous glass threads, including the gold and silver glass tesserae. All of these materials still play a major role in the creation of mosaic artwork today, but in the meantime some other techniques and materials were born as well.

Handmade Mosaics Art _ Mosaic Artwork _ Custom Tile Mosaic Designs
Ancient Roman mosaic from Herculeum, which was covered up by the same volcanic eruption of mount Versuvius
Handmade Mosaics Art _ Mosaic Artwork _ Custom Tile Mosaic Designs
Roman Mosaic of Apollo

Contemporary artists don’t lack mosaic ideas, and they most certainly don’t lack materials either. From Elvis made of beer and soda aluminum cans to the portrait of Rosie O’Donnel made of junk food, modern artists are pushing the boundaries of custom mosaic designs every day. The thought process that leads to making some of these gorgeous mosaic art pieces is truly mind-boggling for most people, but some are fairly obvious. Kevin Bacon made of bacon is one of the great examples of the latter, as well as Darth Vader made of recycled electronic waste. Buttons, pushpins, coins, corks, for crying out loud even delicious cupcakes – everything can be art if you are skillful and talented enough to make it.

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Jason Mecier, Portrait of Kevin Bacon
Handmade Mosaics Art _ Mosaic Artwork _ Custom Tile Mosaic Designs
Darth Vader by lisa Naranja Metalica Insua

So, what does the future bring for the formidable mosaic art and for that matter, art in general? One should only visit the Metropolitan Museum these days to figure out that modern art isn’t very promising. Strange performances, twisted expositions, the beauty seems to be lost for many art forms. In such a world, mosaic remains steadily and intricately beautiful. Whether it’s made of butterfly wings or candy sprinkles, a mosaic artwork will never fail to bring out the admiration in its observers.

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Mosaic Artwork provided by Mosaics Lab


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M. Belosh

M. Belosh

Passionate art enthusiast; avid reader (you can find me on Goodreads under the same name); movie connoisseur; intolerable before my morning coffee.

92 Comments

  1. Emily Fata
    February 6, 2019 at 2:51 pm

    I love the stunning mosaics of ancient Rome! The immense detail is absolutely breath-taking!

  2. Stacie
    February 6, 2019 at 3:09 pm

    I’m a HUGE fan of mosaic art. I love the way those tiny pieces of material come together to form one giant piece. It’s fascinating.

  3. Blanca
    February 6, 2019 at 3:14 pm

    I studied early Christian art and I have a thing for mosaics. I really love that people are starting to use them in their homes…it’s such a gorgeous art form.

  4. Katie
    February 6, 2019 at 4:08 pm

    So cool! Some of this art is so detailed. I love the Darth Vader art made from tech.

  5. GiGi Eats
    February 6, 2019 at 4:48 pm

    Holy crap! These are so gorgeous pieces!! I would love to hang some in my house!! 🙂 That FOX especially!

    • February 6, 2019 at 9:36 pm

      Thanks a lot for your comment, the fox is the work of the awesome Pam Mauseth, she is a great mosaicist. Check out her collection on here: https://www.mosaicslab.com/mosaic…/pamela-mauseth.html

  6. Melissa
    February 6, 2019 at 4:49 pm

    Wow, that fox at the top is absolutely beautiful!! How time consuming it must be to do that work!

    • February 6, 2019 at 9:36 pm

      Yes the fox mosaic is awesome, this was done by Pam Mauseth, she is a great mosaicist. Check out her collection on here: https://www.mosaicslab.com/mosaic…/pamela-mauseth.html

  7. Elena Toma
    February 6, 2019 at 7:09 pm

    Everything looks gorgeous, I wish I could have something like this in my bathroom for example . Indeed modern, nicely done, exquisite I might say!

  8. Tara Pittman
    February 6, 2019 at 7:14 pm

    Such cool looking pictures. These would be so fun to try to make one.

  9. Alexandra
    February 6, 2019 at 9:49 pm

    I am a huge fan of mosaic art – I wish I was able to have a piece in my apartment – these are incredible.

  10. Lyosha
    February 6, 2019 at 10:36 pm

    So beautiful and so overly creative! The dragonfly and the fox are surely my favorites. Adding some animal vibe is for the better for sure

  11. Sheila Nichol
    February 7, 2019 at 12:13 am

    Great website

  12. Bindu Thomas
    February 7, 2019 at 3:45 am

    These are awesomely beautiful. I would like have such in my house.

  13. Debbie Carr
    February 7, 2019 at 3:47 am

    Wow these are stunning! I love the peacock, absolutely beautiful!
    Debs

  14. natalie
    February 7, 2019 at 4:49 am

    I used to love doing mosiac crafts when I was younger. These are so pretty I would love something like this in my home.

  15. Sri Mallya
    February 7, 2019 at 7:24 am

    Wow.. These art are so beautiful. I would love to have them!

  16. Sue-Tanya Mchorgh
    February 7, 2019 at 7:59 am

    These pieces are so fabulous. I really like the one with the fox. I would love to make one.

  17. Lydia Smith
    February 7, 2019 at 8:57 am

    This is really an interesting article. I was transported back to art class form college. I like how artists can create with and from mosaics. We have a mosaic artwork at home and my grandma cherishes it a lot. The pieces featured in this post are mindblowing as well.

  18. Christine
    February 7, 2019 at 9:10 am

    Gorgeous artwork! Mosaics are so beautiful

  19. Jessica Martin
    February 7, 2019 at 9:21 am

    I have always loved mosaic art. I like the pebble mosaics. I have seen several pieces. My favorite in this post and one my husband would like is the Darth Vader mosaic artwork. People who create mosaic artwork are very talented!

  20. Sakshi
    February 7, 2019 at 10:12 am

    This artwork is so stunningly beautiful and satisfying. I saw something similar in Thailand. That man was so talented. Art has so many forms of expression. Lovely post 🙂

  21. Georgina Nderitu
    February 7, 2019 at 10:20 am

    I love marveling at mosaic art. The detail in some of these pieces is quite striking!

  22. Brittany Vantrease
    February 7, 2019 at 10:20 am

    The Darth Vader one made my day. Mosaics are fascinating and it would be a really cool art project to do with my kids with any left over recyclables.

  23. Sarah Bailey
    February 7, 2019 at 10:22 am

    Mosaics are absolutely amazing things and these are wonderful pieces of art. I love how people put together broken things and come up with something amazing else.

  24. Cristina Petrini
    February 7, 2019 at 10:47 am

    These works are incredible as well as a style, ancient or modern, which I always find full of mystery. I like it!

  25. Amber Myers
    February 7, 2019 at 10:51 am

    So gorgeous. I am always in awe of people who can make these. They always come out so amazing.

  26. John Mulindi
    February 7, 2019 at 12:21 pm

    The Art brought about in this Mosaic is so amazing, wow! so much to learn from this.

  27. Joan
    February 7, 2019 at 1:11 pm

    These are great works of Art, they look so detailed and utterly beautiful.

  28. Patricia Que
    February 7, 2019 at 3:06 pm

    wow! how cool are this pieces! I wish I can be creative like as I like to play with colors! it is really impressive what people can come up with!

  29. Maggie Unzueta
    February 7, 2019 at 4:42 pm

    Wow! These arts are sooooo amazing! I would love to see more of this!

  30. Windy
    February 7, 2019 at 4:57 pm

    WOW these art pieces are breathtaking!!!

  31. Maureen
    February 7, 2019 at 5:03 pm

    I am always fascinated by mosaic arts. I hope to get one made of me someday. Thanks for the historical details.

  32. Becca Talbot
    February 7, 2019 at 5:24 pm

    I absolutely love mosaics, especially the really old ones from roman and ancient greek times! This post was really insightful x

  33. Tessa
    February 7, 2019 at 5:40 pm

    Those mosaics are so incredible!! In our world of fast fashion and ever changing trends it is wonderful to see people taking such pride in creating beautiful works of art like this!

  34. Elaine
    February 7, 2019 at 6:22 pm

    When we were remodeling our home, I would have loved to include a mosaic somewhere. Unfortunately, neither of us are that talented, so we don’t have one. There’s just something so timeless and beautiful about them though!

  35. Sara Welch
    February 7, 2019 at 7:10 pm

    These are all so gorgeous; I’d love to have any one of these in my home. The Darth Vader one would go great in my kids bonus room!

  36. Dani Flanders
    February 7, 2019 at 8:04 pm

    I love the fox picture and the tile piece behind the bathtub! I know NOTHING about art, so that’s one thing I’d like to learn a little more about as I continue on this adventure journey I’m on 🙂

    • February 8, 2019 at 11:13 am

      You’re up for a real adventure! To me, nothing is more fulfilling than beautiful art.

  37. brianna
    February 7, 2019 at 8:16 pm

    wow all of the art pieces are beautiful! Some are a bit scary for me personally but one of my favorite ones is the piece by Epiphany! That’s a gorgeous artwork

  38. Catherine Santiago Jose
    February 7, 2019 at 9:17 pm

    Wow! My jaw dropped upon seeing these arts, they are amazingly beautiful and I love all these!

  39. Heather
    February 7, 2019 at 9:34 pm

    I love a mosaic! I never thought to have one in my home, but I love to see them while we’re out and about.

  40. Christa
    February 7, 2019 at 10:54 pm

    Wow, if I had a bathroom with that mosaic, I would be in there for hours at a time It’s absolutely stunning!

  41. Britney
    February 7, 2019 at 10:55 pm

    I love mosaic art! We have alot of it around Downtown Phoenix, so beautiiful and always unique.

    • February 8, 2019 at 11:12 am

      I’ve never been to Phoenix, now I need to visit for sure.

  42. Catherine Santiago Jose
    February 8, 2019 at 12:36 am

    This is truly an amazing work of art, all that featured here is so stunning. I love this kind of post that we can learned or acquire something new and this is definitely a great post.

  43. Heidi
    February 8, 2019 at 12:53 am

    I love that first mosaic of the fox. I’ve never seen a modern mosaic like that. It’s really beautiful. The mosaic of Kevin Bacon is also really cool, but I’m not sure why anyone would choose to make a mosaic of his face!

    • February 8, 2019 at 11:11 am

      Did you notice the Kevin Bacon mosaic piece is made of real bacon! So cool.

  44. Cindy Ingalls
    February 8, 2019 at 12:57 am

    One of my favorite things about mosaics is how intricate they are. It takes real dedication and talent to turn pieces of rock or broken pottery to create a beautiful picture.

  45. Stephanie | Adventures in Aussieland
    February 8, 2019 at 2:34 am

    I’ve always loved mosaic pieces. I think they’re so intricate and beautiful. There are some beautiful ones around a few of the beach in Southern California.

    • February 8, 2019 at 11:10 am

      oh I’ve never noticed! Will definitely keep my eyes open next time I am in Cali.

  46. Chelle Dizon
    February 8, 2019 at 3:11 am

    I really do admire how resourceful and creative they are. I love mosaic as a piece of art.

  47. Aishwarya Shenolikar
    February 8, 2019 at 5:44 am

    All these art pieces are so incredibly detailed and so gorgeous. I loved the Darth Vader one!!

    • February 8, 2019 at 11:09 am

      It is one of my fave as well, great work.

  48. Yeah Lifestyle
    February 8, 2019 at 5:55 am

    It is amazing to see how much mosaic art has progressed and changed over the years – that Kevin Bacon made of bacon is a fantastic piece of art!

    • February 8, 2019 at 11:08 am

      Yeah it is! Great idea.

  49. Preet
    February 8, 2019 at 7:03 am

    Those were a stunning artwork. I just love them all especially Jason Mecier, Portrait of Kevin Bacon. I found it very pretty,

    • February 8, 2019 at 10:57 am

      It is awesome! Did you notice it is made of real bacon? Cool right?

  50. Cris
    February 8, 2019 at 7:11 am

    These are all some beautiful pieces. I would definitely love something like this.

  51. Becca Wilson
    February 8, 2019 at 8:32 am

    These are all so very cool. I would love to have one of these for my home to add a little something extra.

  52. Joanna
    February 8, 2019 at 9:09 am

    One of the most impressive mosaic works that I have ever seen during my travels was in the Agra Fort, in India. Entire walls were covered with tiny pieces of mosaic and of precious stones, making me think how amazing and how much work the builders have put into it.

    • February 8, 2019 at 10:47 am

      I’ve been to Agra Fort a few years ago and yes the mosaic work there is very impressive but the most impressive mosaic work I’ve seen was in Granada Spain at the Alhambra mosque, no words can explain how gorgeous and meticulous the mosaic work there is. A bucket list for sure, highly recommended.

  53. Kalyan Panja
    February 8, 2019 at 9:25 am

    I love the artwork. Looks beautiful.

  54. Elizabeth Weitz
    February 8, 2019 at 9:33 am

    WOW! That big giant yellow mosaic in the bathroom is incredible!!

  55. What Corinne Did
    February 8, 2019 at 10:08 am

    can you imagine the time each of these artwork would have taken! such a long work! but the results are gorgeous!

    • February 8, 2019 at 11:08 am

      I know! The bathroom piece took three of our mosaicists about 2 weeks to complete! But it turned out to be great.

  56. Monidipa Dutta
    February 8, 2019 at 10:37 am

    I must say that these artworks are beautiful and breath taking.

  57. Sophia Damasceno
    February 8, 2019 at 11:50 am

    These pieces are absolutely amazing and give me a new appreciation for art. Love it!

  58. silvia
    February 8, 2019 at 12:16 pm

    We are big fans of mosaic artwork, you can say so many things with this technique. Always looks amazing I love the peacock!

  59. Dominique Brooks
    February 8, 2019 at 12:30 pm

    These mosaics are gorgeous! I really love the Darth Vader art. Who knew Darth could look so good?

  60. Shannon Gurnee
    February 8, 2019 at 1:16 pm

    I love the look of mosaic artwork. These are some really cool pieces!

  61. John Mulindi
    February 8, 2019 at 2:01 pm

    I enjoy Mosaic Artwork like the ones presented in this post, thanks for sharing.

  62. Ladonna Batiste
    February 8, 2019 at 2:43 pm

    I am a huge fan of mosaic artwork. I love seeing your art, it is beautiful. Great post!

  63. Jacque Hooper
    February 8, 2019 at 3:56 pm

    I would love to have one of these in my home; that fox is awesome!

  64. Erin
    February 8, 2019 at 5:54 pm

    Wow these are amazing! My favorite is ‘Darth Vader’

  65. Nicole Bertrand
    February 8, 2019 at 9:52 pm

    Wow, these mosaics are GORGEOUS. I mean, that fox one at the very beginning was stunning. And my husband, of course, loved the Darth Vader one. 🙂 I love that you highlighted all the different materials that can be used to create these beautiful pieces!

  66. aisasami
    February 8, 2019 at 10:32 pm

    What an interesting read! I never knew about the history of mosaic art until now. I love mosaic pieces and think they are interesting.

  67. twinspirational
    February 9, 2019 at 12:29 am

    Wow this art is so pretty. We love mosaics too. They are stunning and love them all.

  68. Nikki
    February 9, 2019 at 2:11 am

    Wow! I love this! These are truly spectacular art pieces, so much talent!

  69. Nadj
    February 9, 2019 at 4:42 am

    I love the pebble mosaic! You wouldn’t thought it was pebbles from afar

  70. Kara
    February 9, 2019 at 5:24 am

    I love mosaic art and it is good to see that it is as popular as ever

  71. Rosey
    February 9, 2019 at 5:24 am

    The dragonfly mosaic is my favorite. I have a true fondness for them.

  72. Kristen Frolich
    February 9, 2019 at 6:23 am

    These pieces are beautiful. I love the peacock one!

  73. matthew
    February 9, 2019 at 6:42 am

    wow they are so gorgeous and beautiful. I could remember doing stuffs like this early 20’s in high school, Art classes was fun.

  74. David Elliott
    February 9, 2019 at 12:01 pm

    Mosaics are pretty darn amazing. And they have such a rich beauty and such variation about the type of art as well. The Kevin Bacon one was a lot of fun.

  75. Catherine
    February 10, 2019 at 1:58 pm

    Wow how stunning! These are beautiful pieces…mosaics are lost art I feel.

  76. Elizabeth O
    February 11, 2019 at 3:54 am

    Thanks for sharing such creative posts. This is amazing and now I am also thinking to purchase some kind of arts like that for my home.

  77. Chastity
    February 11, 2019 at 7:59 am

    Art has changed a lot for sure. For me if the creativity is there along with the passion the artistry never dies. It amazing how art can be transformed into beautiful things.

  78. Nina Cochingco
    February 12, 2019 at 11:08 pm

    Yes, mosaics never really get out of date. Back in my school days. Teachers prefer to eggshells to make a mosaic. It’s cute btw.

  79. lexi
    February 13, 2019 at 10:32 am

    wow these mosiac pieces are phenomenal thanks for sharing

  80. Rosalind
    March 10, 2019 at 10:11 am

    Could you tell me what style are you using on your web site?
    It looks good.

    • March 10, 2019 at 7:30 pm

      Hi Rosalin, our website is custom made. Thank you for your feedback.