FEATURED ETSY SHOP - MAHLOW'S MOSAICS

Boats of Vietnam Mosaic Reprint

by David Mahlow

This is a reprint of the original mosaic. The original picture was taken by my girlfriend Tessa in Vietnam. In the original, I took the 8X10 photo, cut it up piece by piece, and repositioned the photo pieces to create a unique mosaic. This is an 8x10 photo.

Welcome, David and his Etsy shop MAHLOW'S MOSAICS.  All I could think of when I saw Davids mosaic creations, was.....WOW!  I've never seen anything like it before, and am happy to have David and his art here on DZFANTASY as a featured Etsy artist!
 
When you pay a visit to David's shop, and read his profile you will see that an original mosaic takes David 30 hours to create!   One can't begin to imagine the patience and skill that goes into creating one of these works of art!
 
Let's find out a little more about David by reading his interview below.
 
What led you to start creating your art/craft?


I created my first mosaic in the 3rd grade. It was definitely made much more meticulously than any of my classmates' mosaics. I made a few pieces in high school and only recently picked up the art again, around age 24.

How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?

I started with watercolor pad because I liked the texture. But now I use gesso-primed art panel. Its much sturdier and keeps the art from bending.

What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?

I get the most joy out of starting a new mosaic because the possibilities of what it might look like are endless.

A Sunday Afternoon

by David Mahlow

This is a reprint of the original mosaic. The original picture was taken by me in Japan. In the original, I took the 8X10 photo, cut it up piece by piece, and repositioned the photo pieces to create a unique mosaic. This is an 8x10 inch photo.

If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art/craft, what would you choose, and why?

Tomato. The color is so deep you don't want to touch it.

 If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your “creativity”, what would that be, and why?


Painting...on miniature canvases.

What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?

Art is full of opportunity and is the end result of hundreds of choices one makes along the way.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?

Don't do it for the money! I haven't made any yet. Do it for the love of the craft.


David, thanks for sharing your thoughts and wonderful creativity with all of us!  Keep on creating and doing what you love!!  Turning all those little pieces into a piece of art just amazes me!

David would be more than happy to take one of your special photos and turn it into a mosaic treasure for you. Be sure to visit David's links below.

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FEATURED ETSY ARTIST - YONPLI MOSAICS

Let's welcome Bethany of Yonpli Mosaics out on Etsy. I've browsed through her shop, and found a great selection of mosaic pieces ranging from pendants, framed mosaics, bottles, balls and more! After reading below to hear what Bethany has to say about herself and her work, be sure to pay a visit to YONPLI MOSAICS.

What led you to start creating your art/craft?
I have always been crafty and loved art – I can’t really say where it all started.

How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?
I have always loved glass. When I was little I collected sea glass at the beach. When I was older, I developed a “glass problem.” I had a bunch of wine bottles in different colors and could not throw them out for recycling. I wanted to make something with them and didn’t know what. Then I discovered the art of mosaics, and the rest is history. (But I never did use those wine bottles because I discovered beautiful Italian vitreous glass!)

What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?
I love the feeling that I’m painting with glass. I get so involved in my mosaic that I forget the stresses of life for those few moments . . . or hours.

If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art/craft, what would you choose, and why?
Ummm, I think a kiwi – not sure why, but a kiwi sounds good.

If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your “creativity”, what would that be, and why?
I think I would put a modern twist on traditional quilt patterns.

What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?
Mosaic is the art of imperfection and irregularity. In my work, each piece is broken using a pair of nippers. No break is completely perfect and no piece is laid in the mosaic perfectly either – that is impossible. But each piece is shaped and placed well. And mosaics are beautiful because of both the skill and talent of the artist, but also the imperfections that give the mosaic character and a touch of the artist’s humanity. True beauty is not complete perfection; it is being able to put all the little imperfections together into an amazing whole.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?
Find an art or craft that you love – the rest doesn’t matter so much as long as you absolutely love what you are doing.

THANKS, Bethany for taking the time to share your thoughts and work with all of us. I really enjoyed being able to learn a little bit about what makes you "tick" as an artist. Great answers....especially what you had to say about what "message" you want to convey with your art. You can also see more of Bethany's work out on her Flickr site.

FLICKR