“Mosaic and garden design have similar characteristics. They are each made of an assembly of pieces laid out in a certain way.” This is the premise of primary author Mark Brody in “Mosaic Garden Projects,” co-written with Sheila Ashdown. Both authors, along with photographer Justin Myers, whose work is a critical part of this book, are Portland residents.
Wisely, Brody starts his orderly series of lessons with defining your working space – it must be a dedicated as mosaics take room and some time to complete. You can’t just pick up the project to make room for dinner! You’ll need tools and, if you jump in with both feet, lots of tools and places to put them. Good lighting, excellent ventilation (some of the materials are smelly), and a handy source of water are other necessities.
If you’ve completed this checklist, you’re set to go. Excellent close-ups introduce the tools, the various types of tesserae (the pieces that make up the mosaic), and other critical parts. These include the substrate that supports your art, including the marvelously garden-sounding wedi (pronounced “weedy”) board, the adhesives to attach, and the grouts to fill in the gaps.
There are instructions on creating the image, with many templates to help, but filling the bulk of the book are projects. In my experience, many do-it-yourself books have a number of frivolous projects, but not this one. Each, from easy to challenging, has a place in your garden or nearby – the first and, according to Brody the easiest, is a mosaic of your house numbers to welcome your guests.
Excerpted from the Arboretum Bulletin.