Mosaic & Collage Index

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       The invention of Mosaic may perhaps be attributed to the Romans. They used it to pave their buildings and cover their walls. The Byzantines, however, made popular, under the name of "opus Groecum," or "Groenieum," a kind of mosaic composed of little cubes in clay and in colored and gold glass. This process must have been used at Cordova, for the ceiling of the mosque, for instance; it prevailed in the early stages of Arabic art. It is presumed that these mosaics are the work of several Andalusian artists, although originally they were executed in old buildings by Greek workmen, steeped in Byzantine traditions. In the same sense may be considered the marvellous mosaics of the Koubbet-es-Sakhra, in Jerusalem.

       In Egypt, in Arabic period, mosaic was made in two ways. It consisted of small marble cubes applied to a mortar bed, or of various pieces of marble fixed in a single piece which formed the background of the work. The latter method resembles inlay work. The marbles which were most frequently used in the mosaics of Cairo were red, yellow, black and white.

       Collage is a technique using magazine and newspaper clippings, ribbons, paint, bits of colored or handmade papers, portions of other artwork or texts, photographs and other found objects, glued to a piece of paper or canvas. The origins of collage can be traced back hundreds of years, but this technique made a dramatic reappearance in the early 20th century as an art form of novelty. It is the hands on method most often used by art teachers in America to teach students about mosaic art because it may be used to demonstrate similar design principles used in both applications.

       For this same purpose I have combined these two art practices under the same index.

Artifacts Representing Both Mosaic and Collage Applications:

1. Craft Three Age Appropriate Clover Mosaics for St. Patrick's Day
2. Craft a Fall Landscape Using Leaf Rubbings
3. A Fall Collage Featuring An Owl
4. Paper Snake Mosaics
5. Craft a Goldfish Turkey Collage
6. Craft a Pretzel Turkey Collage

Mosaic and Collage Projects from Art Education Daily:

1. Decoupage a seed and bean abstract mosaic
2. Craft a mosaic tea tray
3. "Don't Pave Paradise!" (magazine collage) 
4. Decoupage a valentine post box
5. Make a miniature decoupage bottle
6. "Portrait of A Survivor" (newspaper collage) 
7. Assemble a mosaic birdhouse
8. Mosaic an angel 
9. Surreal Landscapes (magazine collage)
10. Decoupage a postage stamp vase
11. Glue together a shell mosaic box
12. A Mosaic Mobile Home (working with seed and bean mosaics) 

 More Featured Collage/Mosaic Arts and Crafts:

• Craft a Paper Mosaic of Jesus
• Craft an Egg Carton Cross