Begin with Inspiration
A Mosaique tray always begins with an inspiration — a photo, a favorite piece of art, a vacation, a family tradition or holiday, or a feeling that you want to evoke when you look at your unique tray or commission it for a special gift.
Design Sketch
Once the design, tray size and color scheme has been decided, Shelley will create a sketch of the design and send it to you for approval.
Tesserae Placed
She will select the materials needed and begin cutting the glass or tiles and laying out the design. Each tesserae will be individually glued to the tray to prevent any shifting of the design when the resin is poured.
The completed tray will be ungrouted and, as part of the design, include a signature Shiva Shell.
After the tray has been completed, it will dry for 24 hours.
Resin Poured
The final step is to mix the resin and carefully pour the resin over the completed tray. This step actually requires about 2 hours of babysitting. After pouring the resin onto the mosaicked tray, air bubbles will rise to the surface. A small propane torch is used to gently break the bubbles. The chemical process will continue to produce bubbles for about 2 hours. There you have it — babysitting. The tray will then continue to cure for 24 hours.
Completed Tray
Meet the Artist
Shelley Dane is a mosaic artist residing in Maryland. She spent years being trained in the traditional art of mosaics while living in Bucharest, Romania.