The general idea for the artists in residence scheme was to teach the oldest form of mosaic going back to the Byzantine era. For me it was very important to let every student choose their own individual design to produce a far more gratifying end result.

Many mosaicists have different methods of creating mosaics. I personally like the students to create their own design - of course this is not always achievable so then references to books or magazines are an option.

Once design is chosen, the students can choose from various sizes of M.D.F. or Marine Plywood boards. We can then draw designs directly onto the board. The direct method is the most laying of mosaic, tessarae are cut and stuck, face up, directly onto the base. The surface of the mosaics made using this technique are therefore not always smooth and much license can be taken with the shape and texture of the tesserae.

The students seem to be engrossed in the project and numbers increased towards end. Some of the finished pieces included a coffee table, mirrors and murals all finished with a very professional touch.

On completion of project I do think that all of the students were happy with their mosaics. I do believe that new skills have been learnt by most and some participants wanted to learn more about the medium.