Martin's new book: 'Fused Glass Mosaics'
FUSED GLASS MOSAICs
Master Class Techniques With Martin Cheek
chiffer Publishing Ltd
From the moment I was greeted by the two cheeky cranes on the cover of Martin’s new book I knew this would be another classic from the master of mosaic animal caricature.
Martin’s background in animation enables him to interpret animals in a way that delivers a moment of real delight. They are wonderfully characterful these little glass creations, personalities with a touch of pathos that makes them very endearing.
I’ve known Martin for many years now and had heard that he had bought a kiln with the winnings from a TV game show he’d not only had the lack of dignity to enter but had then compounded by having the indecency to win! When we met at an American mosaic conference in Chicago last year he showed me the glass fusions he was now making with that kiln and I thought how brilliantly they worked with mosaic.
I don’t know how the publishers resisted the urge to title the book “Cheeky Fusions”, as in a sense the word fusion can mean not only the actual melted glass elements but also the fusion between these and the mosaic cubes within which they are set. These two elements compliment each other perfectly. Purists say “it’s not strictly mosaic” but hang on, these are very beautiful objects and I say “hang the purists!”
For many years Martin has included milifiori in his work, lots of it. The tiny glass fusions make great eyes and details in mosaics (check out the dogs on page 73, they had me howling!) Martin’s fusions are a step further on. They are clever, they become ears, fish, peacock tails and wings, butterflies and cat’s eyes and they imbue the creatures with character to the extent that one mosaic of a pheasant really does look, as Martin puts it, “as is he has just realized that he’s not the sharpest knife in the box and that tragic thought has stopped him in his tracks”.
The book is laid out in an interesting and very informative way beginning with how a mosaic evolves from sketches to final composition to the making of the work and the inclusion of realism and/or humour.
The book is written as Martin talks so it’s very much like you’re sitting in his studio as he eloquently explains the different pieces. This makes for a very easy atmosphere as you hear the tales of how a particular piece came into being.
The sketches are particularly interesting as they are cartoons in themselves, you can see Martin creating a visual joke in every one of them.
Martin’s large mosaic floor in Barbados gets a chapter all to itself and I’m so glad that it does as this is a wonderful work full of life, colour and vigour. It is all made in Mexican Smalti and is a real joy to feast your eyes on, from the bold and brightly coloured banana leaves to the jewel-like humming birds and the client’s jazzy sandals as if just left by the side of the ocean (even these sandals have a comic personality, how can that be?)
I’d followed Martin’s blog when he was making this work so it was a treat to see the complete story of it’s creation in print with some excellent photos showing all the technical aspects of the work from first sketches to final grouting.
Colours and contrasts come next with some different ways of setting your mosaic pieces and found objects. A chapter on community mosaics runs through a selection of school commissions that have none of the brilliant wit and gusto of Martins studio work but then a man has to earn a living and the children do get a great chance to be creative with these projects.
A very useful final chapter on how to tackle a commission follows and anybody who wants to make a business out of this art form should benefit from his words of wisdom. If you follow this advice it will help you avoid very easy-to-make pitfalls like working for nothing and enslaving yourself to a client’s bad taste.
So a very important addition to your mosaic book library. If you’re a professional mosaic maker it is always an intriguing delight to see how somebody else works and if you’re just starting out it will furnish you with a wealth of information and tips that will give you ideas and the confidence to improve with this ever intriguing art form.
Copies of the book signed by the author are available from Martin Cheek, Flint House, 21 Harbour Street, Broadstairs, Kent, CT10 1ET
T: 07949 884620
Email: cheekmartin@hotmail.co.uk
Price £27.50 UK P&P: £3.30 -£8.50 surface mail order within Europe
Oliver Budd
January 2012