After a long hiatus, we’re thrilled to publish an interview with an India based mosaicist. The interview was carried out by email.
Sheena, please tell us a bit about yourself.
I have been born and brought up in Delhi and did my graduation from Hindu College, Delhi University. I worked with IBM for a decade and post dealing with the board room battles, I took a break to take care of my little munchkins. I have always had a flair for art & creativity, I am a Painter and Madhubani Artist too.
How did you start making mosaics and how long ago was that?
I discovered my passion for Mosaics around 3 years ago and since then it has been a journey full of learning the delicate art of glass cutting. The experiments with glass cutting became better, granular and more refined with each passing day.
What are your preferred mosaic materials?
I prefer to use vitreous glass mostly. I know ceramics too, but I find it hard to work with it due to dust.
Do tell us a little bit about the kind of mosaics you have made and those you plan to make in the future.
I have worked primarily with vitreous tile and Ceramics. I would want to learn to work with stained glass and Smalti.
Where do you find inspiration for your compositions? What kind of themes interest you?
I find my inspirations in a plethora of things around me ranging from Nature, Wildlife, Indian folk art, Mythology and Abstract art. I have an avid interest in exploring myriad patterns of Indian folk art across the length & breadth of our country; further to this, Egyptian and Roman cultures inspire me a lot.
What is the typical size of your mosaics? How long does it take you on average to complete a mosaic? How many hours of a day do you work on an ongoing project?
My art size varies from artefacts ranging from 4 inches to 5 feet. I put in at least 8 hours’ a day for any ongoing project. Completion time for a project varies depending upon the granularity of work and finer nuances of each project.
What challenges have you encountered in mosaic-making?
It has been a very interesting journey so far and so have been the challenges associated with it. I am penning down a few for people who have just taken or are planning to take a plunge into the beautiful world of Mosaics. To begin with, things as basic as holding the cutter, cutting tiles, procuring the raw material, finding vendors and drawing each project to closure by using multiple grout colours, getting framing done etc.
Learning this art requires a lot of market research for finding suppliers for raw material, evaluating the quality of raw material, multi-tasking with vendors, carpenters, hardware outlets for tools, marketing & branding activities and managing your Social Media page.
Statutory Warning: No Art form comes without an Occupational hazard, anyone aspiring to learn this art should be willing to sustain the pain of multiple cuts in their fingers.
What do you like about Mosaic-making as an art?
I think it’s a unique art, it’s an art which has passed the test of times. Mosaics can be seen across a lot of heritage buildings across the world. The traces of mosaics can be seen in Taj Mahal also which is among the seven wonders of the world.
What is your wishlist for mosaics as art in India?
Mosaics conventionally is seen as an art which is meant for classes, I would wish this art form to percolate to a common man and find its true glory across all the households, in turn making this entire world beautiful.
What is your advice to a new mosaic learner who is based in India?
A new learner needs to be consistent and passionate about this art form, it’s an art which requires a unique combination of skill, physical labour and long working hours. It’s an art form which requires a lot of passion and consistency.
Are there any learning resources or mosaic artists you would like to point new learners to?
I think it’s an art where the learner needs to be very active in doing research around the people creating mosaics around the world and subsequently decide a mentor and begin the wonderful journey.
Any mosaic or art-based philosophy that you’d like to be known by?
I think hard work, consistency and constant endeavour to learn is the sole mantra for learning mosaics. I feel it’s a gradual learning process. I feel that I am a learner and my best is it yet to come.
Sheena Talwar is a mosaicist and painter based in Delhi, India. She takes commission requests for functional and decorative mosaics and teaches the art to aspiring learners. She can be reached through her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SheenazMosaics
