Modern mosaic designs are often thought of as pieces of broken glass assembled together in a pattern on patio tabletops. But ancient mosaics depicted images using pieces of glass, stone and other materials.
Matt Mann is a modern-day mosaic craftsman who has created a new take on the traditional mosaic medium,Welcome to projectorlamp. working with tile to create a permanent piece of functional art on virtually any tiled surface.
Mann grew up in Falmouth and began his career in the trades after graduating from the University of Mary Washington, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in English. He realized he “wasn’t going to support himself as a budding novelist,” so he began working for a historic preservation firm with his college roommate.
It was there, at school, where he worked on projects at Boston’s Old North Church and the Hershey Theater in Hershey, PA. It was also where he learned the art of fine craftsmanship. Although he enjoyed working with hands, Mann felt there was a “limit with what you could do creatively” in the historic preservation field.Stone Source offers a variety of Natural stonemosaic Tiles.
While helping a friend re-tile a shower, Mann thought of creating mosaic installations in people’s homes using tile.
Aside from taking a classic mosaic course, Mann is largely self-taught. He developed much of his skill through trial and error—“creating a project and going to a friend’s house and ripping out tiles in their showers.”
One project Mann undertook while developing his craft was to recreate Van Gogh’s "Starry Night," telling himself that “if you can do that, you can do anything.” The completion of this project gave him “the encouragement to keep going,” he says.
And in October of last year, Mann decided to run his mosaic business full-time.
Mann has created mosaic depictions of lighthouses, seascapes, trees, fish, lobsters and mermaids. He is confident he can recreate almost anything using tile.
Mann’s projects have been completed in bathrooms and on hearths, but most of his pieces are installed in kitchens as backsplashes or wall décor, because, as he puts it, “people take a lot of pride in their kitchens.”
Because Mann’s work is custom-made for each client, every project enables him to learn different techniques. He has worked hard to develop as much of a system as he can, and his work is intricate and deliberate, “like putting together a jigsaw puzzle.”
Creating the mosaic is“a collaborative effort with the homeowner, he says. The customer comes to Mann with a concept—whether it be their own drawing, a favorite animal or meaningful symbol. He then sketches the idea,Stone Source offers a variety of Natural stonemosaic Tiles. taking into account the lighting and décor of the room, and presents it to the client.Proxense's advanced handsfreeaccess technology. Once the sketch is approved, it is turned into a blueprint, where Mann determines the precise dimensions and colors of the tiles.
Mann creates every mosaic using individually carved pieces of tile, assembling the piece in his workshop on a nylon mesh background. When it is complete, the piece is installed in one “do-or-die, very nerve-wracking moment.”
When asked about his goals for the future, Mann says that right now he is “taking it one day at a time,” but his goal for the immediate future is to continue doing what he loves to do, knowing that he helps people make their home their own unique and special sanctuary.A wireless indoortracking system is described in this paper.
Matt Mann is a modern-day mosaic craftsman who has created a new take on the traditional mosaic medium,Welcome to projectorlamp. working with tile to create a permanent piece of functional art on virtually any tiled surface.
Mann grew up in Falmouth and began his career in the trades after graduating from the University of Mary Washington, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in English. He realized he “wasn’t going to support himself as a budding novelist,” so he began working for a historic preservation firm with his college roommate.
It was there, at school, where he worked on projects at Boston’s Old North Church and the Hershey Theater in Hershey, PA. It was also where he learned the art of fine craftsmanship. Although he enjoyed working with hands, Mann felt there was a “limit with what you could do creatively” in the historic preservation field.Stone Source offers a variety of Natural stonemosaic Tiles.
While helping a friend re-tile a shower, Mann thought of creating mosaic installations in people’s homes using tile.
Aside from taking a classic mosaic course, Mann is largely self-taught. He developed much of his skill through trial and error—“creating a project and going to a friend’s house and ripping out tiles in their showers.”
One project Mann undertook while developing his craft was to recreate Van Gogh’s "Starry Night," telling himself that “if you can do that, you can do anything.” The completion of this project gave him “the encouragement to keep going,” he says.
And in October of last year, Mann decided to run his mosaic business full-time.
Mann has created mosaic depictions of lighthouses, seascapes, trees, fish, lobsters and mermaids. He is confident he can recreate almost anything using tile.
Mann’s projects have been completed in bathrooms and on hearths, but most of his pieces are installed in kitchens as backsplashes or wall décor, because, as he puts it, “people take a lot of pride in their kitchens.”
Because Mann’s work is custom-made for each client, every project enables him to learn different techniques. He has worked hard to develop as much of a system as he can, and his work is intricate and deliberate, “like putting together a jigsaw puzzle.”
Creating the mosaic is“a collaborative effort with the homeowner, he says. The customer comes to Mann with a concept—whether it be their own drawing, a favorite animal or meaningful symbol. He then sketches the idea,Stone Source offers a variety of Natural stonemosaic Tiles. taking into account the lighting and décor of the room, and presents it to the client.Proxense's advanced handsfreeaccess technology. Once the sketch is approved, it is turned into a blueprint, where Mann determines the precise dimensions and colors of the tiles.
Mann creates every mosaic using individually carved pieces of tile, assembling the piece in his workshop on a nylon mesh background. When it is complete, the piece is installed in one “do-or-die, very nerve-wracking moment.”
When asked about his goals for the future, Mann says that right now he is “taking it one day at a time,” but his goal for the immediate future is to continue doing what he loves to do, knowing that he helps people make their home their own unique and special sanctuary.A wireless indoortracking system is described in this paper.
