Mosman Landscape Mosaic on board Click to enlarge

Colour Series - Water Mosaic on board Click to enlarge

WalkwayColumn Click to enlarge

Fire Goddess Wall Hangin Click to enlarge

Rug Mosaic floor Click to enlarge

Marian Shapiro
Mosaic Artist (Bayview, NSW)

Based on Sydney’s northern beaches, Marian creates hand-crafted original art mosaic in a variety of styles. Originally trained in fine art, and in theatre in the UK, she became fascinated with mosaic in 2000 and has studied mosaic art in Ravenna, Italy; London, Sydney and Auckland.

Shown and collected nationally and internationally, she concentrates on fine art pieces and architectural installations such as floor inserts, walls, borders, splashbacks etc, although recently she has been making sculptural pieces.  Much of her work is done on commission, working closely with clients to achieve a unique piece ideally suited for its eventual site. Private commissions have included; art pieces, furniture, garden bowls and architectural installations such as mosaic "rugs", floor medallions and shower walls. Public and commercial commissions include water features, walkways, path medallions and commercial signs.  Commission prices depend on the size and complexity of a piece and the materials chosen. 

Mosaic materials may include marble, vitreous glass, smalti (Italian glass) unglazed ceramics and other materials. All materials are cut by hand and assembled in the workshop, ready for installation or, in the case of art pieces, ready to hang. The mosaic method and materials used will vary as appropriate for the client’s budget, materials used and the eventual location of the piece.  Marian's work is based on her own original designs and is unique, though occasionally she uses an existing piece as a jumping off point for a new project. Her work has been seen in many art shows and has won several prizes. She exhibits regularly in NSW galleries and has created many private, public and commercial commissions, including architectural installations, in Australia, the USA and the UK.

Marian is a professional member of the Mosaic Association of Australia and New Zealand (MAANZ), the Society of American Mosaic Artists and the British Association of Modern Mosaicists .

For more information, contact Marian through the links below or call 0404 850 157 during business hours. Gallery enquiries welcome.  
                        
Contact Marian Shapiro 
Visit Marian Shapiro's website

COMING EXHIBITIONS
Various group shows in 2010 – for more information see http://www.dariandesign.com.au/mosaic/Currently%20Showing.htm

Artist’s Statement: 
"Mosaic has existed as an art form for thousands of years. As an artist in the 21st century I am fascinated by the creative tension of using ancient techniques and traditional materials to make modern art. I will happily mix materials such as marble, cut by hand in the traditional manner, with materials not available to the Romans such as shattered safety glass.

What intrigues me personally about mosaics is the texture and variety of the materials and the way they play with light.  After years in the computer industry, I am very attracted by the idea of making something concrete (sometimes literally). I also find the hands-on and low technology aspects of the work very appealing.  The art pieces are often inspired by the materials and by the contrasts that I can achieve by mixing different textures in the same piece. The roughness of marble against the smoothness of glass. The density of colour in smalti and softness of unglazed ceramics. I am also interested in the play of colour over a large area and they way in which colour itself can lend movement and dimension to an otherwise flat artwork.

Recently I have been creating fused glass inserts which I am incorporating in mosaic art pieces and have also been experimenting with sculptural forms.”


Exhibition History - Australian and International Shows and Galleries

Shows
Over the years I have participated in numerous group shows plus two joint shows and a recent solo.   Highlights include

• Fabrication, solo show at Breathing Colours, Balmain, March 2010
• Artisans in the Gardens, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, October 2006 and 2009
• Art London (with the Raglan Gallery (October 20009)
• Floriade, Canberra, 2009.
• Guest artist, Spectrum of Glass, Craft NSW, August/September 2009
• Invited Artist, Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts, Cutting Edges: Contemporary Mosaic Art, June 2009
• Finalist, Society of American Mosaic Artists Exhibition, Museum of Man, San Diego, California, February  - April, 2009 
• Timeless.  Joint exhibition with glass artist Clive Hillier, Breathing Colours, Balmain, November 2008
• Feature artist, Avant Card’s 3-d project at the Opera House, Oct – November 2008
• Ancient Language, Modern Tradition, Garland, Texas, November 2008
• Contemporary Mosaic Art Exhibition, Ciel Gallery, Charlotte, NC, USA, 2008 (signalled work)
• Invited artist, opening exhibition, New Works Gallery, Canberra, October 2007
• Finalist, 30th Annual Alice Craft Acquisition,  July 2007
• Art for Goats, Sydney, November 2006, September 2007, September 2008, Oct 2009
• Mosaic Association of Australia Show, 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005  (2nd Prize 2006, commended 2005)
• Foyer exhibition, Glen Street Theatre, joint exhibition with Christina Macaulay, September 2006

Awards include

• 1st prize, mosaic section, 2010 Coffs Harbour Lillipilli Art and Craft Exhibition
• First prize and Standard of Excellence award, mosaic section, Royal Easter Show 2006, 2007, 2010
• Mosaic of the Year 2009, Mosaic Artists’ Group
• 2nd Prize, Floriade, Canberra 2009
• Contemporary Mosaic Art Exhibition , Ciel Gallery, Charlotte, NC, USA, 2008 (signalled work)
• Commended – sculpture section, Hunters Hill 54th Art and Craft Exhibition, 2008
• 1st prize Artists and Craftsmen of Pittwater Annual show, 2007
• 2nd Prize, Mosaic Association of Australia show, November 2006

Articles and Television

Articles on her work have appeared in various publications, including Kitchen and Bathroom Style, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Manly Daily.  She is also showcased on the CDs, Mosaic Art 2005, Mosaic Art 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and on  a segment on the “How-to” television channel running in 2007.  Her work was featured on Better Homes and Gardens on Channel 7 in 2007 and in the accompanying magazine.  She is also featured in My Home, March 2008.  Marian’s work was featured in Mosaic Art Now 2008 and 2009, an international mosaic magazine published annually and showcasing a select group of artists from the Mosaic Art CDs.  She was the feature artist in the Autumn 2008 edition of “Grout”, the magazine of the British Association of Modern Mosaicists.  In 2009, “Grout” published an article on a mosaic installation she made for a Sydney special school and also honoured her by featuring a piece on the front cover of the 10th anniversary edition of the magazine.

Books

Marian’s work has been featured in the following books:
Breakout, Your Pathway To Success, Brit Hammer-Dijcks ,  2010
Mosaic Renaissance, Laurel Skye, 2009
De Kunst van het Mozaieken, Greet Weitenberg and Marcelo de Mielo 2009
Mosaic, Finding Your Own Voice  Brit Hammer-Dijcks ,  2008

She has also published Fabrication, a fully illustrated catalogue of her solo 2010 show

Teaching

Mosaic classes in various techniques and levels at Mixed Palette, Newport NSW