Happy New Year Friends! I am sure many of you are having a good old sort out to start the year. So far, I have tidied the loft, craft cupboards, some kitchen cupboards and a little bit of sorting in my ‘web’ world…which led me to re-watch this video. It made me smile so […] Read more...
A light in the dark…
On this most beautiful of nights, sending you all warmth and goodness over this strange and wonderful cyberspace. Take a moment, if you can, to watch this You Tube video which has the words of one of my favourite writers, John O’Donohue – Bennacht (celtic for blessing) and a beautiful song, O Night Divine. The […] Read more...
Mosaic stars
Take some air drying clay, a rolling pin and a cookie cutter… Add some gold paint…. Then some PVA glue and blingy glass, glittery tiles – or broken china, beads, shiny paper or textiles. Whatever you can get your hands on! You can sprinkle on glitter to fill the gaps too… Leave to dry…then […] Read more...
Home made advent…
Take some fairy lights and dark material… …add some nativity figures… …some stones and sticks…. ….some angels and hand made stars (24 of them to be precise)…. …and some very excited children! Put them all together and you have created Mary’s walk… 24 stars on the path – one for each day of advent. […] Read more...
A mosaic feast in the North of Italy – part 2
In this second installment of my mosaic tour of Friuli (part one here) I have a treat for you Roman mosaic lovers… Aquileia, the most complete example of an Early Roman city in the Mediterranean world, is a UNESCO world heritage site, ‘visited’ by Attila the Hun (my visit was a little less eventful!). The […] Read more...
A mosaic feast in the North of Italy
With the cold beginning to nip our fingers and toes, it feels good to remember the summer holidays which for me included a ten day visit to Friuli in the very north east corner of Italy. The mosaic lovers amongst you may know that Friuli is the home of one of Italy’s (the worlds?) best […] Read more...
My mosaic studio…
For the last 7 years, this has been my creative haven, my workplace, a learning space for hundreds of students, a refuge of relaxation away from daily stresses and demands, and a wonderful room where the children and I craft together. It has gone through so many changes, adapting this small space to make it […] Read more...
Mosaics, art and the brain…my journey so far.
Ok folks…look above and you will see that there are two new tabs on the main menu of Glittering Shards. Firstly, “Art & the Brain” will be the place where my evolving research on the connection between art/making with your hands and neuroscience will sit (see more below). Secondly, the “Online Resources“ will, over the […] Read more...
Mosaics at the Garden of Discovery
Myself and one of the lovely people I have trained in mosaics, Kirsteen, have been working this spring and summer with Spilimbergo graduate, Michela Ippoliti, to deliver an amazing community garden project in South London. The Garden of Discovery is the vision of Mitcham Lane Baptist Church who, faced with a plot of unused land, […] Read more...
The post summer glow…
The summer has come and gone. For me, it was a time for a slower pace, for family, relaxation, a bit of house sorting (and some studio re-jigging too!). And time away from web sites and blogs (did you notice?!) The lovely glow of autumn is replacing the intensity of the summer sun and […] Read more...