Creative Director, Mosaic Artist and Installer: Cathleen Newsham
Mosaic Artist and Installer: Claudia Schattman
Mosaic Artist: Wendy Lipstein
Client: Omnia Group
Architect: David Paz
A penthouse in New York city’s famed SOHO neighborhood boasts marble and gold mosaic stairs and landings that were a creative collaboration between Modern Mosaic Arts, Cancos Tile and architect David Paz. Mr. Paz designed an intricate flowing pattern that Cancos incised in white marble slabs using a wet-jet, then installed on the 5th and 6th floor landings and stairs of the luxurious penthouse. Modern Mosaic Arts Creative Director, Cathleen Newsham, then created paper templates of the incisions so the mosaics could be fabricated in their Connecticut studio without interrupting ongoing construction in the building. Once the gold tile mosaic sections were completed and construction was finalized, the artists installed the mosaics into the marble floor and stair incisions. Finally, glass walls that divide the stairs areas were erected and the reflections of the mosaic in the glass complete the architect’s elegant vision of a Rorschach-like staircase that opens up to an incredible living space in one of New York’s most desirable neighborhoods.
Transform the entrance of your home or business with a distinctive mosaic floor. Flecked with luxurious gold tile or simple bits of broken terra cotta, we can create a memorable and durable floor for any budget. CONTACT US for more information.
Mosaic Fabrication Process
These mosaics were created in the reverse tile tape method, beginning with paper templates, then adhering the gold tiles face down to tile tape in the studio. The mosaic was divided into sections in order to transport to the job location, then reassembled according to a map of the floor and stairs the designers had created. Using thin set, the tiles were adhered into the incisions in the marble. The mosaic artists chose a grout to color to closely match the white marble, which was then applied to the floor. A final cleaning and sealing was the last step in creating this beautiful and durable floor mosaic.
Custom architectural and fine art mosaics for residential and commercial clients.
Designer, Mosaic Artist and Installer: Cathleen Newsham
Designer, Mosaic Artist and Installer: Claudia Schattman
Client: The Prospector Theater, Valerie Jensen, Founder
Architects: Doyle | Coffin Architecture
Architectural Awards: 2016 HGTV Faces of Design Finalist: Posh Public Spaces, 2015 CODA Award Top 100, 2017 ACEC Merit Award, 2015 AIA Connecticut Design Award, 2016 AIA Connecticut Business Architecture Award
Cathleen Newsham teamed up with fellow artist Claudia Schattman in 2014 for a commission by Prospector Theater founder, Valerie Jensen, to create a mosaic for the theater’s freestanding fireplace. The theater, which opened in Ridgefield in November 2014, delivers a unique movie-going experience and honors its mission to provide vocational training and employment for adults with disabilities. Jensen requested two things of Newsham and Schattman: that they create a mosaic around the theme of “infinite possibility” and that they incorporate in the work dozens of Special Olympic medals that had been donated by athletes. Newsham and Schattman decided to create the mosaic using the French “Pique Assiette” method, which combines broken ceramics with found objects, a perfect style for the eclectic project. The artists used the medals to represent stars – a literal nod to Hollywood, as well as a figurative reference to the theater’s mission: to reach for the stars. Color fields of blues and greens are made from hand cut glass, pottery, and ceramic tiles (made by the pair in their studio), while found objects and other treasures build the story. Scattered throughout the work are words and phrases that convey the theater’s philosophy. The result is a giant “I Spy” experience.
“Creativity, conversation and continual discovery are the results of the stunning fireplace mosaic crafted by the talented ladies of Modern Mosaic Arts. This interactive artwork inspires all who engage with it. It is a stunning up-cycled mission based treasure!”
Valerie Jensen, founder of The Prospector Theater
Custom architectural and fine art mosaics for residential and commercial clients.
Creative Director, Mosaic Artist and Installer: Cathleen Newsham
Mosaic Artist: Claudia Schattman
Installer: Greg Hare
Client: Jill & Philip Lawrence
For a long time, the wall perpendicular to the front door of our client’s home in Mt. Kisco, New York had been waiting for the perfect project. The client wanted a mosaic to surprise her family for Christmas 2014. But not just any mosaic. Based on input from the client, the mosaic artists designed a family wall. Six faces representing the members of the family, were cut from mirror and strategically placed at their approximate heights. The “hair” surrounding the mirror faces is made from collected pieces that highlight each family member’s personality and interests. The background consists of swirls of bright color fields: reds, blues, greens and yellows. Found objects, donated by the family or discovered by the designers, are scattered throughout. The end result is a playful and personal wall mosaic that greets guests and family as they enter and exit the home. “I see something different each time I look at it!” exclaimed one of the sons.
Mosaic Details
Custom architectural and fine art mosaics for residential and commercial clients.
Designer, Mosaic Artist and Installer: Cathleen Newsham
Mosaic Artist: Ruby Korpics
Client: Jill & Philip Lawrence
Garden wall mosaic tucked behind a beautiful home in Mt. Kisco, New York. Based on the paper cutouts of Henri Matisse, it is made of hand-cut ceramic tile on Wedi-board.
Custom architectural and fine art mosaics for residential and commercial clients.
Creative Director, Mosaic Artist and Installer: Cathleen Newsham
Installer: Daisy Korpics
Installer: John Pope
Client: Beth Michaelson
Interior Designer: Sarah Vail
The Coney Island mosaic is an example of a project that is both creative and functional. Mosaic artist Cathleen Newsham designed and fabricated this unique piece of art for a Manhattan family with a passion for roller coasters. Inspired by the mosaics that decorate the walls of New York’s subway stations, Newsham created and installed a “subway” sign above the double sinks. A much larger mosaic (which depicts the likenesses of family members in the first cars of the coaster) was installed on the back wall of the shower-bathtub. The homeowners, wishing to stay true to the fabrication standards of the many mosaics adorning New York City subway platforms, chose to use Italian smalti, a durable, richly colored glass, as the material for the design. The smalti tiles were adhered to mesh, shipped to the jobsite; then finally installed. Mounting tile to mesh makes it easy to ship mosaics to clients all over the world.
Do you have a passion that you would like to see interpreted as functional or decorative art? We would be happy to listen to your ideas and collaborate to create a unique and personal work of art. Using our CONTACT US page, let us know what projects you are dreaming of, and we will help make them a reality!
The Mosaic Process
These mosaics were created using a combination of mesh and tile tape. Since there was no Coney Island subway signage Newsham designed a sign for the area above the sinks with a ferris wheel motif behind a serif font. Testing the design in the architectural drawing gave the client and architect a clear idea of what the final mosaic would look like once completed. Once the color choices were determined Cathleen sourced the smalti tile and created a palette for final approval.
After researching new and vintage of the Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster, Newsham submitted design ideas for the mosaic that would be going behind the shower area. Showing the client various pencil sketches, a design was chosen, refined, then dropped into the architectural drawings.
Installing the signage over the sinks. Modern Mosaic Arts supplied the architect and tile installer with a template of the mosaic so when Newsham and her team of installers arrived, the wall had a recessed area that was perfectly sized for the mosaic to drop right in. The white subway tiles that surround the mosaic were cut ahead of time by another tile installer using the template supplied so everything fit perfectly and the mosaic and subway tiles were flush with no height difference.
The shower mosaic was installed after the signage. As you can see in the photo below, the mosaic was cut into pieces for easier handling and transport, then were re-fit together like a puzzle for the installation.
Custom architectural and fine art mosaics for residential and commercial clients.
