Interview with mosaic artist, Marian Shapiro, continued.

I read on your website that you have worked in the computer industry. Do you use the computer to assist in design?

I come and go with it, sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. I do on things which are quite regular and don’t need a lot of texture. The mosaic rug that I did, I did that on the computer, because its basically made up of lots and lots of tiny squares and its got a lot of repetitive pattern in it so it was easy to do on the computer. Other things I found if you do them they just look like computerised drawings and they don’t help particularly technically in terms of calculating how much material you need or anything like that. I think it makes it quite difficult for the potential client to see what it is they are actually getting. It’s very difficult to get any kind of feeling of texture and depth into them. I know lots of people do and find it useful. When its things that I have to be very accurate like the roman blue border that we were talking about before which was a very precise, repetitive pattern. Then I did do that; I did my template on the computer because it was the easiest way to get it accurate. So I’ll do it when I need to but most of the time I don’t.

Also along that line- what benefits have you found the internet has for your work?

Lots, I mean partly because being out there on the internet people do pick you up, so its very useful. The other thing is contact with other mosaic artists, both in Australia and worldwide. There’s one particular Yahoo group called the Mosaic Artists Organisation, which are mainly Americans but not all. It is a huge group, its got over 3000 people in it and an extraordinary group in terms of technical advice, seeing other peoples work, finding about stuff, just kind of banging heads together really. Because I work alone, I go out into the workshop and I sit and chop things with the cat and the bird outside and occasionally Radio National and it can be very isolating sometimes. It can just be very good to have that contact with other people and that feedback. So I think the internet has been invaluable for that. Also it makes sourcing materials so much easier as well, cause you can sit there and search for things and see them visually, rather than having to phone people up and go out to have a look at things. I order a lot of my material over the internet as well so that makes life easier too.

Considering mosaic is now your work, what do you as a hobby?

I quilt.

Depth of Field- Courtesy of Darian Design

Ah so there’s the inspiration that you were talking about before.

Yes that sort of cross fertilisation, as my husband says ‘Its another excuse to cut things up and put them back together again.’ So I do that as a hobby and movies, music, walking, that sort of thing.

Have you got any advice for people that are considering doing mosaic as a hobby?

Prepare to get obsessed! It can be very addictive and it does take up time.

What kind of workspace do you have?

I’ve got a shed, or what was a shed. When we moved here there was a colour bond shed on a base and we’ve kept the base, which was lucky, and we had it replaced with a wooden shed. It’s got a lot of light coming into it. So I have a separate workroom away from the house, which is invaluable. If you’re doing this you really do need to have at least a separate space. If you can keep it separate from the rest of the house because it is quite messy. It is also minorly dangerous in that you produce glass shards and you make a mess. You don’t want to be dropping glass shards on the floor of your lounge room, especially if you’ve got children or animals.

Are there any business problems that you consider are unique to an art or craft business?

Getting people to value you properly, I think.

Circuit Board III - Photo: David James

You mean that they don’t understand the time that goes into the work?

They don’t understand the time. I think particularly with mosaic, which in my opinion, in Australia is about where textile art was about 15 years ago. People see it as a craft and not an art, so they’ll look at this thing and they’ll say ‘oh that’s beautiful’ and they would pay what you were asking for it if it was a painting. But because they see it as a craft thing, and I am not putting down craftspeople at all, its just there seems to be this huge gap in people’s perception. They’ll go ‘well I don’t see why that’s worth that much’. So those are the sorts of issues which I suppose are a sort of specific mosaic one and just a general one about people valuing your work.

What are the different kinds of outlets you use to sell your work?

Art shows, I am a member of several associations. I am member of The Mosaic Association of Australia and also of a local artists and craftsmen’s guild. I have been a member of Art Connect for a little while, only a couple of months, and that’s beginning to be quite useful because they put out calls for artists and I’ve gone into shows, which I have found out about through them. I have actually this last week been contacted by a group of artists who are doing a group show in Manly and they have invited me to join them and that was through the internet. So that links back to what we were saying earlier. Also some local galleries, and sales on the internet or people finding out about me on the internet and you get commission enquiries.

So have you won awards from the exhibitions and shows that you enter your work in?

I got a commended in The Mosaic Association of Australia show this year.

Are there any public locations where people can see your work?

There’s a gallery in Manly at the moment that’s got some of my work, although not all of its out, but I think some of it is. It’s called The Raglan Gallery but I haven’t got anything else in galleries at the moment. I will be exhibiting at the end of October, and again in November. In fact The Mosaic Association of Australia website, which we might as well give a plug to as well if you don’t mind, has lists of upcoming exhibitions on it for all its members and if anyone’s interested they can look there. I am sure Brett (Campbell) would be on it too, it’s a useful source.

Mosaic art interview continued on next page
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