For thousands of years we have been pressing pebbles into patterns onto earthen floors. And numerous fine artists continue the tradition today…
Pebble mosaic by Gwyn Kaitis. www.jolietmosaics.com
Pebble mosaic in Bournemouth Square, UK. By Maggy Howarth. maggyhowarth.co.uk
Pebble mosaic in Bournemouth Square, UK. By Maggy Howarth. maggyhowarth.co.uk
Pebble mosaic in Bournemouth Square, UK. By Maggy Howarth. maggyhowarth.co.uk
Pebble mosaic by Maggy Howarth at the 2010 Chelsea Flower Show. Image via: wendylady1.livejournal.com
Pebble mosaic by Maggy Howarth. 4m x 3m mosaic made up of carefully arranged beach pebbles. Image via: wendylady1.livejournal.com
Pebble mosaic by Maggy Howarth at the 2010 Chelsea Flower Show. Image via: wendylady1.livejournal.com
Pebble mosaic at Gresgarth, Lancashire, UK by Maggy Howarth. maggyhowarth.co.uk
Pebble Mosaic at the Trout River Plaza in Jacksonville Zoo, Florida. Created by Mark Kretzmeier of MetaMosaics.com
Pebble Mosaic at the Trout River Plaza in Jacksonville Zoo, Florida. Created by MetaMosaics.com
Miro Mosaic Parking Strip by Jeffrey Bale. Mother giving birth with the moon in her hair. jeffreygardens.blogspot.com
Pebble mosaic using Miro inspired design for clients in Portland, Oregon. “Cyphers and Constellations in Love with a Woman” by Jeffrey Bale. jeffreygardens.blogspot.com
Miro inspired pebble mosaic by Jeffrey Bale. jeffreygardens.blogspot.com
Miro inspired pebble mosaic by Jeffrey Bale. Detail of mosaic ‘Cyphers and Constellations in Love with a Woman’. jeffreygardens.blogspot.com
Cosmic Persian Carpet in Portland, Oregon by Jeff Bale. jeffreygardens.blogspot.com
Round step stone with marbles, Indonesian Turquoise, Red Montana Rainbow, Black Mexican Beach and center beach stone. By Jeffrey Bale. jeffreygardens.blogspot.com
Entry walk, Portland, Oregon by Jeff Bale. jeffreygardens.blogspot.com
Pebble mosaic with old tools and horseshoes!!! By Jeffrey Bale jeffreygardens.com
Morrocan inspired pebble mosaic carpet. The elaborate design took Jeff a month to lay out and set. He first arranged the entire mosaic in a bed of sand on site and then disassembled it and set it in mortar, using forms to break it up into sections. jeffreygardens.blogspot.com
Pebble mosaic floor outside a church on Symi Island, Greece. Image by Katherine Martinelli. www.flickr.com
Pebble mosaic and apricot trees in Malaga,Spain by Decoration Malaga Heloísa. Via: www.nuevo-estilo.es
Ancient pebble mosaic octopus.
Pebble mosaic of a cheetah, Genova, Italy. Copyright © 2004 Mark Tomsheck, www.tomsheck.com
Pebble mosaic of a fish in Nice, France. Photo by Corianton Hale. www.flickr.com
Pebble mosaic turtle now living in the shallow end of a pool, thinset was used to bond the mosaic to the shell of the pool. By Kevin Carman of Sarasota, Florida. www.flickr.com
Pebble mosaic ‘Birds at Beach’ by Kevin Carman. More images: www.flickr.com
Mosaic pebble (detail) by Kevin Carman. more images: www.flickr.com
Pebble mosaic by Pete Hancock. www.stonefishmosaics.co.uk
Pebble mosaic by Maggy Howarth. maggyhowarth.co.uk
Pebble mosaics by Maggy Howarth. maggyhowarth.co.uk
Maggy Howarth – small mosaics. maggyhowarth.co.uk
Maggy Howarth – small mosaics. maggyhowarth.co.uk
Pebble mosaic, ‘Tane Mahuta and Kereru’, 2009, by John Botica. 3 meters diameter, Wilson School, Takapuna, Aukland. www.powerofpebbles.com
Pebble mosaic, ‘Tane Mahuta and Kereru’, 2009, by John Botica. 3 meters diameter, Wilson School, Takapuna, Aukland. www.powerofpebbles.com
Pebble mosaic, ‘Tane Mahuta and Kereru’, 2009, by John Botica. 3 meters diameter, Wilson School, Takapuna, Aukland. www.powerofpebbles.com
Pebble mosaic, ‘Tane Mahuta and Kereru’, 2009, by John Botica. 3 meters diameter, Wilson School, Takapuna, Aukland. www.powerofpebbles.com
Peacock mosaic by John Botica. The very dark grey almost black pebble is argillite-mudstone an important rock formation throughout New Zealand and gathered from Kawakawa beach. www.powerofpebbles.com
John pre-casts his pebble mosaics in his yard. Each piece may weigh as much as 75kgs. www.powerofpebbles.com
Pebble mosaic in process by John Botica, the stones are first laid in sand and then cement is poured into the mold, when dry the mold is removed and the sand is brushed away. www.powerofpebbles.com
Pebble mosaics by Mehmet Isikli, Turkey. www.meandrcraft.com
Pebble mosaics by Mehmet Isikli, Turkey. www.meandrcraft.com
Pebble floor indoors. buddhainteriors.tumblr.com
Pebble mosaic in a kitchen by Vitruvian Tile and Stone. www.flickr.com
Parco delle Groane, Milan suburbs. Photo by Grevel. www.flickr.com
Pebble mosaic, Spain. Photo by Robert Thomas. www.flickr.com
Pebble mosaic, Skyros, Greece. Image by John Winder. www.flickr.com
Pebble Mosaic courtyard, image by Katie Bertsche wanderingfalcon.com
Pebble mosaic at Chinese gardens in Dunedin, New Zealand. By David Allen Clarke. www.flickr.com
Pebble mosaic, Cordoba, Spain. Photo by Robert Thomas. www.flickr.com
Pebble mosaic at the Classical Chinese Garden in Vancouver.
Pebble mosaic in Istanbul, Turkey. By Ard Hesselink. www.flickr.com
Pebbles and tile = good idea. In Spain, image taken by Robert S, Thomas.www.flickr.com
Pebble mosaic, Chinese Garden, Montreal Botanical Garden. Photo by kreynard. www.flickr.com
Pebble mosaic at the Chinese garden in Vancouver. Image by firecube. www.flickr.com
Pebble mosaics by Mehmet Isikli, Turkey. www.meandrcraft.com
Pebble mosaic in Rhodes, Greece. Image by Chris Conway. www.flickr.com
Pebble mosaic, Santuario della Madonna di Custonaci, Sicily. Image by John Winder. www.flickr.com
Interlocking circles in pebble mosaic in the lower gardens of the Generalife, Granada, Spain. Photo by Jeffrey Bale. jeffreygardens.blogspot.com
Pebble mosaic at Denver Botanic Garden. Photo by Lauren Jolly Roberts. www.flickr.com
Pebble mosaic patio by Jeff Bale. jeffreygardens.com
Pebble Mosaic at the Chinese Garden, Montreal Botanical Garden. ianadamsphotography.com
Small Scale Pebble Mosaic Inspiration:
See Robert Thomas’ pebble mosaic set on flickr: www.flickr.com
LOTS more design ideas here: www.youtube.com (turn down sound!)
Laura Stone Mosaics: www.laurastonemosaics.com
For this to be a green project, pebbles should be collected locally, choose flat, elliptical, rounded or flat-topped rocks. Pet stores (aquarium supplies), quarries and stone yards might be helpful for large projects.
Pebble mosaic by Pete Hancock. www.stonefishmosaics.co.uk
How To Make A Pebble Mosaic
There are three ways to make a pebble mosaic. One way is to work in small molds, build a mold, pour a cement mix into the bottom and arrange your pebbles on top. A second way is the “upside-down” method, where one builds a mold and pours a layer of sand into it, then arrange your stones in the sand (touching the bottom of the mold so that you end up with a flat surface) and then fill the top with cement. When dry remove the mold and brush away the sand. The third way, is to have everything prepared and by your side, and then pour small areas of cement on site, onto the prepared subsurface and push stones into cement. You could also use a dry concrete mix and then wet the concrete to activate hardening, although this might be more prone to cracking.
Fine Gardening Magazine: www.finegardening.com“>Create a Pebble Mosaic by Jeffrey Bale.
This Old House: www.thisoldhouse.com“>Make a Pebble Mosaic
Maggy Howarth: The Complete Pebble Mosaic Handbook
DVD: Step-by-step, Maggy guides you through the technique for making traditional-style pebblework. She demonstrates making a pebble mosaic in a box; which is a handy way for beginners to start. She talks about which pebbles to use, the cement mixes, making a design and points out the little details to master, which make the work special. www.maggyhowarth.co.uk
Maggy Howarth
Maggy Howarth is one of the world’s leading authorities on pebble mosaics. Her commissions fetch high prices and appear in city squares, hospital grounds and public gardens and fountains. Her company is Cobblestone Designs Pebble Mosaics, UK.
Gwyn Kaitis
Gwyn traveled to England to study pebble mosaics with Maggy Howarth. Her work has been exhibited nationally and is held in several private collections. Gwyn is a member of the Society of American Mosaic Artists and currently serves on their Board of Trustees. She is an instructor of mosaic at both the Chicago Mosaic School and in her studio located in Joliet, Illinois.
Jeffrey Bale
“I am a builder of gardens by trade. Growing up in Eugene, Oregon, I have had a lifelong connection to Nature in the Pacific Northwest. After graduating with a degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Oregon, I began to travel. I’ve made it a habit to travel as much as I can ever since. 3 to 5 month forays have defined every winter for the past 27 years. First Mexico, then Thailand, which led to 12 successive journeys through much of S.E. Asia, Sri Lanka, the Nepali Himalaya, and 6 trips to India. Then on to South America over 11 winters, and now the Mediterranean. I spent the last two winters in Morocco and Southern Spain. When I am home I build gardens for a living, and have become known for my pebble mosaic work. My work is heavily influenced by my travels. Everywhere I go I document beautiful things, with an eye for how they were made and why. There is a story behind every design. What inspires me the most is when art works in harmony with nature.” www.jeffreygardens.com
Wonderful work, every one! I’m excited to see all these links available. Once upon a time, if you didn’t apprentice or find a great book of Roman Mosaics to study, it was anybody’s guess how to proceed. I love the Internet for its dissemination of images and techniques for those who can’t venture afar to learn. I had the great fortune to be available when the Vatican mosaic exhibition came through New Orleans—what an inspiration! And, the images I’ve seen here are such an inspiration. Keep up the great work!
and my boyfriend thinks I`am crazy for collecting rocks. thanks for the inspiration ! T.A.O.
Great site.
I make pebble mosaics also.
Check out my site http://www.votsalota.com
Fantastic work, I am greatly inspired & am about to start on my front garden path, I to am an avid gardener & mosaics add so much more than the typical….
Great keep it going & thanks
Mike
Hi, I am just starting the mosaic craft, I have always wanted to do it and I am just starting, I mean, I haven’t made one thing yet, lol. I thought I would start out easy, i have this little wood stool that i wanted to do some little feet on for my mom. I wanted to do the glass rocks or marbles. So my question to anyone willing to help me is, is there a good beginners book or website that will help me? I really don’t want stuff to fall apart just because i asked some lady at a crafts store that really has no clue. I am interested in taking mosaic to everything, furniture, glassware, anything, and outside. Any nudge in a good direction, thank you so much!
The mosaics are quite gorgeous! I am wanting to design a pebble mosaic for my fireplace. Is it the same technique for a fireplace?
Any help appreciated.
Thanks
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I also make pebble mosaics. I live in New England and teach around the world.
I have been making pebble mosaics since 2005 and have installations and commissions in the USA, Europe and Australia, Canada, Guatemala. If you have a project you would like to consult on, need help building or want to learn how to make them yourselves contact me, Debora Aldo at deb.pietredure@gmail.com and visit my website at http://www.pietreduredesign.com. Thanks!