Ceramic tile on wood 650 x 900mm 2015. I’m often drawn to images which portray movement and this kea fits the bill. I like the dichotomy of casting an organic subject in motion essentially into stone. Looking back I’ve made a fair few animal mosaics.
Ceramic tile on wood 530 x 750 mm 2019. This piece is a good example of how the mosaic process works for me. Essentially I see an image and think ‘wow what a clear and concise image, it will make a great mosaic!’ I start making it and before I know it I find myself in a dust storm of unforeseen technical challenges, which if I work through and throw a ridiculous amount of time and patience at I end up with a clear and concise image!
Ceramic tile on wood 300 x 320 mm 2014. A mosaic of the album cover of M.Wards Transfiguration of Vincent.
Ceramic tile and Crown Lynn Toledo plate on plastic board 600 x 600 mm 2016. This piece was inspired by a wooden sculpture belonging to a friend in Canada. I saw a lot of indigenous art on a trip to Canada and this sculpture (made by a First Nations artist) was easily my favourite. So much so I interpreted it into a mosaic. With only two Crown Lynn Toledo plates to work with there were a few tense moments making technical cuts.
Ceramic tile on wood 380 x 520 mm 2015. I hand cut all the round tiles for this piece, I enjoy cutting tile which is a saving grace because my ambition to ‘get it right’ often finds me working through weeks of laborious clipping but it is all part of the process. I do enjoy a good whinge about what a pain making a piece can be but ultimately I’m proud of what I make in the end.
Ceramic tile and coloured glass on plastic board 400mm diameter 2019. I really crossed my interests on this piece. I’m as committed to surfing as I am to mosaic making so why not combine the two! This piece required cutting some particularly small pieces. A few years ago it was not uncommon to hear shrieks of horror and expletives through the neighbourhood after I’d spent an hour working on a piece of tile the size of my finger nail only to have it break during a split second of inattention. Practice, a light touch and fine nosed clippers go a long way.
Achilles Botes
I’m a Wellington based mosaic artist with 10 years of experience. I find the medium of mosaics a fascinating one, there is an impression I get when I look at a well-made piece of tactile timelessness. A musician for most of my life I’ve found making mosaics has been a satisfying way to express myself in another medium.
I work mainly with ceramic tile but have also been incorporating coloured glass and porcelain into my work.
For enquiries or commissions call or text Achilles on: 021 211 6072 or email: botesachilles@yahoo.co.nz
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Anne Bowden
Anne Bowden
