February Focus on Andamento

In February, Piece by Piece artists turned their focus to andamento, the visual flow and direction in a mosaic artwork. This technique helps to create patterns and direction, making a more cohesive piece. For example, in a landscape artwork, the sky on a windy day might have undulating and swirling lines of glass, while in a calm version, the sky might be straight lines of glass.

As an exercise, students practiced by creating a single line and building a piece from there. Inspired by a workshop with visiting artist Kelley Knickerbocker, instructor Ellen Dinerman worked with the group to design their own unique visions in either glass, tile or both. Every piece was completely different and wonderful.
Through examples and several virtual presentations, Ellen was able to share a great variety of examples, both classic and modern. The topic of andamento is wide ranging and takes a lot of practice, but the participant artists are always up to the challenge. “Rhythm is at the heart of any art, and working with andamento helps the artist to guide what the viewer sees,” said artist Vicki.

With each workshop, we aim to provide both inspiration and education. Artist Andrea enjoys learning the different aspects of mosaic: “I appreciate learning the guidelines, which helps me to make choices in my artwork.” June, another Piece by Piece artist, agrees: “It’s challenging, but I always enjoying learning more and improving my skills and vision.”