My garden has received rain nearly every day this week. The sky is grey, without even a hint of blue. The clouds hang low over the hot and humid landscape. Late summer has brought buckets of rain down on my neighborhood, ruining any dreams I had of wandering through my garden on a bright and sunny day.
Fortunately, all of this rain has given me some new ideas about how to bring a little “sunshine” to my miniature garden, despite the weather. In the midst of clouds, heat, humidity, and overcast skies, I may be able to brighten up my fairy garden with something that always makes me smile—art.
A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly popular in the Ancient Roman world.
Mosaic today includes not just murals and pavements, but also artwork, hobby crafts, and industrial and construction forms.
Mosaics have a long history, starting in Mesopotamia in the 3rd millennium BC. Pebble mosaics were made in Tiryns in Mycenean Greece; mosaics with patterns and pictures became widespread in classical times, both in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Early Christian basilicas from the 4th century onwards were decorated with wall and ceiling mosaics. Mosaic art flourished in the Byzantine Empire from the 6th to the 15th centuries; that tradition was adopted by the Norman Kingdom of Sicily in the 12th century, by the eastern-influenced Republic of Venice, and among the Rus in Ukraine. Mosaic fell out of fashion in the Renaissance, though artists like Raphael continued to practise the old technique. Roman and Byzantine influence led Jewish artists to decorate 5th and 6th century synagogues in the Middle East with floor mosaics.
Mosaic was widely used on religious buildings and palaces in early Islamic art, including Islam’s first great religious building, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, and the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. Mosaic went out of fashion in the Islamic world after the 8th century.
Modern mosaics are made by artists and craftspeople around the world. Many materials other than traditional stone, ceramic tesserae, enameled and stained glass may be employed, including shells, beads, charms, chains, gears, coins, and pieces of costume jewelry.
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosaic
Art for the Miniature Garden
Have you ever visited a life-size garden that emphasizes works of art and DIY? There might be sun catchers hanging from the trees, little statues standing tall amidst the flowers, and hand-painted signs dotting the landscape.
My favorite part of any artistic garden is the mosaic. Some of my favorite gardens to visit are those that utilize tile, glass, beads, or other materials to create imaginative mosaics as garden paths, decorative signs, wall art, and more. Far from overpowering the plants in the garden, they serve as a colorful complement. As the rainy days drag on, I have been thinking about adding some mosaics to my own miniature garden.
Patterns and Paths in the Fairy Garden
When it comes to miniature gardening, I tend to focus on growing my fairy garden plants, choosing the right fairy houses for my projects, and pruning my miniature trees into just the right shape. But this season, I want to focus more on the artistic aspects of the garden.
I think I will start by creating a simple path. It could lead from my garden gate to the front door of a fairy house. A mosaic need not be complicated. First, I will choose a handful of flat stones, tiles, or pieces of flat glass. Then I can use my imagination to create a path that winds its way through my miniature plants, all the way to the fairy cottage door. For larger, heavier stepping stones, I can just push them gently into the soil until they feel secure.
The smaller the material, the more creative I can get with my path. For tiny pebbles or stones, I would want to glue them to a very thin piece of painted wood. Hot glue or white glue should work well. It does not have to look “perfect!” In the fairy garden, a more natural look is usually preferred, so I will not fret if some of my pebbles or stones are sticking out of place. As long as the path is relatively flat, it will work. I can already picture the garden fairies rushing back and forth across the path.
Brighten Up a Fairy Cottage
Some miniature gardens do not have enough space for a path. But there is still room for a mosaic, even in the smallest of container gardens! Think about the buildings, miniature accessories, and fairy cottages in your garden. A bench or chair is a welcome place for a mosaic, as long as it is flat. You can also design a mosaic on the flat sides of a fairy house. Use glue to secure small rocks or pieces of glass to the exterior of the house. For a DIY garden, eco-friendly garden, or family project, one could use recycled tile pieces to create a mosaic on the exterior of a coffee can. Simply cut out an opening for the door and windows. Your garden fairies will love their new home, especially if a miniature tree is growing in the yard. Fairies love to climb trees!
Have you tried making mosaics in your miniature garden? Now could be the perfect time. While I am stuck inside, waiting out the rain, I think I will make a fairy garden path, decorate a cottage, and brainstorm some other creative ways to incorporate art into my fairy garden. I hope my efforts will bring some much-needed light and life into these cloudy, uncertain days.
Miniature Gardening’ offers miniature houses, accessories, fairies, garden tools & dollhouse furniture to create enchanting miniature landscapes for containers or your yard. Story telling and imaginary fairy garden from ‘Miniature Gardening’ bring the playful kid out in all of us. Filled with intrigue and mystique each little miniature gardens scene you create is a snapshot of such a dream.
Article Source: https://www.123articleonline.com/articles/1197165/the-magic-of-mosaics
