Paul Wirhun

Mosaic eggshell painting: 'Jesse Owens'

2021

‘I have been working on eggshells since I was 8 years old, learning the traditional Ukrainian art of pysanky from my mother. This artistic and cultic use of eggs informs my work to t...

I have worked on eggshells since I was a child, learning the traditional Ukrainian craft of pysanky from my mother. This artistic and cultic use of eggs...

Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. Classically trained in Florence, Italy, Kii creates his modern mosaics using traditional techniques and materials, including hand-cut Italian marble and Venetian smalti glass. Eschewing the figural in favor of the abstract, his mosaics rely on contrasts of pattern and form to convey complex themes and achieve visual harmony. Toyoharu Kii’s latest body of work “Geophytes” continues themes of rebirth and renewal. A reference to plants that regrow from hidden elements beneath the earth’s surface, the series celebrates the resilience of the natural world. Each mosaic is imagined as a landscape that documents a history of environmental damage due to human activity, and the subsequent return of nature as a restorative force. Through the juxtaposition of patterns and the interplay of order and disorder, Kii creates man-made “images of destruction” and finds hope in the future by “reconstructing nature.” In this mosaic entitled "Ghost (Get Out...

This Hohenberg Mosaic depicts a classical Thai dancer and is comprised of glass and ceramic tiles against a crystalline incrustation. The frame is solid walnut and the piece is stencil signed on the reverse 'Hohenberg Original.'