First of all (and apart from the actual projects to be finished up over the next weeks): lots of invaluable inspiration and ideas for future projects, a whole new idea of what can be done if one uses and combines the vast range of materials available on the market, new technical skills, a new way of looking at mosaics in terms of their andamento and contrast in colours and materials, and, maybe most of all:
a whole new confidence in my own ideas and creativity and the (for me) difficult insight that Martin’s most cherished principles actually work:
We HAVE to work around the problems and we HAVE to trust the process.
Just a humble little example to illustrate this: Once back home and working on my class project ‘The green armadillo’, I ran out of the dark green smalti in the ground section. However, instead of obstinately going through the tedious process of ordering new ones and thus not moving one inch from the original plan, I tried various options available to me at home.
The terracotta fragments I had left from an earlier project seemed like an unlikely choice at first, but in the end turned out to be what is now considered the most successful aspect of the whole background part.
Before Martin’s course, I probably wouldn’t have let my imagination branch out into all kinds of directions the moment I encountered the problem, “trusting the process” and more or less optimistic that my own creativity would show me the right way. But I would have felt frustrated by the idea of not being able to carry out the project according to my original idea. I would have considered it a technical problem that was keeping me from the appointed goal so carefully thought out at the start, instead of seeing in it the opportunity for creative deviation - which in fact holds lots of potential for original solutions, some of which may be much better than the original plan! So in the name of our whole group: Thank you Martin and Margaret!
This is an article written by Iris Mueller who came on the mosaic master class
June 28 - July 5 2008
I’ve been doing mosaic work for about 2 years in the quiet of my own home knowing exactly one other person interested in mosaics as a hobby. For me too it had started out as a past time, but very soon I had become more and more serious about it. However, I had never taken a class and it was only towards the beginning of 2008 that I felt the need to kick start my imagination and possibly reach a new level in my work. Shopping around for courses on the Internet I knew that an introductory class wasn’t for me anymore and that I needed to find a class that would offer me something I hadn’t done yet, something, that would both teach me new skills and fire my inspiration.
When I came across Martin’s course list, his master class in glass fusion and ceramic elements immediately caught my eye and the beautiful samples of his work done in this new technique quickly convinced me that this was what I wanted to try.
Besides, I liked the idea of a workshop that would run for a whole week – and in the artist’s own studio - since it promised the opportunity of a more in-depth experience.
Needless to say, I was extremely excited at the prospect to spend a week in a mosaic artist’s own studio, learning and dedicating myself only to mosaic work, so my expectations were extremely high.
However, the real experience topped them all by far!
On the first morning, we started out with a small tour of Martin’s beautiful house crammed with mosaics and his wife Margaret’s wonderful paintings. With a cup of tea in hand we then got to work on introducing and discussing our design ideas.
Everyone had come prepared and Martin gave us tips and shared his ideas of how to approach them. Before we knew it, we were in Martin’s workshop handling glass cutters and running pliers (which most of us had never used before) to get our designs and glass elements ready for the first firing.
It should be mentioned that Martin had already announced that he was happy to fire his glass kiln every single night if necessary, which was a wonderful thing since it took away the pressure of having to get it right all at once.
On this first day, I guess most of us still felt somewhat insecure about what we were doing and how and especially I myself drove Martin crazy by asking what he called “aesthetic questions” which he refused to answer with the same obstinacy with which I kept asking them.
His answer was simply: It’s a matter of taste. Something that one person loves will be another one’s nightmare and there is no way to decide who is right or wrong.
Although this answer made me desperate on the first day I realize that it was the greatest gift he could bestow on us since not hearing any of the usual “this is good, this is not so good, I don’t like that, I think you should do it differently etc.” slowly made us feel confident about what WE liked and how we wanted to do it.
In a way, his refusal to jump in and tell us what to do or how to do it in aesthetic matters was a way of taking each of us seriously, forcing us to be imaginative and rely on our own creativity, in short - to acknowledge our individual tastes.
From the second day on, each morning started out with a small lecture on various topics as for example colours, contrast, andamento, materials etc. Participants were free to ask the discussion of individual points of interest. The rest of the days were then spend on our individual projects.
On Monday however, it had been decided that we would get going on creating ceramic elements which some members of our group wanted to incorporate into their mosaics as well. Others, who didn’t need ceramics for their projects were free to create their own ceramic tiles or use moulds designed by Martin in order to bring home some pretty ceramic pieces.
On that day, Martin covered the difference between various kinds of clay, the working of the clay, working with ready moulds and making our own moulds for our own designs.
The bisque firing was scheduled for the next day, the day of our ‘London adventure’.
The trip to London on the traces of London’s mosaics (Westminster Cathedral, Boris Anrep’s floor mosaics in the National Gallery, Eduardo Paolozzi’s works in the Tottenham Court subway station and the famous Hitchcock mosaics in the Leytonstone subway station) was theoretically voluntary.
Participants who didn’t care to go could have continued work on their projects that day. However, the prospect of seeing other modern artist’s work in London brought everyone together at the Broadstairs train station on Tuesday morning.
Another member to our party that day was Peter Murphy, one of the best modern icon painters whose studio in Broadstairs we were allowed to visit only a couple of days later. 
Defying the heat, we all enjoyed seeing so many different mosaic works from various time periods that day and a lunch break at the Crispy Duck in China Town, as well as dinner at the Chelsea Arts Club (to which Martin, as a member, gained us access) kept our energy levels high.
Wednesday to Friday were once more dedicated to our projects. Some were still producing glass fusion elements even for future projects to be completed at home – others had started to mosaic the remaining parts of their works. Although the class ended formally on Friday evening, Martin offered to fire the kiln once more on Friday night so that people could potentially pick up more materials on Saturday morning.
The class came to a close with a beautiful dinner at the Indian restaurant in Broadstairs with not a single one of us really feeling ready to go back home. Now I’ve said a lot about the class and our activities, but I can’t possibly close without mentioning a couple of other things which have made this experience as unique as it was.
In general, Broadstairs is a jewel of a town with the most wonderful and picturesque English houses and pubs, a beautiful long white beach and nice places to eat and stroll in the evening
Martin’s house, built in 1720 besides being an artist’s home doesn’t make an exception from this rule. Further, we were all overwhelmed by Martin and Margaret’s hospitality. To our great surprise, we were offered lunch at their house every day which meant a wonderful home cooked meal prepared by Margaret herself including homemade bread, cheeses, wine and lots of other goodies.
It was an incredible treat! And last but not least, for those who had booked early, Martin had arranged accommodation with an acquaintance of his, Nora Howland, who extended to us the warmest hospitality in her beautiful house and made us wake up every morning to some new breakfast treat from handmade apple mash to salmon.
But apart from the overall experience, what have I personally taken home with me in terms of my mosaic work?
And to anyone interested in his classes I can only urge you to take them: It will be one of the pivotal points of your year in every respect!
To find out more about the classes Martin teaches: http://www.martincheekmosaics.com
Courses are listed at: http://www.mosaicsandceramics.ning.com/pagecourses
Flint House, 21 Harbour Street, Broadstairs, Kent CT10 1ET, UK.
Phone: +44 (0)1843 861958
Mobile: +44 (0)7949 884620
martin@martincheekmosaics.com
