Express & Star

Marvellous mosaics are masterpieces

Broken tiles, chipped cups and plates are among the household items saved from the rubbish tip to be given a new lease of life by internationally renowned mosaic artist Caroline Jariwala.

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Caroline Jariwala, of Mango Mosaics, with a peacock sculpture

She set up Mango Mosaics after turning her hands to the activity after training as a teacher and attending art college.

Now she runs workshops and art classes, in Bearwood, and has developed a social media following which has attracted clients and pupils from as far afield as Australia.

Caroline, 54, says: "Up until I did my masters degree in 2012 I was a painter really, but I came out of that course as a mosaic artist.

"I wanted to do something creative. I absolutely love it and I haven't stopped doing it since. I run workshops and classes and I accept commissions. I have workshops booked right up to summer.

"I use social media like YouTube videos to share tips when I learn new things. I show viewers how to cut the tiles. Now I have people contacting me to ask to attend my workshops. Someone from the United States wants to come in the autumn. They contact me to say they are travelling to Britain and ask if I'm running any workshops while they're here.

"I've also travelled abroad to run sessions including Australia in 2018, Finland, Singapore and in Washington state in the United States."

"I'm an ethical mosaic artist using chipped, rejected, thrown away and second hand crockery and cheap tiles, ordinarily destined for landfill. By using these materials, I give a new lease of life and create a much desired object of beauty. "

She is currently working on a peacock design which she sculpted from polystyrene with a cement layer and a 4ft diameter table at her home, in Park Road.

"The peacock is made from materials which I had in the shed. The table is made from a recycled drawing board that I had from the 1980s. It will provide a bit more space for the workshops, she explains.

She worked on the Birmingham City Council's Hoot in the City art trail in 2015 and has a result taking pride of place in her garden is owl sculpture Ulluwhich she designed and completed after the project.

More details are on website https://mangomosaics.co.uk

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