It is fascinating how you can use almost any material to create beautiful mosaics. All you need is a creative mind to take ordinary items, such as toy trucks or bottle caps, and transform them into a piece of art. I am always amazed by how creative mosaic artists can be.
I have complied a list of the top 10 most unusual and interesting mosaics that use non-traditional materials.
10 Floor of Pennies
Photo courtesy of notcot.com
59,670 pennies are used to create this awesome mosaic floor. At first glance, you may only see copper circles on the floor of The Standard Grill in the Standard Hotel New York. Upon closer inspection, you realize that the floor is made up of thousands of pennies! I love how the different shades of pennies, some bright, some worn and dingy, give the floor more texture and create an interesting, fun, and trendy mosaic pattern! I would love to have this pattern on a floor in my house, or even on a tray, picture frame, or tabletop.
9 Soda Can Mosaic
Mosaic artist Jeff Ivanhoe created the mosaic King of Rock, Elvis Presley, out of aluminum cans. Using both soda and beer cans, he hand cut and flattened each piece to create this amazing piece of art.
8 Bottle Cap Mosaic
Photo courtesy of art-actually.blogspot.com
Recycling is not only good for the environment; it also proves to be a great way for a mosaic artist to collect materials for their projects. This mosaic was done by a group of students who collected over 24,000 bottles caps of various sizes and colors. This is a great way to get kids interested in recycling, while also teaching them the art of mosaics.
7 Postage Stamp Mosaic Obama Portrait
Don’t know what to do with those old postage stamps? Mosaic artist Peter R. Manson (also known as The Post Pop Art Man) creates pixilated mosaic portraits and artwork with recycled post stamps. He is inspired by the Pop Art movement and his goal is to create art that makes you see postage stamps in a whole new way. I think he has succeeded. These postage stamp mosaics are truly creative artwork.
6 Hot Wheels Mosaic
This mosaic is any child's dream. However, you don't need to be a child to appreciate how cool this piece of art is. 4,400 Hot Wheels make up this mosaic by Kevin Champney.
5 Electronic Darth Vader Mosaic
Star Wars fans rejoice! This mosaic depiction of the ever-powerful Darth Vader made out of recycled electronics, by Argentinean artist Elisa Naranja Metalica Insua, is sure to have you thinking twice before throwing out your old computer.
4 Button Mosaic Shop Counter
Photo courtesy of www.shopdisplays.net
When walking into a shop, I can think of no better way to be greeted than by a colorful mosaic desk that spells out ‘hello’ in a fun font made of buttons. This trendy shop counter creates an uplifting and happy atmosphere.
3 Polo Shirt Mosaic
Photo courtesy of Telegraph.co.uk
As I always say, fashion and art go hand and hand. This mosaic made entirely of polo shirts, 2,070 shirts to be exact, proves my point. The mosaic is inspired by one of Vincent Van Gogh’s self-portraits and was on display in Tokyo in 2010.
2 Rosie O'Donell Junk Food Mosaic
As if mosaic art wasn’t already deliciously fantastic, mosaic artist Jason Mecier sweetened the pot with this depiction of Rosie O’Donnel. The portrait is created out of chips, pretzels, Oreo’s and many other scrumptious treats. This mosaic artist is known for creating portraits of the rich and famous out of candy, food, beans, yarn, pills, as well as many other household objects.
1 Pencil Vania
Photo courtesy of Alicia J. Rose
The most unusual mosaic is created in the house of Jason Mecier. This mosaic is made entirely of pencils and depicts a flower garden. This bright and cheery wonderland of pencils is simply breathtaking. Who would have thought that pencils could be turned into such a fabulous piece of art?
xo
Jessica
Live In Mosaics