“White Catfish” mosaic art. pebbles and ceramic dishware on panel. 24 in x 11.125 in

“White Catfish” contemporary mosaic art

“White Catfish” is another mosaic where texture is a major aspect of the work  The tumbled pebbles are rounded and smooth, and they bulge out from the fish, which is made from flat ceramic material.  Thus, the fish is in relief from the background (set at a lower level).  The first Greek mosaics were floors made from rounded river pebbles, similar to these only larger.

I find most all wildlife art rather dull, just something you see in a dentist’s office or barber shop, so I’ve never had the slightest desire to make anything like that.  I made this catfish because there was a time when I spent nearly every waking hour of every summer with a cane fishing pole in my hands.  I had an archetype or icon in mind, something that had huge personal significance, rather than a fishing trophy.  All that being said, this mosaic looks at home in a very conventional sort of way when I put it up on the mantelpiece.  After all, it is about the size and shape of a mounted bass.