Mortar Mediations

Pieces of Time Part Two (as promised)

What is this thing called mortar?

For the mosaicist, it is the glue. But it’s not really glue. It’s glue, in that it makes the pieces of things stick. It adheres and bonds and makes permanent.

It’s not glue because glue is flat. Glue is one-dimensional.

Glue has no poetry. No movement. It makes things stick, but that’s all it does.

Mortar though, it has substance. It has personality. Mixing it can become a habit that borders on ritual for some artists. Thinner, thicker, sandy, sticky, fluffy. Different brands create fierce followers. I am a Laticrete girl, myself.

Mortar will cradle your tesserae. It will envelope your cube-like shape, grasp its four sides and keep it tucked into permanent beds that should last longer than you. Its 1/4 inch of soft, working foundation gives you an incredible freedom.

The freedom to nestle.

It lets you have one last little dance with your square of stone …