Toyoharu Kii

"Blue Tree, " Mixed Media Mosaic, 2023

2023

Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. Clas...

Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technica...

Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. Classically trained in Florence, Italy, Kii creates his modern mosaics using traditional techniques and materials, including hand-cut Italian marble and Venetian smalti glass. Eschewing the figural in favor of the abstract, his mosaics rely on contrasts of pattern and form to convey complex themes and achieve visual harmony. Toyoharu Kii’s latest body of work “Geophytes” continues themes of rebirth and renewal. A reference to plants that regrow from hidden elements beneath the earth’s surface, the series celebrates the resilience of the natural world. Each mosaic is imagined as a landscape that documents a history of environmental damage due to human activity, and the subsequent return of nature as a restorative force. Through the juxtaposition of patterns and the interplay of order and disorder, Kii creates man-made “images of destruction” and finds hope in the future by “reconstructing nature.” In this mosaic entitled "Ghost (Big Wings)," Kii takes a more representational approach to his storytelling, creating figurative drawings out of thin lines of tesserae. The mosaic belongs to his “Ghost” triptych, wherein Kii uses “wings” to represent the presence of a heavenly being, the ghosts of past spirits or the presence of an angel or guardian. In “Ghost (Big Wings),” Kii mourns the extinction of many creatures due to environmental change and imagines their lonely spirits wandering the earth. Enveloping their silhouettes is “a bird with big wings,” writes Kii, depicted here within a dense mosaic of abstract patterns, a symbol for nature’s healing power. “The bird consoles...

Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. Clas...

Original, Shattered Vinyl Mosaic. In another first for the George Thornton Gallery, we’re proud to present “It’s a Gas, Gas, Gas” from master mosaicist Ed Chapman’s ‘Smash Hits’ series. This is the Mosaic Man’s tribute to the classic 'Hot Lips' logo and songs of rock perennials the Rolling Stones. And what better way to pay homage to founder members and soon-to-be octogenarians Mick and Keith...

Photographic Mosaic. Stunning red/orange figurative artwork Joel creates these contemporary pieces by adding lots of tiny images of the fem...

Photograph Mosaic. Stunning contemporary figurative mosaic Joel creates these contemporary pieces by adding lots of tiny images of the female form ...

A unique mosaic composed of up-cycled computer keyboard keys set within a custom-designed brushed aluminum frame. Words and phrases embedded within the mosaic: Don’t Pass Me By - ...