MEET MOSAIC ARTIST: PENNY CARLSON

Judging from your comments, many of you are already fans of Penny Carlson. I am, too. Her ceramic mosaic designs, which she sells online at Lavender Hill Studio, are truly special.
One of the reasons I am attracted to Penny’s work is the way she incorporates plates into her mosaics. As you scroll down, notice the different ways she uses dishes in her designs.

Whether it’s a shabby chic coat rack or an English tea caddy, a teacup chandelier or a vintage vase, entire plates, saucers, even tiny butter pats, play a prominent part in her designs.
Penny and her four sisters were born and grew up in Michigan.

“My father was an architect. My mother stitched gorgeous quilts. I grew up around very creative people,” says Penny.
Peek into Penny’s studio and you will see shelves filled with vintage dishes, teacups, sugar bowls, old buttons, vintage jewelry and many different colors of stained glass.
“When I start a project I love going through my collection of plates and working out the design in my head. I never lay out or draw a design on paper. I don’t measure anything out - it is all freestyle design,” she says.

“I love working on commissioned pieces. China can be passed down from generation to generation, and over the years some pieces can be damaged, with chips and cracks, and are no longer usable. Often, the damaged ones end up forgotten in a bottom drawer of a hutch,” Penny notes.

“When I transform that broken china into mosaic wall art, a mirror, birdhouse or tray, instead of being stored away, it can take a place of honor in the house.”

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Penny’s favorite blogs are Dear Daisy Cottage and My Romantic Home.