A BROOKLYN ARTIST BOTH HONORS AND UPDATES BYZANTINE MOSAIC TECHNIQUES

BY TIA KIM

Based in Red Hook, Katherine Forst Mosaics designs and produces European-style mosaics for residential and commercial applications, in the process collaborating with architects, designers, other artists, and homeowners. Forst’s work is variously applied to backsplashes, floors, shower walls, mirrors, tabletops, and other living and working areas, and is a marvelous intermingling of design and fine art.

One of very few continental artisans to have trained in the Ravenna tradition of this art form (based on 6th century Byzantine mosaics; the city famed for examples decorating church walls and monuments), during a 10-year stretch in Italy, she studied at Accademia Di Belle Arti di Ravenna and the Centro Per la Formazione Professionale, where she was certified as a professional mosaicist. She also apprenticed at Ravenna’s longestactive mosaic studio, but has allowed herself innovation and variation in work thereafter. Forst has, for example, invented new techniques involving the use of negative space between the tesserae (tiles, usually in the shape of a cube), as well as non-traditional materials and paint in more contemporary work. “In addition to classical Roman and Byzantine mosaics,” her site statement reads, “stylistic inspiration includes Baroque still lives, ancient frescoes, and pattern design from all over the world.”

“We use stone (primarily marble) and Italian mosaic glass (smalti) to produce pieces authentic to their ancient Roman roots,” Forst explained, “and infuse a contemporary style when desired. All pieces are cut by hand using the historical hammer and hardie, so each tessera is a slightly different size and shape. This gives a hand-made quality and organic flow to the final work.”

Katherine Forst Mosaics
kforstmosaics.com