A neighbor's broken bowl with a menu in French, a ceramic chef, a tile with pork cuts in French and other food related images on thrift store finds all coalesce in a mosaic in the pique assiette style.

I use a variety of wet tile saws to cut intricate shapes out of tiles, vases and other ceramic items to isolate just the image that I need for a mosaic.

"Pique assiette" literally means to eat from someone else's plate. It has become the moniker for a style of mosaic-making that incorporates random items of non-tratiditonal mosaic materials. It is a lot of fun to make. And the prices on the menu! Cognac at 35 centimes and steak at 60 centimes. And open any time... Don't we wish.

I teach mosaic workshops at the Santa Barbara School of Mosaic Art.