Mosaic workshop at Wintergreen September 2025. Photo credit: Betty-Anne Howard
Are you ready to dive into a hands-on, creative experience that combines art, design, and craft? Join our Mosaic Workshop and discover the ancient art form of mosaics, re-imagined for the modern world. Whether you're a seasoned artist or a beginner looking for a new creative outlet, this workshop is designed to inspire and empower you to create beautiful, one-of-a-kind works of art!
This hands-on workshop will guide you through the fascinating world of mosaics, where colour, texture, and creativity come together in your own unique design.
Step-by-Step Guidance: From beginners to advanced, mosaic artist Meg Leslie will walk you through the entire mosaic process, helping you design, cut, and assemble your own mosaic masterpiece.
Create a Custom Design: Choose your colours, materials, and design elements to make something truly personal. We'll teach you how to turn your vision into a finished piece of art!
Master Mosaic Techniques: Learn everything from basic cutting and gluing techniques to advanced design and grouting methods, so you can confidently create mosaic art.
Work with Beautiful Materials: Explore a wide array of materials, including mirror, ceramics, beads, buttons, jewellery, marbles, and stones. You’ll have plenty of options to play with texture, shape, and colour to create a vibrant and one-of-a-kind design. Don’t forget to bring your own treasures!
Take Home a Piece of Art: At the end of the workshop, you’ll leave with a completed mosaic that you crafted yourself—perfect as a functional tray in your home, a piece of art, or a thoughtful gift.
Join us for a delightful mosaic workshop at Wintergreen Studios, where creativity flourishes amidst the serene and picturesque surroundings of the Frontenac Arch Biosphere. Participants will engage in hands-on sessions, learning various techniques to create stunning mosaic art using a wide range of materials.
Guided by an experienced and passionate instructor, attendees will explore the entire artistic process from initial design to the final completion of their projects, allowing for personal expression while connecting with fellow enthusiasts in a collaborative atmosphere. This immersive experience not only nurtures and enhances artistic skills but also provides a peaceful retreat to unwind and find inspiration in the beauty of nature.
There are trails to explore, a labyrinth for walking meditations, and the food is plentiful and delicious. Whether you are a novice just starting your artistic journey or a seasoned artist looking to refine your skills, the mosaic workshop promises to be an enriching and thoroughly enjoyable experience for all involved.
What is pique assiette? Pique assiette is a style of mosaic that incorporates ceramic shards, broken dishes and other found objects into a design. While traditional mosaics used small cubes that were relatively uniformly shaped, pique assiette tends to use nonuniform pieces. The term pique assiette has a French origin and various sources say it means “stolen plate” or “broken plate.” It also refers to someone who is a “scrounger,” which of course fits because most pique assiette art is created with recycled or “scrounged” materials.
WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
(A more detailed agenda will be sent with the workshop reminder a week before the workshop begins)
Thursday: Building Community & Learning About Mosaics
Participants are free to arrive any time after 4 PM to settle in, explore the grounds, and get to know one another. We will enjoy a meal together at around 6 PM and share aspirations for the weekend. After dinner, Meg will present a slide show from the Mosaic Artists of Canada Conference to inspire you for the work ahead!
Friday: Drawing & Designing, Smashing & Assembling
Birdhouse by Betty-Anne Howard, fall 2025 Mosaic workshop.
Work on individual projects will begin on Friday morning. You are invited to bring your own item to tile, (such as a small table) or use a wooden tray that will be provided by Wintergreen Studios. Tiles and plates will also be provided, but participants may wish to bring broken mementos from home or go shopping for these items at thrift stores beforehand to select the colours/patterns that inspire them.
On Friday, you will learn how to use a smash-bag and tile nippers to break the plates and tiles down in size. Next, you will create your design and begin to apply the tiles. We will take a break in the afternoon for a hike down one of Wintergreen’s trails or to walk the stone labyrinth.
Saturday: More Tiling
The work will continue on Saturday, with tiling punctuated by breaks. Another labyrinth walk, perhaps? Or curling up with a book? Or doing some journalling—the last time we did this workshop, many people took time to journal, and we encourage you to bring a journal for that very purpose.
The goal on Saturday is to finish tiling by the end of the afternoon so that the acrylic tile glue can set up overnight in preparation for grouting on Sunday.
Sunday: Grouting & Finishing
On Sunday we will grout our projects. Depending on the size of the item this could take from one to three hours. We will end the weekend with a display of everything that has been created with a photo of artifacts and artists.
FACILITATOR
MEG LESLIE is a mosaic artist, ceramic artist, and an arts educator based in Ramara, ON. She studied Interior Design at Georgian College in Barrie and worked in the design industry in Vancouver and Toronto, but it was in 2010 that she discovered her passion for mosaic tiling at a workshop in south Philadelphia and hasn’t stopped tiling ever since! She began with the pique assiette style of mosaics using broken plates and tiles but eventually bought her own kiln and began making her own tiles in 2015. In 2020, she moved back to the Orillia area and opened her business Atherley Arts, where she specializes in making and installing handmade porcelain mosaic tiles for use on custom backsplashes and fireplaces. Meg is currently an arts instructor for a number of organizations including The City of Orillia, The Gardiner Museum in Toronto, the MacLaren Art Centre in Barrie and the Stellar Montessori School in Orillia. She has been leading workshops in ceramics and mosaics for 10 years and has a passion for creating large-scale public art installations with community participation.
COST & REGISTRATION
This event is limited to 12 participants.
Pricing + HST includes workshop instruction, materials (e.g., wooden tray, tools, tiles, adhesives, grout, etc.), facilities, accommodation (3 nights), and meals (9), beginning with dinner on Thursday and ending with lunch on Sunday.
OFFSITE
Workshop instruction, materials, facilities, and meals, but no overnight accommodation – $525
WINTERGREEN STUDIOS*
Green Roof Room or Sauna View Room (rooms in the Lodge with 1 twin bed; upper level with stair access only) – $700 private
Meadow Suite (room in the Lodge with 1 king bed; private ensuite bathroom; ground level) – $850 private
Garden Room (room in the Lodge with 1 double bed; ground level) – $700 private SOLD OUT
North Room (room in the Lodge with 1 double bed; ground level) – $700 private SOLD OUT
Maple Room or Courtyard Room (rooms in the Lodge with 2 twin beds; ground level) – $700 private/$610 shared
Spanish Room (accessible room in the Lodge with 1 queen bed; ground level) – $700 private SOLD OUT
Porch Room (room in the Lodge with 1 double bed; ground level) - $700 private SOLD OUT
Forest House (woodland cabin near the Lodge with double bed; loft/upper level with ladder stair access only) – $700 private
Phoenix House (woodland cabin near the Lodge with double bed) — $700 private SOLD OUT
*If your preferred accommodation choice is no longer available when you register, please email us to be put on the waiting list for a shared or private room.
If registering for more than one person, please enter the number of tickets as the “Quantity” and you will be charged accordingly.
HST is included in the checkout price.