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 Porcelain Tiles and Pique Assiette Mosaics 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. You are invited to bring your own item to tile, (such as a small table) or use a wooden form 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.
Step-by-Step Guidance: From beginners to advanced, mosaic artist Meg Leslie will walk you through the entire mosaic process. Beginning with the creation of hand made porcelain tiles, the project will involve the design and completion of a 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!
Make your own Porcelain Tiles: Early in the week we will create tiles from porcelain clay, which will be glazed, fired, and integrated into your artwork.
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 the tiles you create, as well as 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 — something for your home or for a thoughtful gift for a loved one.
Join us for a delightful tile + 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)
Monday: Building Community & Learning About Mosaics
Participants are free to arrive any time after 1:30 PM to settle in, explore the trails, and get to know one another. We will enjoy a meal together at around 6 PM and share aspirations for the week. After dinner, Meg will present a slide show to inspire you for the work ahead!
Tuesday & Wednesday: Inspiration & Tile Design
Birdhouse by Betty-Anne Howard, fall 2025 Mosaic workshop.
Tuesday and Wednesday will focus on creating porcelain tiles, to be used in your creation and perhaps in other work after leaving Wintergreen. There will be plenty of time to take walks in the woods and be inspired by the work of each other as the designs take shape.
Thursday: Glazing & Firing
On Thursday you will glaze your tiles and they will be transported to Kingston in the afternoon for overnight glazing. We will take a break in the afternoon for a hike down one of Wintergreen’s trails or to walk the stone labyrinth.
Friday: Pique Assiette
We will spend Friday morning preparing the other pieces for your artwork while the tiles cool. You will learn how to use a smash-bag and tile nippers to break plates and tiles down in size. On Friday afternoon you will start combining the porcelain tiles with the pique assiette. On Friday evening we will hear from Sue Lyon, and Kingston-based ceramicist (and the person whose kiln we will be using!).
Saturday: Complete Assembly
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: Grout & 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 back splashes 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. This workshop will be Meg’s third time teaching at Wintergreen.
COST & REGISTRATION
This event is limited to 10 participants.
Pricing + HST includes workshop instruction, materials (wood base, tools, clay, firing, pottery, adhesives, grout, etc.), teaching facilities and trails, accommodation (6 nights), and meals (18), beginning with dinner on Sunday and ending with lunch on Saturday.
OFFSITE
Workshop instruction, materials, facilities, and meals, but no overnight accommodation – $1500
WINTERGREEN STUDIOS*
Green Roof Room (room in the Lodge with 1 double bed; upper level with stair access only) – $1800 private
Sauna View Room (room in the Lodge with 1 twin bed; upper level with stair access only) – $1800 private
Meadow Suite (room in the Lodge with 1 king bed; private ensuite bathroom; ground level) – $2000 private
Garden Room (room in the Lodge with double bed; ground level) - $1800 private SOLD OUT
North Room (room in the Lodge with double bed; ground level) - $1800 private SOLD OUT
Maple Room (room in the Lodge with 2 twin beds; ground level) – $1800 private/$1600 each shared
Courtyard Room (rooms in the Lodge with 2 twin beds; ground level) – $1800 private/$1600 each shared
Spanish Room (accessible room in the Lodge with 1 queen bed; ground level) – $1800 private
Porch Room (room in the Lodge with 1 double bed; ground level) - $1800 private
Forest House (woodland cabin near the Lodge with double bed) — $1800 private
*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.S
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.