No.1 Mosaic Maker

The 2007-2008 Topps Tiles Awards for Achievement in Mosaic has found its national winner.

Carol Ward from Havercroft, Wakefield, came out top for her outstanding glass mosaic entitled "Obsidian" and wins the amateur artist £500 for the purchase of the artwork which will go on display at Topps headquarters in Leicester.

"I have worked in other forms of glass work but this is my first ever mosaic" Carol confirmed. "By chance, a while back I found a lovely piece of glass and an image of a volcano immediately formed in my mind. Eventually I was ready to start a project and my mosaic teacher, Jo Hepworth, suggested possibilities for including it in a mosaic to enter into the Topps’ competition.

"Most of my work is based on the natural world and I like to research in books, on the internet or by watching TV. I learned that obsidian glass is formed by the intense heat of a volcanic eruption. This provided the title and my mosaic depicts the unstoppable force of Nature and how frighteningly beautiful it can be. Obsidian obliterates on eruption and I think this speaks volumes about how fragile and precious our world is".

Since its launch in 2004, the Topps Tiles Awards for Achievement in Mosaic have established a highly respected position in further education cirles. Celebrating the work of beginners making mosaics at evening class and in community groups or workshops, the competition is unique in reaching adults learning the art as a hobby or as part of therapy programmes.

Over 250 mosaics were entered in this year's competition, producing nine regional finalists who received their prizes at their local Topps Tiles stores. The 2009 competition has recently been launched and the closing date for entries is 1 December 2008.

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