Yellow Owl

“The best part about creating mosaics is that the 

design possibilities are endless”.
The worst part about creating mosaics is that the

design possibilities are endless”.         

                                               — Karen Johnston, BFA, RECE

Karen Johnston — Artist, Designer, Educator

Hello! I am an Artist, an Author and Illustrator of two children's books (Mr. Bob's Magic Ride in the Sky, 2002 and Six Owls and A Party, 2015), an Early Childhood Educator, a passionate Maker and a lover of books (especially children's picture books). After working for many years in advertising as a layout artist, art director and freelance graphic designer I established mosaicworks (2005), a small design studio that celebrates the ancient art of mosaics while giving a style called Picassiette a fresh and contemporary spin. 

Six Owls and A Party, is a self-published children's picture book that celebrates mosaics while telling a simple tale of Six Owls and one party. Since then, I've visited many diverse schools in and around the Greater Toronto Area, with an author reading and mosaic workshop called The Magic of Mosaics, happily celebrating literacy through art.

My creative abilities paired with my understanding of child care and child development form a well-balanced partnership. I see how the two worlds complement and enrich each other especially within the framework of a play-based, emergent curriculum.

Karen working in her studio
Yellow Owl - in progress
Six Owls and A Party
In-school mosaic workshop

PAST TRADE SHOWS 
Reading for the Love of It Conference, February 2017, Toronto 
Reading for the Love of It Conference, February 2016, Toronto 
The Word on The Street Festival, September 2015, Toronto 
Interior Design show 2014, Toronto 
Interior Design Show 2010, Toronto 
Mosaicworks was featured on The HGTV show Pure Design, 2009 
The episode; Madeleine's Bedroom, from season two.  
Interior Design Show 2009, Toronto 
Interior Design Show 2008, Toronto 
One of a Kind Spring Show 2007, Toronto

SOME FUN STUFF
In December 2017 I worked with The Ad Agency, Juniper Park\TBWA, to create two mosaics using just tic tacs for their client Tic Tac Canada.  
It was a couple of long, fun days spent with a wonderful creative team that produced two videos for Instagram. The first time-lapsed video is of a mosaic being built and the second, reversed, time-lapsed video is of a mosaic exploding then coming back together.

All photographs are copyright of Karen Johnston via Mosaicworks. If you would like to feature my work please credit Mosaicworks.