Mosaic

Paul was commissioned by Skanda Vale monastery and ashram in Wales to create a ceiling mosaic for a new building, the Shirdi Sai Baba temple. The large design incorporated a lotus flower and emblems from 6 major religions in shimmering colours and gold leaf. Paul worked with a small team of the resident nuns at Skanda Vale for 6 months to apply the tessarae directly by hand. The approximately 600,000 glass tessarae came from the workshop of Orsoni in Venice, Italy, where mosaics have been produced since 1888 using ancient methods.

The library of colours at Orsoni, Venezia

The library of colours at Orsoni, Venezia

The preparation of the ceiling in the temple

The preparation of the ceiling in the temple

Working through dark winter days, seen through one of the temple's windows

Working through dark winter days, seen through one of the temple's windows

Paul maintained this position on a scaffold almost every day during the 6 month project

Paul maintained this position on a scaffold almost every day during the 6 month project

The completed mosaic at Skanda Vale, Wales

The completed mosaic at Skanda Vale, Wales