Every element in The Tree of Stillness mosaic carries meaning — materials and textures used, colours employed, motifs inserted, and the cut and the placement of tesserae to show life’s flow.  These become symbols of life’s reflective journey. 

 

In creating The Tree of Stillness, I turned to an earthy, subdued palette to evoke quiet strength and grounded presence - the sacred balance between rest and regeneration. Different shades of red-brown smalti tiles have been used to represent the tree trunk, hand cut in irregular shapes,  and placed with roughened surfaces as its upper side.  This technique gives the tree trunk a deep sense of rugged strength. Made in translucent glass, in toned down shades of ochre, the spiralling branches hold the rhythm of reflection — the quiet turning inward from which renewal begins. To augment the focus of the viewer on the tree, the contouring of the tree trunk and branches is shown in parallel lines of hand cut marble. White marble itself gives weight and rootedness to the background. 

 

The birds resting upon its branches are keepers of calm, their bright eyes reflecting the watchful patience of nature.  Created in bright millefiori and vibrant hues, they bring a burst of joyful energy to the mosaic — representing how love, even in stillness, makes life bloom anew. The radiant glass blossoms, on the tree trunk and those surrounding the birds, suggest that from life’s stable roots, born of inner reflection, new colours of life continually emerge. 

 

Light: With the usage of hand cut marble and glass, light is variably absorbed by each material and hence is reflected differently. They create a living surface that changes with the light of day — bright in morning sun and glowing softly by lamplight. 

 

Through its rooted calm and measured grace, The Tree of Stillness becomes a meditation on how deep reflection restores vitality — and how, in every pause, the pulse of life begins anew.