Just like words are put together to start a conversation, pieces of glass or other material placed next to each other can form a picture.

Love Sign Reflection (St Julian’s) by Raymond Aquilina

Artist Raymond Aquilina indeed sees his mosaic works as a ‘conversation’ between broken pieces.

“You start with one piece... then you put another piece and another piece... big pieces, small pieces... that together form a meaningful and beautiful images,” Mr Aquilina says.

His fascination with mosaic goes a long way back. As a child growing up in Rabat, he often visited the Roman Villa and marvelled at its intricate mosaic pavements.

Traditional Balconies by Flavia Marmarà

His passion for creating mosaics took root when he signed up for a course at Mcast with fellow artist Flavia Marmarà some years ago.

The two recently also attended the Luciana Notturni School of Mosaic in Ravenna, Italy, to further their skill in the field. This led them to put up their first joint exhibition.

The duo has now put up a second exhibition in Mosta.  Titled Of Land and Sea, it is made up of 42 artworks inspired by landscapes and the sea, nature and found objects. Among others, one finds a view of Mdina and St Julian’s and depictions of various boats and traditional balconies.

Solitaire byFlavia Marmarà

Although at first glance, these artworks might look like paintings, on closer inspection, one will realise how they are made up of different materials meticulously assembled together.

“People should realise that these are not paintings at all,” Mr Aquilina notes.

“They are made up of hand-cut materials, mostly coloured glass. Other media used here are marble and porcelain, but one can apply many other materials such as stone, pebbles, wood or metal,” he adds.

These ‘pictures’ can be created through various techniques.

At Bay by Raymond Aquilina

“Obviously, one has to start with the design, then draw on board or wood and move on to the chipping and cutting of materials,” he says.

Mr Aquilina goes into detail on how a particular technique called the ‘reverse system’, which he describes as the most technical and most difficult of techniques, works: “This technique is used when the materials have different thicknesses and you want a flat surface. You have to draw the design as a mirror image on a flat surface and start gluing the tesserae (small pieces) face down on this design with a glue made from flour and water. Then, when ready, you fill the gaps with cement or silicone, put a wooden base on top and when it dries, you turn it over and wash the paper off.... hence you will have a flat surface.”

Bird’s Eye View by Raymond Aquilina

For his 26 pieces on display at the exhibition, Mr Aquilina took on the challenge of the sea, while Ms Marmarà chose the land subjects.

“The sea is something that I mastered with a lot of trial and error. It took me long hours watching boats and their reflection, and taking pictures from the Buġibba quay,” he says, while adding that the result is quite unique.

Of Land and Sea is on display at Ir-Razzett tal-Markiż Mallia Tabone, Mosta, until Sunday. Opening hours: daily from 6 to 8pm; Sunday: 10am to noon; 6 to 8pm.

Ċittadella by Night by Flavia Marmarà