"Painting with stones"

Mosaic Artist, Brett Campbell gave up a high finance career to follow his dream of an ideal life incorporating creativity and tiny pieces of tile, Sarah Jane Chalk discovers the skill involved with this ancient art form.

By Sarah Jane Chalk - Weekender magazine 28/2/03

Montville resident, Brett Campbell, has taken to the enduring art form of mosaics with gusto. "It all started with my wife really, who showed an interest in mosaics, then I said 'I'm going to try it. Mosaics turned into a career very quickly because I'm a bit obsessive compulsive about things like that", he says candidly. "We have been doing this for 3 years and are entirely self taught. Now we sell mosaics all over the world (including US & UK), selling most of our pieces from our website or to people who have seen our work. Most of the work is commissioned and we have also been selling tables interstate, mostly to Sydney & Melbourne. I used to be a Bank Manager and finance broker I'm so glad to have left all that behind.

Both Brett & his wife Lesley are certainly kept industrious with four children and a business run from home. "It's a busy household", says Brett.

"Lesley is heavily involved with the design, she does the more flowery designs and surreal animals. I do more of the Landscapes, but basically we have a picture in our heads and then get it down. We both love the forests & waterways and we tend use these a lot for inspiration."

Brett said his career in Mosaics really took off with their first major piece. "The main job was the wall at Montville; we dropped everything & went for it. The Montville piece is 5m x 2.1m and it took eight weeks. It was done in 30 days, but those were 15 hour days. The wall mosaic is located in Montville (called 'Forest Dawn'.) "But because we sell a lot of our work from a distance, most mosaics are functional items rather than walls. However there is the aquarium wall that has been growing in popularity. It is for beside a swimming pool displaying Mermaids & water scenes.

Many Mosaics are thought of in historical terms and there is a significant reason for this. The complexity and workmanship of many ancient mosaics is incredible. For example, the 'Alexander mosaics' from Pompeii (which dates to around 80BC) is some 2.7m high and 5.12m long. It is made up of over 1.5 million tiny tiles! The work itself is a copy (in stone tesserea) of a now-lost greek painting. Indeed, one of the reasons mosaics are so important to ancient art is the fact that they often represent the only surviving copies of paintings that have long since vanished. Brett is well aware of the stability of his medium and even offers a guarantee on his workmanship. "All work is weather proof and I've never seen another artist give a guarantee," he says.

Brett has a skill for self-expression and is very passionate about his work. " I received a highly commended award from the Caloundra Art show," he says. "That particular mosaic was created from a sketch done at 4am, of the setting moon over Lake Baroon and I worked on the mosaic beneath the moonlight to get the right feel for the piece. It is all about expressing ourselves. We never really paid attention to what you can and can't do; we just did it. So our work is purely original, using our own intuition doing it our own way. But I suppose the main inspiration for me would have to be the Spanish architect Gaudi's mosaic work. His pieces are incredible.

Brett's career is a dream come true and he recommends that people listen to their own instincts. "One of the best things about this type of work is that I get up every morning and get to play," Brett says with satisfaction. "I wake up, rub my hands together, and say 'what shall I do today?' I think more people should try a creative approach to life. They need to do what they're made to do. Lot's of people frowned on us giving up the larger and more secure income. But don't listen to what others say, do what you want. I feel like I've got the perfect life already; it's not about material rewards, we are really living."

Brett & Lesley have found a career that is creative and suits them. So, keep an eye out for this successful Montville mosaic artist. "To us, mosaic art is not just a job, a career or living," Brett says candidly. "It's our passion and we live and breathe it in our daily lives. Both of us are eagerly involved with the conception & creation of each mosaic."