Fine Art Mosaic Workshops with Kim Emerson

Learn the art of contemporary mosaic in an intimate studio setting in San Diego’s Normal Heights neighborhood. Each workshop offers focused instruction, hands-on exploration, and the opportunity to create a finished mosaic artwork of your own design.

A group of eight women standing in a backyard garden, holding fabric or art projects, with a brown dog sitting in front of them. The background features decorative garden art on the wall, potted plants, and a wooden fence.

About

Founded in 2015, the San Diego Mosaic School is led by internationally recognized mosaic artist Kim Emerson, with studio assistance by her photographer husband, Dennis Reiter.


Kim has created mosaic artworks for galleries, public installations, and private commissions since 1991. Workshops take place inside Kim and Dennis’ private home studio, a working artist environment designed for immersive learning, experimentation, and creative community. Workshops welcome both beginners and experienced artists. 



Workshops will resume in the near future.
To receive announcements and upcoming dates, please join our mailing list:

What to expect

Each weekend workshop includes:

  • 14 hours of professional instruction

  • All materials and professional mosaic tools

  • Individual guidance from Kim Emerson

  • A curated mosaic materials resource list

  • A completed fine art mosaic ready for interior display

  • A supportive, small-group studio experience

    Typical Schedule:
    Saturday & Sunday

    9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Workshop Offerings

Mixed Tesserae Workshop

Spontaneous Mosaic

A mosaic art piece made with various small stones, shells, and ceramic fragments arranged in three vertical sections.

An intuitive introduction to contemporary mosaic inspired by the philosophy of renowned and late Israeli artist Ilana Shafir, with permission from her family.


This workshop explores mosaic as a process of discovery rather than replication. Working with a wide range of stone and tile tesserae, students develop either abstract or representational compositions guided by personal intuition and material response.


Participants learn Kim Emerson’s “directly-direct” method using tinted thin-set adhesive while gaining a comprehensive understanding of contemporary mosaic practice.

Best for:

Beginners and experienced artists alike.

You will learn:

  • Intuitive design principles

  • Tesserae cutting and composition

  • Andamento - the traditional guidelines of creating lines of tesserae

  • Adhesion techniques - working with tinted adhesives (thin-set)

  • Finishing methods for interior display

Optional Instruction Available Upon Request:

  • Transfer techniques (mesh & tile tape)

  • Materials for exterior mosaics

  • No grouting for this workshop

Smalti Glass Workshop

Roman Representational

Mosaic artwork of two sperm cells on a beige tiled background.

Inspired by the infamous ancient Roman mosaics observed during Kim Emerson’s travels in Italy, this workshop focuses on classical representational design found in the “unswept floors” of banquet rooms of antiquity.

Using exclusively Mexican smalti glass, students recreate still-life imagery while learning traditional Roman geometry, andamento, and shadow construction through tesserae placement.

Best for:

Students interested in precision cutting and representational mosaic design.

You will learn:

  • Roman mosaic composition principles

  • Andamento - the traditional guidelines of creating lines of tesserae

  • Precision cutting techniques

  • Classical background construction

  • Use of smalti glass materials

  • Grouting is optional following completion

Advanced Workshop

Abstract with Smalti

Mixed media mosaic-art of a dragonfly with blue wings, orange body, and white textured tail, on a gray background

An exploration of abstract mosaic using historic smalti glass, the luminous material perfected during the Byzantine era and still produced in Italy and Mexico today.


Students deepen their intuitive design practice while learning traditional hammer-and-hardie cutting techniques used by mosaic artists for centuries.

Prerequisite:

Completion of the Spontaneous Mosaic workshop (or equivalent experience)

You will learn:

  • Advanced intuitive composition

  • Smalti cutting techniques

  • Material characteristics of Italian vs. Mexican smalti

  • Abstract design development

  • Andamento - the traditional guidelines of creating lines of tesserae

  • Adhesion techniques - working with tinted adhesive (thin-set)

  • No grouting for this workshop

We look forward to creating meaningful mosaic art with you.

A group of nine women, most wearing aprons, posing outdoors in front of a wooden fence and green foliage. They are smiling and some are wearing sunglasses.

All photography by Dennis Reiter