| Melissa Miller's passion is Pique Assiette which is a type of mosaic where china shards are cemented on to a base, then the whole piece is grouted. The grout is wiped back to reveal the shards, jewels, beads and other objects. She custom-colors her grout to coordinate with the color tones theme of the tesserae. To finish, the sharp edges are ground down, and then the piece is sealed. She uses only antique (pre-1950) damaged china and pottery, preferring those pieces to newer ones because of their color, crazing, tone, and texture, and also the way they break when nipped. Each piece requires time and attention to detail to complete, but Melissa loves it so she works constantly. Color, focus, and light reflection are also prime considerations. Each piece is carefully finished: the backs of her mirrors are sanded, painted and affixed with hanging hardware; the insides of her boxes are decoupaged with vintage ads and floral papers, and the bottoms have felt pads for a finished look. Each piece comes with an attractive tag which explains a little bit about the Pique Assiette process and history of Pique Assiette, as well as details of each special piece. |
