Trend USA, an Italian mosaic producer with offices around the world, announced a new process for making mosaics recently. It’s something they’re calling an elaboration, and to achieve it they use proprietary CAD-based software to assign colors and patterns to replicate in mosaic form photos, fabrics or other works of art. Utilizing more than 300 colors of recycled glass mosaic tile, Samara Gould, Trend’s Artistic Design Consultant, works with designers and architects to translate any design imaginable into a mosaic tile surface. Using proprietary CAD software Gould is able to create precise interpretations of any painting, photograph, pattern or text. Mosaics are determined by color, scale and installation specifications; anything from a kitchen back-splash to a hotel facade, the pointillist properties of mosaic glass tile enable distinct replication of virtually any image.

Really? Any image…?

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This is the Diaethria species butterfly from South America. It is known as the 88 butterfly because many have the number 88 on their underside wings. Pretty interesting for a butterfly and this was one of the images I sent to Samara Gould at Trend USA to run through their CAD system and create my elaboration.

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And here is the Trend USA interpretation of the my image done in 3/8″ uncut tiles. Amazing … but who really cares what I think?

LoaA: Kate, what do you think of this tile pattern compared to the image we sent in?

Kate: Coooool, that is so awesome. But I really want to see the good one.

LoaA: The good one?

Kate: The good butterfly picture, the one I wanted. (let the record show that Daddy chose  the 88 butterfly, not Kate)

So let’s try something a little harder, more about the tones and color renditions, less about the pattern – in other words, the one Kate wanted.

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This is the Blue Morpho Butterfly (Morpho peleides) and as its common name implies, the blue morpho butterfly’s wings are bright blue, edged with black. For what it’s worth, the Blue Morpho butterfly is one of the largest butterflies in the world, with wings spanning from five to eight inches – impressive yeah?

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And here is the Trend USA interpretation of the image done in 3/8″ uncut tiles. Again … amazing but let’s go to the expert:

LoaA: Kate, what do you think of this tile pattern compared to the image we sent in?

Kate: I love this one in tile. It looks just like the original, it is very pretty.

LoaA: Would you like one of these in your bathroom?

Kate: Yes. When?

LoaA: errr….uhmmm, yeah – about that…

I should take a minute and mention something about the customer service I received when preparing this post. All told, I had around 16 email exchanges with Samara at Trend USA. I kept changing the images, then I wanted it to be a different size, could you possibly do that in 3/4″ tile, how much more detail could get if I switched to 3/8″ tile? and on and on. Keep in mind, I’m not a customer here, they were indulging me because I decided I wanted to write a blog post about the process. I received prompt and courteous responses to every revision and question I presented. A process such as this is a good reason to keep an eye on Trend USA and Trend Worldwide, but for me, I really responded to the service. Thank you Samara and thank you Trend Group-USA.

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So have you figured out what that first tile image  was a detail of?

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Booyah! So did you guess it correctly? I am so totally going to put this in my new master bathroom shower! The only real question is which wall … am I smirking at the front of me or the back of me?

Totally the front.

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Cheers

(ps – let me know if you want this pattern of me and my giant forehead and I’ll hook you up…)

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