Electra.

When I started doing mosaics, I did buy a lot of plates at garage sales but because of the reasons you mentioned...dealing with footers, uneven thickness, I've gotten away from using plates. I do have some Sue Zipkin plates that I am waiting for the right thing to use them on. Love the 2 patterns above and I hope they have lots available for you to buy!

was this Suzanne Germond's?

I love working in plates.

I adore plates but I am not very talented with using them. However-that doesnt stop me LOL. I like solid bright colors-Fiesta for example, and Blue and white like Blue Onion and Blue Willow. I am collecting blue and white to cover a very ugly grandfather clock. I am always on the hunt for fine old china that is thin and cuts like butter. I just did a few pieces this weekend, small things, a picture frame, some magnets, with china. Usually I see some colors or a focal that catches my eye. Mugs can be fun too-colors and figures.

When I first decided to give mosaics a try I thought I might have hit upon the first hobby that I could do "cheap". NOT! So I started collecting plates at auctions, yard sales etc.....

Then I decided to go looking for stained glass and found a guy that was selling off his broken pieces, (craigs list) by the pound, from his stained glass work, then another artist that was moving his studio and didn't want to deal with the glass so sold it all off cheap.... That started me using stained glass and I love the way it looks. However, I love the thick, deep color on some plates, also love that deep rich color on tiles.... So I guess I don't have a fav. BUT my comfort lies with stained glass because it's all the same thickness. I am trying to move out of that comfort zone and use some oddball stuff that I have been collecting. I am hoping my wall will inspire me to try new depths of glass.

BTW, I am taking Wouterina De Raad's class this fall, Cement Sculpture, and hope to learn how to use all this uneven stuff the correct way.

Yes, it's Suzan Germond's studio. It is filled with thousands and thousands of pounds of everything imaginable under the sun. Architectural hardware, plates, knick-knacks, costume jewelry, stained glass, and some of her finished pieces. I've never seen such a huge collection of supplies. Tuesday (tomorrow) is plate day. I will look for certain plates for any of you that want a particular kind.

nicethyme, what was the design and brand of that plate that you used for your latest chicken, the blue and white?

Ohhh, I have some of that series called Van Gogh

Silva, this was the plate

wow, just seeing that stash must be amazing. Her death was a shock. It may be that her last art was the petal she did for the unfurled project...

Here is a link that might be useful: blue and white plate

That's a lovely plate. None of those were there. I went back today and it was set up so that one paid $5 at the door and bought what one could carry to the car in one trip. I got an unbelievable huge amount of stuff, plates, glass, crystal, too much to even begin to list. She will live on for a long time in the minds of the mosaic artists who were fortunate enough to come into her studio and take away bits of her tesserae.

OMG thats an extraordinary deal, we need a pic of your haul. and yes everything she collected will spread out and be used in art... that feels good to know

I would love to do more mosaic with plates. Sadly, most of my mosaics are for outdoor art, so most plates are out for me.

Just some of what I hauled home -- over a hundred beautiful crystals, stained glass, plates, and dozens of things not pictured . . . $5 for all you could carry away.

more ...

still more . . .

a wonderful thin platter

adorable pig

peacock pins . . .

a new torso to mosaic . . .

This w/keep you busy for awhile. I'll bet you your studio w/be an amazing collection too. W/love to see pics of it.

Yes, slow, this will keep me busy for awhile. The timing is good; that Open House is just now over, so I can take a little time to organize. Believe me, I showed great restraint; I could have brought home tons more but I did not. I am going to be good and put everything away properly before I start something new.

What an amazing haul!

WOW, awesome stuff... great plates

Hi there, I've been doing mosaics with plates for about 18 years now and just recently decided I've run out of steam for doing it anymore. The problem is I have a staggering amount of plates and nipped plates that I need to clear out. I hate, just hate to take them to Goodwill. And I know Goodwill will just throw the nipped pieces away and all that work will go down the drain. The thought of selling things piecemeal on Ebay or Etsy is disheartening as well really. I'm open to suggestions, because I would like to get some money out of all of these plates. I'm wondering if there are some mosaic artist in the Dallas/Fort Worth, TX area that I could hook up with that might be interesting in my vast collection? I just don't know how to go about it. Help!

Ellenmarie Mosaics is in the DFW area. She works with plates. I left her contact information on Flickr for you plus I'm leaving it below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ellenmarie Mosaics

MelindaMosaics I'm guessing someone here will be able to take your plates off your hands for you! I recommend a seperate post to make sure everyone will see it.

Hey there! Ellen here, from Ellenmarie Mosaics. Thank you for telling Melinda about me. We are going to meet and I'm sure many of her plates will be heading across town to my studio!! Woohoo!

That's so cool!