🗿British artist Justin Bateman creates incredible mosaics made entirely from pebbles all over Thailand.

 Pebble Mosaics by Justin Bateman

British artist Justin Bateman creates incredible mosaics made entirely from pebbles all over Thailand.

Using the natural landscape as his canvas, he creates ephemeral works of art from found pebbles and rocks.

“The first creations were in Portsmouth, UK, on the beach. It was an old studio where I taught my art students.

One day, a friend and I decided that we would try to make an unusual project ourselves. I only came to England for a few months and soon returned to Bali, Indonesia.

In Indonesia, I continued to perfect my process, working very long hours, often at night with a night light. My house was by the river, so I could listen to the frogs and the river while I worked. Now I live in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and the people here are wonderful.”

“At first, it was hard to destroy the work when I had spent so many hours creating it. But for me, the impermanence of the work is important, tied to a specific location. I can create permanent pieces, but most of the work is not meant to last. It is ephemeral, like the seasons.

I prefer the natural environment to remain natural, so I remove any evidence of my presence when I leave a place, I throw all the stones away."

The artist leaves detailed portraits made of pebbles on beaches, in forests, by railways and in the mountains. Each natural-colored stone acts as an individual brushstroke of paint or mark that is an integral part of the overall image.

Bateman says outright, "The pebbles are my pixels," and calls his art "land art."

His floor paintings range in size from 1 m² to 6 m². Accordingly, the time spent is measured in days or weeks. "It can be a lonely endeavor... and requires absolute concentration to complete."

Using found pebbles, Bateman never really plans his portraits in advance. Instead, he lets the stones themselves dictate the composition of the artwork. “The beauty of this process is that I have no idea what the piece will look like initially.”

“In a world where there is such an insatiable desire for ‘more,’ I prefer to use less.”

🗣️Justin Bateman

Sources: mymodernmet; amyjobuchanan; Bored Panda.