If you have been to Azule, you have no doubt admired the plethora of creative details that make Azule a standing mosaic of the arts, a technique Camille is most familiar with. Azule’s mosaics are something to behold. If you’ve been following Azule on any social media you’ve likely been watching the unfolding of Azule’s latest mosaic, a collaboration between Camille & her mosaic apprentice and local artist, Lydia Nichole.
The collaboration, which sticks to Azule’s theme, seems to encompass every shade of blue one can imagine. Carefully cut, laid, and grouted tiles depict nautical themes of light houses, playful fish and moored boats, perfect for what will be an additional bathroom for Artists and guests.
A bit of a meditatively slow process it is easy to get drawn in watching Lydia fit and lay tile pieces in a complex puzzle as we chat.
The large fish that started this undertaking was designed 10 years ago by Camille and had since laid untouched on a shelf waiting for not just an apprentice but a true collaborator.
When telling the story, Lydia knew she would one day work with Camille, although she didn’t know what form that would take, “I knew I wanted to work with Camille, knew I wanted to get into mosaic but didn’t have any experience, I just had a feeling about her.”
Having recently experimented in mosaic for a personal project Lydia invited Camille to come view her work and the rest fell into place, “she just held my hands and said we are going to work together.”
The first fish was Camille’s, the second laid by Lydia from one of Camille’s sketches, and the boats they are currently working on, a collaborative interpretation of a Van Gogh painting. Both professed strong willed and creative women, collaboration can be difficult but rewarding, “One of the funny things about mosaic and how Camille and my styles collide is that everything changes once the mortar is mixed. She plans, I improvise. She’s fantastical when I want to be natural and I explore magical realism when she wants to be literal. We balance each other in unexpected ways.”
Beyond laying a beautiful piece of art that will be enjoyed by many in the years to come, Lydia has a new sense of self to go with her new learned skills, “I’ve learned so much from her about speaking up firmly, about boundaries, and about holding true, about trusting my vision, about compromise and what it means to be devoted to a craft over a lifetime.”
To follow along on the continued mosaic progress, our Artist in Residents, and more projects to come, make sure you follow us on Instagram (@azule.arts) and facebook (@azuleart)