MOSAIC ARTIST - Andrea ketterling
In this inaugural feature we are thrilled to introduce you to Andrea Ketterling, a luminous, light-hearted mother and nature lover, who has been an integral part of Caitlin’s studio team in the Blue Mountains, Australia for the past five years. Michelena caught up with Andrea to have a chat about her daily practice, shared in the excerpt below.
Sometimes late at night, when I can’t sleep, I go out to the darkness and quiet of my studio when it’s just me and the possums and owls. That has produced some of my best and whackiest ideas!
Tell us about any creative routines or habits you have for getting work made?
I try to get a little bit of work done every day or every second day – even if just for half an hour. This allows me to get into a rhythm so that projects don’t feel overwhelming.
Though I can make space in an outside shed to mosaic in, the thing that keeps me engaged in daily practice is to always have some work right out on our kitchen table. It is important to me to be present with my family, so being in the hub of my home keeps me engaged, yet allows me to flow back to it in the little chunks of time that allow. Seeing the work front and centre in my day to day life, calls to me to continue a little bit every day and for a busy Mother that really adds up incrementally.
Sometimes late at night, when I can’t sleep, I go out to the darkness and quiet of my studio when it’s just me and the possums and owls, that has produced some of my best and whackiest ideas!
There is something about the solitude and altered late night state that enables me to stop overthinking and just allow the creativity to flow!
Who or what inspires your work?
I am inspired by the natural and often unseen world. Microbes, cells, microscopic organisms, mycelium – intricate, complex structures that are so crucial to life but which we often forget about entirely.
As a Bush School Facilitator for 5yrs, I had the privilege of slowing down in nature with very young children. Seeing the world through a preschoolers eyes, literally brings you closer to the ground into this less visible intricate world. Ants moving eggs, hidden mushrooms, intricate details of nature – it has infused this magical, microscopic world in me that was inspiring for me to express in mosaic.
It is where I started my first series, The Ground Beneath Our Feet.
The Ground Beneath Our Feet, 2021
Andrea Ketterling
I am most proud of this work as it was a departure from my old way of working and was the first time I felt like I was developing my own style.
A Drop in the Ocean, 2023
Andrea Ketterling
What materials do you love and use the most?
I am in love with gold smalti.
I like to use it in combination with quiet, faceted matte ceramic and stone as it gives such great contrast. It is such a beautiful, precious material, I use it in aspects of work when I want to convey the preciousness of the world. And, I love that when you lay them, you can still catch glimpses of that bright blue along the edges.
As seen in one of Andrea’s works- A Drop in the Ocean, 2023
The process of making this work was filled with play and experimentation. I layered substrates, hacked at them with scissors, used cords, and weird shapes and created microbes. It was a turning point in freedom and expression for me.
What advice would you give someone starting out in mosaic?
Learn about the history and traditional ways of making mosaics. Start with the basics, learn to keystone well and then branch out.
I say Keystone as it is used all time; there are curves in everything we do, it makes andamento lines flow and fit. And it is not easy – It took me 2 yrs to really ‘get it’ properly! But when you do it properly it truly elevates your work.
Since I started teaching over two years ago now, I see that many students are afraid to make mistakes which can be paralysing and keeps them from growing in their practice. Definitely learn to cut well, learn the basics, and about adhesives, but then experiment with all that mosaic has to offer. I tell them to make A LOT of samples, tiny little samples of all kinds with all materials. Make mistakes, take risks and experiment. If you have no sense of play and fun then you are limiting yourself.
BIOLUMINESCENCE
Bioluminescence, most prevalent in the deep, dark ocean, is an ancient language. For thousands of years, human beings have been fascinated with mysterious lights in the water, giving rise to myths and legends. With only a fraction of our oceans explored, this phenomenon remains quite alien to us. The sense of wonder it evokes is as humbling now as it must have been in the times of those who came before us.
NEW WORK BY ANDREA KETTERLING
LIGHTKEEPERS, 2025
In uncertain times there are always those who remain beacons of hope – storytellers, community builders, climate scientists, teachers, good listeners, thoughtful neighbours, bringers of joy. They exist in abundance.
SEEDBED, 2025
In our current global cliate, we are confronted with opression, injustice and degradation. Contray to the possibility that history is repeating itself is the notion that such a climate is quietly contributing to the creation of a fertile groud; a seedbed in which social change, innovation and unity is taking root.
Seedbed was a finalist in the Society of American Mosaic Artists juried show in 2025.
UNDER OUR SKIN, 2025
We are no more, yet no less, than a collection of cells. The human body is made up of more cells than there are stars in our galaxy. Each of these is a universe in itself, performing complex tasks alongside other cells to ensure our survival.
Under our Skin was a finalist in the Mosaic Artists of Canada juried show in 2025.
