guest artists make fish for wall of thousand fishes

Who knows what artist made this fish, but it was made by a genius, that's for sure.




I'm sure Michelle made this fish.



Meagan Walsh made this fish. It has her initials carved into it. Typical teenager.



Coral made this fish and its yellow, Did you notice that. Coral loves the colour yellow. And this fish is all smooth too.



Sam made this fish. It has its lippy on. Must be coming to a garden party I reckon.

fish and sea creatures by guest artists

here on the wall of the thousand fish and the lone mermaid, you can see some fabulous work by other artists.


I don't know who made this fish but I think it was Michelle Barry


I remember this was Michelle. I remember her making it and thinking its too thin, it won't survive. She continues to make thin work and it does survive.




This fish is by my Dad, Trevor Harman, you can see he is into detail and was fascinated by the coloured underglazes



Dad made this fish too


and this one

fish by guest artists on the wall of the 1000 fish

This fish is by Coral Kaider, who made many fish, singing to us while she made them.


This fish was made by Helen. She used the slip trailing method with white and blue slips and the technique of feathering.


This fish is by Sharon Page. She was particular about the way she glazed it. You see she has made this effect by putting the glaze on and then wiping it off, so that it is only in the recesses. Sharon, I grouted over your fish today and it was difficult getting the grout out of the eye, but I knew that since there was a beautiful glaze inside, I had better dig it out and reveal your handiwork.


I think that Kathy made this fish. It is swimming in the thick of things as you can see. Above it you can see the signature beach houses of Lea Hess.


This is Helen's fish. Again pay attention to the details, because she always takes care to. If you are ever in my bathroom hallway, there is a lovely landscape of little houses with trees and birds hanging on the wall by Helen Littlejohn. Another example of detailed work.

mosaic costs 2010

information about mosaics
Note: Debbie usually only works in Melbourne
contact: debbieharman41@yahoo.com

Usually Debbie makes a mosaic which includes
the children’s artwork made from clay.
She does workshops with the children to make clay artworks which go into the mosaic. For example young children can make leaves or have the shape of their hand cut out of the clay. Most children then enjoy painting the clay piece with underglazes, which are colours made for clay work. After these are glazed they look very bright and colourful. Older children can make more complex pieces out of the clay to represent a special theme or work on a larger piece with Debbie.

Parent Workshops
Usually the community likes to be involved in the mosaic and one way of doing this is to hold a parent workshop. The parents can work with their children to make some special parts of the mosaic out of clay or out of mosaic tiles. It helps the parents to understand what the children have been doing and feel part of the artwork.

Constructing the mosaic
You can either choose to let Debbie complete the mosaic herself or children and adults can help her to make it. Another option is that whilst Debbie is constructing the mosaic she has some pavers nearby and instructs the children on how to glue the tiles onto the pavers. In this way the children can participate in the same activity and learn about how it is done whilst watching the artist at work.

The cost of a mosaic often depends on how large it is and how many workshops you need. A large mosaic that is 3x5 metres with ten workshops could cost $7000 or a small one say 3 square metres with two workshops may cost $1500. I am happy to give you a free quote after discussing your project with you.

Keilor Gatehouse Pre-school Mosaic 2009

This is the second mosaic that Keilor Gatehouse Pre-School have made. All of the three year olds and four year olds participated in making the ceramic features of the mosaic during clay workshops with Debbie. They have made clouds in the sky, birds ( which sit in the tree or fly in the sky), flowers and grass. The pre-school's logo of two children holding hands sits in the centre. It has also been made out of clay.

The parents donated tiles to make this mosaic and also mounted the cement sheet onto the wall, onto which the mosaic was made. The mosaic is in the playground of the Pre-school where the children are able to look at it and touch it during their outdoor play time.







The magpie family was made out of clay by Debbie. They were included in the design because magpies live in the reserve next to the Pre-school.

Under the sea - Lincolnville Pre-school mosaic

At Lincolnville kindergarten in 2009 we made a second mosaic. The children each chose a fish shape and decorated it with stamps and then with underglazes. When the work was fired Debbie put it into a mosaic of waves.

Strathmore Heights Kindergarten

At Strathmore Heights Kindergarten, the children participated in a workshop to make lizards out of clay. The clay lizards were decorated by the children using stamps and the textures of natural objects pressed into clay. Then they were decorated with underglazes. After the lizards were fired they were placed into the mosaic by Debbie. The cement slab was laid by parents.