About Workshed Mosaics
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”
John Keats
For more than two decades Workshed Mosaics has guided people of all ages and abilities through the classic art of mosaics, where tiles and grout combine to make striking, colourful, and intricate designs.
Founded by husband-and-wife team Paul and Lisa Petale, Workshed Mosaics celebrates this uniquely accessible art form with friendly, personal instruction that empowers individuals to express themselves.
Whether teaching school holiday classes, working on a classroom project, or producing major art installations for public spaces, Workshed Mosaics always strives for artistic harmony while leaving space for individual expression and happenstance.
Instead of simply smashing tiles to make patterns, Lisa and Paul have developed their own distinct style of mosaics.
This involves cutting and shaping tiles with hand tools to achieve incredibly detailed, balanced and eye-catching works.
Through this method, they combine the accuracy of ancient Roman tesserae with the free expression of modern style.
Paul & Lisa’s passion is to create works of art that can’t be replicated, only enjoyed.
Clients say friends ask where they bought their piece… and the proud answer is, “I made it.”
The garden: Gandhara
When Paul and Lisa moved to Greenwood in the early 1980s, their garden was stock standard suburbia: sparse lawn, sand and shrubs.
Never content with standard issue, Paul planted a flooded gum out the back and a salmon gum out the front, beginning a long journey that would see a humble suburban garden change into something truly spectacular.
Lisa placed sculptures in garden beds verdant with herbs and vegetables, while mosaics took pride of place on brightly painted walls inspired by artistic spaces like Yves St Laurent’s home in Marrakesh, and Gaudi’s Parc Güell in Barcelona.
They called it Gandhara, referencing the ‘the place of light’ from the classic TV series Monkee Magic and the site of an ancient artistic civilisation in northern India.
Sheltered by tall mature trees and featuring a rustic backyard cabin, Gandhara has hosted tours for local and international gardening groups, was part of the Open Gardens movement and featured on the ABC’s Gardening Australia and Channel 7’s Better Homes & Gardens.
Children who complete a mosaic at Paul and Lisa’s place love to spend time in its magical nooks and crannies as they wait for their artworks’ grout to dry.
It’s always a great place to find inspiration, relaxation, and connection to nature.
Gandhara is more than a garden.
It’s an artistic statement, a spirit of creativity, a piece of Paul and Lisa’s heart and soul.