NOW: WHAT’S HAPPENING? (updated May 6, 2026)
We are currently in the process of finishing the tile installation for a Midcentury Modern Style bathroom renovation project, where we also provided design services and furnished the tiles. Here is one photo, below, of the floors and the bottom portion of the walls. The 24” square terrazzo tiles installed on diagonal were freshly grouted with epoxy grout. The level pebbles were installed partly as individual pieces, as well as on mesh-mounted sheets, for the shower floor and as the base on the shower walls, so that there are no cut pebble pieces. More information and photos about this Bathroom #67 are on our BATHROOM page.
Welcome to the Tile Art Design studio and gallery in Madison, Wisconsin. These photos below show the comfortable central meeting, working, and playing area in our 1,400 square foot space.
We will be offering MOSAIC WORKSHOPS soon, where you can create and install a custom mosaic to take home with you. We can also collaborate to create a meaningful mosaic that promotes well-being, to be installed at a special public place in our community.
Please CONTACT us for a FREE consultation here to discuss your next project, or to let us know if you are interested in the mosaic workshops.
Tile Art Design furnished and installed the 70 square foot “Savanna Spirits” custom mosaic mural project shown in the triptych of photos above. The Savanna Spirits mosaic installation is available for viewing by invitation only. The mosaic murals have been installed on two walls of the Guest Bathroom shower, in the new Wild Oaks Preserve’s private working and living facility. We also furnished tile materials for the rest of this Guest Bathroom and for the Primary Bathroom. More photos of these areas will be added soon.
The triptych of photos above shows the winter and summer mosaic murals, depicting the oak savanna and woodland prairies on two walls, with the convex rounded oak tree trunk in the corner. The total size of the summer wall is 60” wide X 85” high. The tree trunk is around 12”w X 96”h, and the winter wall is 36”w X 85”h. The mosaics are made from glazed porcelain, glazed ceramic, natural stone, and custom glass tiles.
There are 11 colors of grout, in order to connect with the varying colors of tiles and to provide a 3D effect to the landscapes. Besides the Bur Oak with dead orange-brown leaves hanging on the ends of branches, there are Little Bluestems and tall Forb Stalks (represented by copper ball chains) on the winter wall. There are Bee Balms, Woodland Sunflowers, Compass Plants, Rosin Weeds, Columbines, Spiderworts, and Prickly Pears on the summer prairie wall. There is also a badger den with its spoils, an owl, a rabbit, various bugs, and several more oak trees on the summer wall.
These mosaic murals depict the woodland sand prairie, oak savanna, and wetlands on this 415-acre property located north of New Glarus in Dane County, Wisconsin.
Here is more information about the Wild Oaks Preserve from their website (https://www.driftlessconservancy.org/wild-oaks-preserve):
“For generations, this quiet and bucolic valley has supported agriculture, wildlife, diverse recreational pursuits, and surely many moments of connection with nature. The 348-acre property was spared from development during the 2020 pandemic by a handful of forward-thinking benefactors. In 2022, the Badgerland Foundation acquired 67 acres directly north of the property. The entire 415-acre property (308 acres owned by the Driftless Area Land Conservancy (DALC), 107 acres owned by Badgerland) is now known as Wild Oaks Preserve and is co-managed by DALC and Badgerland.
Our shared vision of Wild Oaks is to preserve the property’s rural character by bringing together wildlife habitat, sustainable agriculture, and an immersive trail system that allows people to connect with the land.
Our shared mission is to permanently protect wildlife habitat, support farming that promotes healthy soil and clean water, and accommodate diverse, non-motorized user groups.
We are protecting this land not from people, but for people, and all the living things that depend on it.”
Tile Art Design’s “Driftless Area Sunroom Floor Map” (DASFM) mosaic installation, in the photo shown above, on the floor and walls of a residential sunroom is finished!
"Along with the many months of plain hard work, much of it painstakingly detailed and frequently tedious, Nan always maintained a positive and professional approach. The circumstances were sometimes daunting. For example, the final mosaic installation took place over a period of 12-14 months at a location approximately 100 miles (one-way) from Nan's home. Not to mention the "install" coincided with the peak, or rather nadir, of the Covid pandemic with its attendant problems regarding supply chains as well as available skilled labor in a remote rural area. Throughout it all, Nan maintained focus, determination, and her characteristic good humor. A very big job very well done.
I especially appreciate the excellent written text soon to accompany the Driftless Area Sunroom Floor Map (DASFM). In words and photos Nan has captured the SPIRIT of our project so well. I recently received a magazine that put me in mind of Nan's work, as the cover story featured a large wall mosaic that appears to be an attractive, thoughtful, and unique tribute to social justice within our state, which of course puts it in very good company with our own version of the same basic theme. Nan Crowe should be very proud of the end-product and may rest assured that so am I.” Donald H. February 4, 2025
