ANTALYA (AA) : Mosaic artist Süleyman Sarı creates a work of art approximately once a year by transferring thousands of pebbles he collects from the beach to the canvas as he paints with patience and devotion.
Sarı’s interest in mosaic art began when he was apprenticed to a stonemason during his primary school years. Carrying motifs on the cornerstones, Sarı also restored historical stone works in Türkiye as he progressed in his profession.
Performing the art of mosaic by shaping stones, Sarı was impressed by the colors of the pebbles on a beach he went to 28 years ago with his wife.
Sarı, who developed the idea of doing work without interfering with the pebbles, transforms the pebbles he collects from the beaches into a work of art with the help of tweezers in his house, which he has converted into a workshop for 28 years.
Sarı, who turned the approximately 15,000 pebbles he collected by wandering around bays in Antalya with effort and patience into a painting on average once a year, had the opportunity to exhibit his works in various provinces of Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
He stated that mosaic art had been made since the times of the Sumerians, but the artists interfered with the color and size of the stones. Sarı said that he created mosaic works without interfering with the color and size of the rocks.
“This is where the whole difficulty begins. I sift the stones according to their size with the sieves I made and bring them home. I wash them in my workshop and lay them out. After drying, I transfer the pebbles to my painting with the glue I made by mixing four types of glue. I want to produce these works as long as I live.”
Sarı pointed out that even for an area the size of a nail, he sometimes worked for two or three days.
“I want to introduce and teach how the natural pebble mosaic art is made without any intervention on the stones. My door is open to anyone who wants to learn my art. It is an art that requires patience, dedication and great effort. I have made nearly 20 works in 28 years. All of them are very valuable to me.”
Sarı said that a businessperson visiting his exhibition wanted him to paint a life-size portrait of himself. The businessperson said he would turn his mansion into a museum and display his portrait here.
“I finished the work by working at night for eight months in my workshop. The businessperson liked it very much. One day later, he called me and said, ‘This cannot be done by hand. Therefore, I will not pay the price.’ So, I invited him to my workshop to convince him, but I couldn’t. I’m in court with that businessperson. It’s a sad situation, but it’s actually a source of pride for me,” Sarı said.
“The thought that it would not be possible to do my work with a human hand, made me happy at one point. I put my heart and my soul in stone. Until I die, I will continue to produce works that people will be surprised and cannot believe.”
