Two challenging hand-made mosaic designs by Portland’s Ruth Frances Greenberg (rfgtile.com) have recently been installed in a Portland residence by Hawthorne Tile. The precision of the design and process of installation initially challenged Hawthorne Tile when the tile contractor set Greenberg’s mermaid mosaic in the bottom of a pool in summer 2017. But once the owner saw the beauty of the expertly installed pool mermaid, she immediately commissioned a Ruth Frances Greenberg backsplash for the pool house kitchen. Bringing a mermaid to life The 14´ diameter mermaid project involved “pretty intense logistics,” said Travis Schreffler, project man- ager for the install. He explained that after the tiles are made by hand, fired and then re-fired for exterior use and the design is cre- ated, Greenberg lays the tiles out in a huge circle and face-mounts them with plastic, cuts them into sections and numbers them. They are then placed on pieces of cardboard to QUALIFIED LABOR ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Rolling in the deep: passion for excellence parlays challenging mermaid pool install into follow-up backsplash project Handmade mosaic murals by Ruth Frances Greenberg required careful prep and attention to detail from Hawthorne Tile By Lesley Goddin Once the design is created, Greenberg lays the tiles out in place, face-mounts them with plastic, cuts them into sections, and numbers them. 46 TileLetter | September 2018