NOW: WHAT’S HAPPENING? (updated February 19, 2025)
The Wild Oaks Preserve custom mosaic project and the other Tile Art Design tile materials furnished there are installed! The triptych of photos above shows Nan’s installation completed on January 5, 2025 of 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 70 square feet of custom mosaic murals have been installed on two walls of the guest bathroom shower, at the new Wild Oaks Preserve working and living facility, which is still under construction. These murals depict the woodland 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 restoration and preservation project from the Wild Oaks Preserve’s website:
About Wild Oaks...
“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.”
The Sun Mosaic is finished! Tile Art Design’s client provided the sketch for this custom 36” diameter winking smiling sun mosaic shown above. We created the mosaic, and then installed it in their residential foyer floor in July, 2023. The sun mosaic is composed of broken, tumbled quartz, 6 colors of glass, and 3 colors of quartz-urethane grout. Our client installed the handmade glazed ceramic sun rays and the surrounding floor tiles later in 2023. Nan visited them again, in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin, and took this photo on 8/11/2024.
“Nan Crowe is a straight forward, upbeat, and creative person who is a pleasure to work with. I highly suggest contacting her for any artful tile work you have in mind for your home, business, or public works.” Michael O., February 19, 2025
Tile Art Design’s “Driftless Area Sunroom Floor Map” (DASFM) mosaic installation 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
Photos of the completed Floor #44 have been uploaded to our FLOORS, WALLS, & CEILINGS page.
The photo above is another project that Nan recently designed in collaboration with her clients. Her clients wanted a random mix of handmade ceramic tiles in various shapes and sizes. Nan selected Syzygy Tiles for the mosaic, and assisted in selecting 10 matte glazes. She also suggested that the design include a mosaic map displaying a portion of Lake Monona with the Starkweather Creek, located in Madison, Wisconsin. They liked the idea, and they also provided a stone marker to represent their home next to the Creek. More photos of this Bathroom #61 are on the BATHROOMS page.
“Nan was a pleasure to work with. She listened to our ideas (that were sometimes in tension with one another) and made them into a cohesive design that we both loved! Her design was unique and she worked with us on an installation plan that saved us both time and money. We highly recommend Nan for custom tile work.”
“Can’t thank you enough! It's truly amazing, Emily and I can't stop looking at it!”
Emily H. and Jonathan D., April 3, 2024
