Simplicity and design go hand in hand, and what could be more simple than a thumb tack? Eric Daigh creates portrait mosaics using hundreds of thumbtacks. From a distance you see what appears to be a pixelated portrait; up close you see an abstract piece of art made of just a few colors. What’s striking about these hand-crafted portraits is they look like they were created digitally. This concept attracted me because I believe the most impacting pieces of art are the most unconventional. As an artist, the question “why didn’t I think of that?” smacks your forehead.

Eric Daigh

This expressive quote, from Daigh’s bio, written by art critic and actor Bradford Tatum describes Daigh’s process.

“He starts with a flat 5 color cadence, all just rhythmic loops, then relationships form, a singularity shifts into subtle congress and depth and tones appear. We step back further and slowly, as if through the portal of some remote ship we suddenly recognize. That’s us. That’s me. His grids are pictoral DNA, a seemingly simple sequence that when sounded in its complexity reveals the honesty of the unrepeatable [sic] person.“

Even after reading that quote I still can only imagine the strategic planning it takes to create one of these portrait mosaics. As a mosaic fan, I couldn’t overlook this artist’s work.

Eric Daigh