During the 1960’s and ‘70’s, mirror art was cherished by many. It was a new way to have a painting on a wall in a format that had not been widely used. Artists would take a regular mirror purchased from the store and paint a picture on it. Many mirrors were sold as sets and had repeating patterns on them. These were used as wallpaper. Some of these were quite detailed and involved more than one piece of glass. The larger creations were generally put on a plywood backing with adhesive to form a complete scene.
While some artists used brushes to paint in the traditional manner, others experimented with air brushing. Before that time, air brushing had mainly been restricted to commercial paint shops and the apparatus was large and complex. Smaller units were manufactured and became popular with younger artists. Glass is a forgiving surface, and it is very easy to scrape off mistakes. Both methods produced excellent quality paintings with a surrounding area that reflected the room where they were placed. It was an interesting technique at the time and many were sold.
Over the years, many of the mirror pieces broke, and they were thrown away. The art of that time was inexpensive, and it was mostly considered a fad. Some of those paintings are sought today because they were unique and a part of the culture of the time. They are currently in vogue today. Because there are not many pieces that survived, it has become a bit of a collector’s item. Reproductions of good quality are also acceptable for modern collectors.
For those who do not collect and just want mirror art, there are artists who still work in that medium. Custom pieces may be expensive as it is a time-consuming job. Home artists can create their own by using ceramic transfers or decals for ceramics. Glass mirrors are actually a form of ceramic material. The glass decals can be either custom printed or chosen from the wide variety available. Decals adhere easily to glass and take only a few moments to apply. Once the decal is placed, the mirror can be hung on the wall without delay.
