March 24, 2011: LATICRETE, a global leader in the manufacturing of innovative systems for the installation of tile and stone, donated LATICRETE® 254 Platinum – a top of the line premium thin-set adhesive – for internationally-acclaimed mosaic artist Julie Richey to set the stage for La Corrente (The Current), the 2011 winner of Best 3-D Mosaic honors at the annual Mosaic Arts International. Described by Richey as being about “beauty amidst destruction,” La Corrente is a far more elegant interpretation of a project inspired in large part by the recent oil spill on the Gulf Coast. In a figurative dress sculpture Richey used a smooth layer of LATICRETE 254 Platinum thin-set to create just the right surface structure to add mosaic tiles of marble, golden smalti, semi-precious stones, seashells and iridiscent glass mosaic tiles to the award-winning La Corrente. The Texas resident was right at home on the first day of March to accept her award presented by the Society of American Mosaics Artists at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center on River Street in Austin.

“It was created during the Gulf oil spill and it alludes to the destructive forces, both man-made and natural, that can creep in with the current,” said Richey. “The sculpture utilizes the innate opulence of mosaic materials to embellish sculptural forms in unexpected ways.”

Richey has worked in the mosaic medium for more than 20 years creating custom residential and commercial mosaics. She earned international recognition for several recent projects, and along the way has relied on both the strength and the finesse of installation products manufactured by LATICRETE. For La Corrente she layered, sanded and even tinted LATICRETE® 254 Platinum thin-set with a light pink for demarcation. Last year she lent her expertise in the mosaic arts to Gary Drostle’s award-winning River of Life mosaic mural and discovered the finesse of LATICRETE PermaColorTM Grout.

LATICRETE International, Inc. is a family owned business dedicated to innovative, high quality tile and stone installation systems. Based in the USA, the 50-plus year old company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers in its field. It’s well known brands LATICRETE®, LATAPOXY® and SpectraLOCK® are manufactured and sold worldwide. USA /Canada: 1.800.243.4788, outside USA: +1.203.393.0010, www.laticrete.com.