Need Advice on Lighting

[UnionDesign]

We are doing some photography for a local artist, and one of her pieces is a large mosaic sculpture that is 7-feet high and 5-feet wide. We've taken some pictures of it, but they just didn't come out well composition-wise or lighting-wise. We would appreciate any suggestions on how to take a better picture of this piece. We are using a digital camera and were using natural lighting on this last one.

http://www.uniondesignphoto.com/clients/large-mosaic-for-photograph.jpg

[PrintDriver]

Get some of those clip-on light fixtures from a hardware store (the 'scoop' kind with a reflector bowl). Then get some daylight corrected bulbs (be careful not to over-rate the fixtures). I usually go to a photo store to get them. For a piece that size 4 should do it.

[DesignerScott]

I would probably shoot this piece with just one good flash, or good bright bulb on the opposite side of where the sun comes from pointing straight across the front of the piece, and then get real low to the ground and shoot up at the piece. That way you will get good shadows from the tiles. I'm not a pro though.

[nyc_skater]

What if you placed it in a new setting or background...this popped into my head when i saw it.

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/9683/arthl6.jpg

[zunkus]

If you want to show as much detail as you can from the picture and have good natural light (best bet is a slightly overcast light so that there are no harsh light/shadow areas), place the camera directly centre in front of the artwork. Then go as far away as possible from it whilst keeping the whole piece in frame. This way the camera is given chance to have as much light as possible. Fit an unti-glare lense hood or form a piece of card as such. give the camera a long exposure and use a tripod of course. If you don't have a remote put the camera in delayed snap mode so you don't shake it whilst trying to snap the picture.
By the way I like what Nyc Skater is suggesting as well.