The Reef - Installed

Here is the reef mosaic installed in its permanent home. The owners plan to install some kind of lighting behind it so that it will be visible at night. This is a daytime view. Everyone is very happy, including me! It turned out almost as I expected. When I purchased the glass, although most of it was translucent, I worried that some of it might be too opaque for the project, but that turned out not to be the case. The fish in the center is not as distinct as I would like, but I think that is due to the sunlight shining in from outside. All in all, a successful project and totally suitable for a house in the keys!

A Reef for a Window

My brother and sister-in-law commissioned a mosaic to be set into an existing window (it is long and narrow and looks out on the uninteresting view of another building). Instead of learning how to do stained glass in the traditional way, I used stained glass pieces to create a mosaic. I chose mostly transparent colors (instead of the more opaque ones I'm used to buying for the glass mosaics I do on boards) to better filter the light coming in the window. I purchased a wood frame and a piece of glass to fit inside it, and stuck the mosaic pieces onto the base glass piece. I experimented with different glues first; on board I generally use white glue (Weldbond), which dries clear (supposedly), but between two pieces of glass it takes forever to dry and is not 100 percent clear even then, so I used my trusty silicone adhesive, Lexel, which is messier to use but is clear from start to finish. The glass base allowed me to place my full-size template underneath, meaning that it was oh, so easy to follow the plan of my drawing! The photos show the template and two stages of completion. I grouted with a light gray, which I have found is best at receding into the background so the viewer is concentrating on the design itself. The window will be installed sometime in the next month, and I'm really excited to see it in place!

Appetite for Birds (Visually, That Is)

In going through my mother's house last week (we're moving her to Florida in the fall), I came across this small bird book printed in 1905, written by Chester A. Reed. It doesn't say, but I imagine he is also the artist. The descriptions include this priceless statement about the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker: "Range: Formerly the South Atlantic States and west to Texas and Indian Territory, but now confined to a few isolated portions of Florida and, possibly, Indian Territory." Indian Territory included part of Oklahoma, which was not granted statehood until 1907, and Arizona and New Mexico joined the Union in 1912. The illustrations are charming, and I am sure they will be a great source of inspiration for future mosaics or drawings. As anyone who reads this blog knows, birds are my favorite subject!

Still Here; New Project

I just realized how long it's been since I last posted. This summer has been heavy with work (work work as opposed to artwork) as I'm putting in extra hours to be able to take a week off every couple of months to visit my mother and continue the job of getting her packed and moved to Florida.

She will be living with my brother, who is the source of my latest commission: a stained glass mosaic to go in a horizontal window. This is the template I finally had time to create, after consulting with my brother and his wife. I will be using translucent glass, as opposed to the opaque glass I use on boards, because this will be done on a sheet of clear glass, then framed and set into the window. Another newish technique. I plan to use a clear silicone adhesive; although white glue dries clear eventually, it takes a long time, and maybe never if not exposed to air. So silicone it is.  I have not yet decided how to grout; at the moment I'm thinking of a medium gray that will blend into the background, but I'll have to try a few colors.

The designated window looks out onto another building -- that's why this particular treatment. My brother, who is a wonderful handyperson, will rig lights behind it so it will show up even at night. The theme is a reef with several true-to-species fish, a little crab, some seaweed, and maybe some shells; the final details will probably occur to me as I work, as they usually do! The finished size will be about 2 by 4 feet. Looking forward to purchasing the glass and getting started; it will be nice to spend regular hours in my studio again.  

Cubist Cardinals

Something I've been thinking about for awhile is how to move away from realism in mosaics. I thought it would be fun to experiment with Cubism, and picked the bright shapes of a cardinal to start with. These are two panels about 7 1/2 inches square (I still have several of these pieces, made from old shelving, to use up.) While glass can't duplicate the subtle shadings of Picasso or Braque, I think it is perfect for portraying angular dimensions and varying points of view. I found it freeing not to worry about exact representations but to try to capture the "essence" of cardinal attitude. Has anyone else tried this? What do you think?  

Playing With Acrylic

Every once in  while it's fun to experiment with other materials and techniques. This giraffe is one of three jungle-themed canvas panels I've made for my niece's baby's room. My sister had originally painted a mural on two walls of her room, but the kids had to leave that house after my sister died. Obviously they couldn't take the walls with them, so I offered to re-create the mural on canvas. 

It turned out to be a bigger job than I had anticipated! Not only do I have little experience with acrylics, but three large (about 36" square) paintings is a lot to tackle for a novice! But I charged ahead (fools rush in ... etc.) and actually had a good time. Learned a lot about color mixing, proportion, background values, and balance, among other things. My friend Christine Turner, a former art teacher, was kind enough to give me some pointers.

I think I'll be sticking to mosaics for the time being, but it was a pleasant change of pace, and who knows? I might get the bug to do more someday.

Update on the Madonna mosaic of Encinitas, which I wrote about last week: The city council has voted to have it removed.  They will have a hard time of it; apparently whoever put it up used a strong epoxy glue.   

Eve's Mural Project

You might remember my post several months ago about this bird mosaic -- a contribution to a charity project organized by friend and fellow mosaic artist Eve Lynch in Fort Myers, Florida. The project is now finished, a huge success and well loved by all who see it. 

The venue is the Joseph A. Messina Children's Center, and the finished mosaics -- all donated by artists from around the world -- have been installed, grouted and labeled on various walls around the facility. You can read about the project here on Eve's special blog.