Other Art Projects

I recently took a sculpture class at Ringling College, the gift of a good friend. While the focus in the class was on planar sculpture (this image is one of my projects, done in copper), I learned a great deal about three-dimensional work, which I am looking forward to applying to mosaic. For one thing, the instructor, Joni Younkins-Herzog, emphasized looking at a piece to be sure that it was interesting from all sides. Since I've been working mostly in two dimensions on flat surfaces with mosaic heretofore, this basic tenet had not penetrated my brain. Well, duh! I also learned about considering negative space, and how to move away from my predominantly realistic approach to see an image in more abstract, suggestive terms.  I was hoping for this transition; I had been feeling for quite a while that I was sort of "stuck" in the realism mode.

Now I am re-examining all of the 3-D pieces I've done previously -- as well as my ideas for future projects -- to see how they can be improved using the techniques and theories I've learned in the class. It was great to be in class again -- like a brain refreshment, which I'm sure will improve any art I do in the future.       

Looking Back, Looking Forward

My dear sister Barbara Porter died last week. Besides being a good friend, as everyone who reads this blog knows, she has been a source for many unusual garage sale finds that I use in my mosaics. She will live on in her three beautiful children, her sweet new granddaughter age 6 1/2 months, and in all of her many contributions to art and life. I will miss her.

Hubcaps

The Landfill Art Project is a creative endeavor by artists all over the country and even internationally, to transform the lowly hubcap into a work of art. I found out about the project through my friend Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson (see her hubcap entry on her blog post, here) and decided to submit one myself. My hubcap, titled "Land, Ho," uses all repurposed materials, including a sweet little ship that my sister Barbara sent me a long time ago from a yard sale find. The bird is another of her finds: an enameled brooch. And so is the lighthouse, one of a collection of 10 or so from another yard sale. 

The picture below it is the "before" shot. I have to admit, the bump in the center threw me a bit at first (I'd never inspected a hubcap closely), but it finally worked itself out, as projects usually do!  I used plaster strips to cover the holes around the edges.

Visit the Landfill Art website for pictures of the hundreds of other submissions so far. There's nothing like reusing something that would usually be thrown away!

Marble Adventure - Complete!

I've just been packing up the mosaic ready to install on Friday. I cut it into manageable sections so it won't be so heavy to lift into place (marble weighs a ton). This picture shows it still on my table. If I had it to do over, there are things I'd change about the design, but the client is happy, so I'm happy too.  I've also heard that there is a real possibility that the tile installer who's doing the rest of the bathroom might install this for me. Hallelujah! I am ready and willing to do it myself, but this is one of those cases where the mind is willing but the body ain't as nimble as it used to be, so I will be even happier if he does it. 

I've learned a lot on this project, and now I have a new skill in my toolkit. The marble is temperamental but so beautiful. Someday I'd like to hop down to Miami and have a quick lesson on the hammer and hardie, if they do that kind of thing (Gina Hubler's Miami Mosaic Academy is there). In the meantime, I'm cleaning up my guest room, where I've been working since it turned cold in November (!), as it is now reliably warm enough to go back out to my backyard studio. On to the next project! 

Teachers We Remember

Fellow mosaic artist Eve Lynch recently posted some interesting thoughts about why art history matters, on her blog Creative Nonconformity. It is an interesting question, and one that every artist is going to have a different answer to. I believe that art history is best learned when it is absorbed, like osmosis, by simply looking.  In college I had a wonderful professor - I don't remember his name - who taught an art history class in this way. He announced at the first class that grading would be a simple pass-fail, and that we would pass simply by showing up. He told us to put away our notebooks and pens, and said that he wanted us to simply look at the slides he presented, listen to his descriptions, and think about them. 

I loved that class. I don't remember what any of my fellow students said about that class, but as for me, I think I absorbed more about art history in that class than in any other. Years later, often when I would see a painting or sculpture, I'd remember it from that class and how it made me feel. Learning often is most successful when there is no pressure to learn.

Marble Adventure - Part 2

Here are my new tools for cutting marble: the hardie, a steel chisel, embedded in a block of wood, and the steel hammer. I couldn't find a 6x6 block of wood, so I came up with the brilliant idea of gluing several pieces of 2x6 together. Seems to work fine, though it's not as attractive as a solid block would be. I'll keep my eyes open for a scrap. 

As my dear friend Margo warned me, there is a steep learning curve for cutting marble. I'm shattering about 20% of the pieces I'm cutting -- which are the 9/16-inch squares, the only mosaic tiles of colored marble that I could find in small quantities. I'd love it if all of them were the 3/8-inch cubes, but those seem to be in short supply.  Also, I'm learning that different marble types behave differently when struck: The off-white called crema marfil cuts cleanly and evenly; the rosin yellow and pure white crumble very easily; the lotus green (a variegated white/green) breaks off in chunks. I've learned that I can make small cuts with a tile nipper, which helps too.

I have learned something about marble chemistry. When I found out that blue marble is (gasp!) $70-$80 per square foot, I adjusted the design so I'd need only a third of what I originally planned, because I certainly didn't budget for that! A friend in the tile industry told me that that's because blue is not only scarce, but that what makes the blue color in marble is gold. Who knew?

This method also has its particular hazards. While it doesn't have the sharp edges that glass does, every time I whack that hammer I run the risk of also whacking fingers and thumbs, which I've done more times than I like to think about. Somebody suggested holding the piece I'm whacking with long tweezers - brilliant! The only problem is holding the tweezers steady enough.

But progress is being made. I've almost finished the two orchid pots that are the main features of this design; most of the rest is background, which will be a breeze.  

Marble Adventure

I just signed on to an exciting new project: a 3-by-5-foot mosaic in marble. Cutting marble tiles requires stronger tools than the wheeled nippers I use for glass or ceramic. I had to purchase an official mosaic hammer and hardie for this job. The hammer looks like a geology hammer; the hardie is a large chisel; both are made from steel.  

So why do I have a picture of a stump here? You have to sink the hardie into a block of wood, and many people use large stumps for the job because they are solid and sturdy. I found this stump of an old fig tree in the neighborhood and hauled it home. However, now that I have it here, I think it might just stay in my garden. For one thing, there's not a whole lot of room in my studio. For another, I'd probably have to fumigate it first. But I love its cross section with the whorls of fused vines. My other option for the hardie is to find a block of 6-by-6 post, which I like better than the stump for its portability; I can clamp it onto a table anywhere I'm working. 

Marble is a new material for me, but I've been wanting to do something in this medium for a long time, so I'm happy for the chance to jump in with both feet! This week I'm placing orders for the tile, and as soon as I get the hammer and hardie I'll set it up and start practicing. A friend told me that there is a bit of a steep learning curve for cutting marble, but I watched a YouTube video and it didn't look too hard, and I've been thinking about it for so long that I feel that I've already done it, in a way. Every act starts in the mind.