Harlequin

Just finished! Glass mosaic on handmade 3D cement substrate. 25" x 28". These photos also show the piece from the sides to show the 3D areas. And the final photo is a close-up to show the irridescent and dichroic effects of the black glass.

My latest mosaic installation - a stem!

This latest piece was a lot of fun to do. The client was clear and concise about what she wanted and where it was going to go and then she let me do my thing! That is the way I hope all my clients are! 

This client has a very whimsical and beautiful back yard. She even has a koi pond and two tortoises. On this particular wall she had already hung a large metal flower sculpture and wanted a mosaic stem to finish it off with a flourish. And so, that's what I gave her.

The space for the mosaic measured approximately 4 ft x 7 ft. I designed the "stem", printed it out and taped it together, cut it out and then taped it up to be outlined onto the wall.

I had already created the pieces on Wediboard in my studio so it was just a matter of adhering them to the wall. Here it is, pre-grouting.

The next day was grouting day. Here is the design taped off to protect the newly-painted wall. Prep for grouting is my least favorite part of a mosaic mural installation. Just sayin'! I kept asking myself "why did you design a spiral? Why? Why?"

But alls well that ends well and this came out very well, I think! Here are some detail shots.

And here it is finished.

Mosaic Stem Installation

7 feet tall

Glass and tile

The RIver of Life mosaic mural is finished!

This latest work is in the Unitarian Church of Berkeley, California. 

 As with my Tree of Life project at this church two years ago, the congregation was asked to bring in pieces of their lives - like pottery, jewelry, charms, bottle caps, beach glass, shells, mugs, etc - to be included in this piece. Each person wrote a little note explaining their offering. Some examples:

 Over the course of three Sundays this past winter, I led three mosaic workshops where the participants were asked to mosaic, using their pieces as well as miscellaneous tiles and objects, large shapes (on mesh) that I then put together into the large river design. 

 Here is the simple design and color-scheme:

There are 8 rocks in this river, each one representing a step along a spiritual path. 

 The previous post showed photos and explained the beginning of the process. This post continues the story! 

This piece has 6 different colors of grout so I ended up making one small pot of color at a time, rather than one large bucket of color. I began the grouting at the top left corner.

The installation took 6 days and the grouting took 9 days. I worked on a two-story scaffold for much of the time. 

My fingers took a beating too. 

This piece is 110 square feet on a light blue wall measuring 250 square feet.

Below are a few more notes with photos of where the objects are in the mosaic.

And finally, here it is again: 

The River of Life Mosaic Mural   
110 square feet

March, 2013

Unitarian Church of Berkeley California, 

1 Lawson Road

Kensington, CA

The Buggy Garden Mosaic - Installation Day.

In the previous post, I showed you a little bit about the creation of this mural for the Hug A Bug Preschool in El Cerrito, California. The next step was the installation - always a mix of fear and excitement. 

 The key for me is to be organized. The first step was to prepare the artwork by cutting it into manageable pieces in my studio and packing it safely for travel (in the back of my truck!). I also have a written list of materials that I consult so that I dont forget anything.

When I arrive, I lay out my Thinset and mixing materials near the water and electricity, being careful to lay a tarp down first. Then I take the artwork and the installation materials to the actual site. Again I carefully lay out a tarp under the wall space. 

 In this instance Nancy had already gotten a handyman to create a place for the art using Hardibacker board and even made a "frame" for the art out of wood. The size is 6' x 3'.

I begin the process of measuring the wall, taping my design to it perfectly centered and taping off the wood around it so I dont make a mess.

 And then it is just a matter of troweling the Thinset onto the wall, adhering a piece, troweling Thinset onto the next section of wall, adhering the next piece, etc. 

 And voila! Finished and drying. Next step? Grouting.