"Summertime" Update

 Here is where I left off with my mosaic that I have given the title "Summertime"to. As you can see, I had done some work, but whenever I looked at the four bare triangles at the sides I drew a blank on what to do. I was starting to question the decisions I was making on the center part and had to admit that it was time to stop.

 I threw out two other mosaics that I had started, was displeased with, and were not salvageable. I almost threw this mosaic out also. But something made me stop and just set it aside. After a bit of time, I found an Etsy store that sold these beautiful glass Cabochons. The Cabochons inspired me and I will use them to finish the mosaic. I just needed something new and unique to tie the blank triangles into the theme of the mosaic. I will be finishing the mosaic when I am ready. I can look at it now and see the way to go. 

I don't know how many of you have started something and messed up and then had to start again in another direction, but I think you will understand what I have gone through with my mosaics. I wanted so badly to create something beautiful and magical that I tried forcing uninspired ideas and failed. I was getting a second chance with this mosaic when I stumbled. I haven't had this much difficulty before. I was always blessed with inspirations, and enjoyed executing them. Now that I have another outlet for expressing myself artistically, I have found that the inspiration will come for my mosaic when it comes and in the meantime I can do something else. 

So, I guess what I have learned from these angst-filled times is that inspiration and magic cannot be forced. They are to be sought through the labyrinth of life seeking joy in the fulfillment of passion through art. Wait. Believe. Be Open to Receiving. 

I used to see the next mosaic that I wanted to create before I had finished the one I was working on, but not so (yet) with this one. We'll see...

Make Time for What You Love

 I picked up this mosaic (again) that I started years ago. Parts of it are lovely and others are merely pedestrian. It has made me realize that instead of forcing myself to continue to do uninspired work when I reach an impasse; it is time to stop and walk away until a worthy idea spurs me onward.

 From this place that I am now in my work, I am trying to save this depressing mess. Perhaps my empathy for this mosaic is driven by the way it reflects my mosaic journey. I started out creating mosaics from my heart. So much love and joy went into them. Then I thought I should make mosaics that other people might like and sell them on Etsy. Of course, I would get inspired and create a mosaic that I loved and could not sell. Then I would feel that I should make something to sell. I have now come to understand that my mosaic journey needs to be fueled by love and joy. I no longer will create a mosaic for the purpose of making a sale, but my mosaics are to be an expression of me through the medium of mosaic.

During the pandemic, I have had absolutely no luck in creating new mosaics. The fairy door is a hideous mess and I started a mosaic of a mermaid that failed miserably due to uninspired choices. As soon as I finish or set aside this twice abandoned mosaic, I am going to attempt a mosaic that has been haunting me for years,but one that I felt was beyond my abilities to properly execute. But then I figured if not now then when...

Here is the mosaic mess I am trying to save. The left side is amazing but the butterfly surrounded by blue glass does not fit, right. And the dragonfly at the top has ugly, boring wings. Stop laughing and saying it belongs in the trash. Okay, the challenge is great; I admit. However, I have been inspired and so I want to try and save it. I'll keep you updated and hopefully, surprise us both.

And So the Sea Horse Mosaic Begins

I started this mosaic yesterday after having completed 64 questions on Chapter 1 of my Federal Taxation- Individual class. The crown, fin on the back, and the midsection are all done in dichroic glass.

Today after completing five homework questions, I did the face in lavender stained glass, and the jaw- highlighting in a dark bluish-purple mirrored glass. I had to let it set up before continuing. The waiting for the glue to dry and hold the glass in place is important and necessary on such a small mosaic area. Then I added the bluish purple glass to the outside curve of the stomach and continued using the lavender glass to create the neck.

I wanted to put the eye on the sea horse, so I took a container of tiny beads and chose the one I wanted. While choosing; of course, I knocked over the container and that is why you see the green spoon in the photo. That spoon saved me a great deal of time and effort. When you think about what your life would be like without something as simple as a spoon, it makes you appreciate the small things that we take for granted. And then we go on to be grateful for all the cool stuff, oh yeah.

At this point the sea horse looks kinda weird, It doen't look very cohesive and it will be my job to pull it all together or else it will just be a freaky mosaic. Here's hoping for a miracle.

I have started choosing glass for the Sea Horse mosaic since I am now done with the little dolphin mosaic :)

Sorry about the shadow; it really hinders the effect of the glass. So these are my first choices but not necessarily my last. The pink assortment under the dolphin is the glass I am thinking of using for the sea shell behind the sea horse. The lavender and purple glass is what I am considering for the sea horse, and the blue glass is background and possibly foreground choices.
 I will continue to take pictures as I create this mosaic. Since it is so small, it will be easy to show my process of choosing glass that brings my idea of what I want this mosaic to be into being. I can start out with one idea but then ZAP! I see something completely different and it takes over and the mosaic becomes something else. For example, the dolphin mosaic started with the bead work and then the blue belly, but then instead of doing light grey fins and tail, and a dark grey body then ZAP!
This sparkly lighter blue glass went on the tail, fins and nose while the rest was a sparkly white glass. And just now the dolphin's name came to me, "Sky". Definitely a summer sky. See what I mean. You never know when inspiration is going to hit and I have learned to just go with it and no regrets.

Side-tracked by a Dolphin

Seriously, I really believed that I was going to choose glass and start on the Sea Horse mosaic. But there was the dolphin substrate and all this glass left over from the last mosaic that was perfect for it, so I jumped in and now it's done except for grouting.

I bought the little dolphin substrate at the craft store at the beginning of the summer because I thought it would be the perfect addition to the "Beach Daze" mosaic that I did back in April 2017. I will place it on the upper right-hand corner of the mosaic, and will post a picture of it when it is finished. The dolphin is made with glass tiles and beads.

Grouted & Hung on the Wall!

I started this mosaic about November of 2016 and got stuck for awhile. I picked it back up last summer and continued to struggle with the design and glass choices. Now it is done; grouted &
hung on my wall. Of course, I feel a sense of accomplishment, but mostly relief that the difficult decisions are behind me. This is not the first time that I have chosen to do a mosaic without a template and got lost in its creation. I think like a lot of artists it takes struggle to define who you are and accept it. I have come to understand what mosaics make me happy creating and be okay with that.

The mosaic is approximately 23 1/2" x 3 1/2". It is on a wood board with  wall hanging hardware on the back. It is made with mirrored glass of different colors, stained glass, many different types of glass and beads. It will be listed in my Etsy store with a great deal more detail.

I have yet to name this mosaic, perhaps "Elusive".

Next Up!

I love, love, love doing beach themed mosaics. This is another smallish picture frame and I am going to mosaic a Sea Horse with a Sea Shell behind it. In the picture, it is sitting on the table that I create all my mosaics on. It is ready to go! Now I will choose the glass and then I will start.

Mosaic Epiphany

Yes, the mosaic is finished and only needs to be grouted!!!

Presenting the almost finished mosaic. I will be grouting later this week and then I will post a much better picture of the mosaic. This will go above a doorway in my home for awhile until I put it up for sale in my Etsy store.
 I have several mosaics that have been waiting patiently to be created, so I will be starting one soon. Since I now know what happens to my ability to work quickly when I do not have a completed template that will not be the case for awhile (hopefully, never again).
 In the background, you can see the doorway substrate that I will be mosaicing eventually. I am still waiting for inspiration to strike and solidify into a definite color scheme and approach. Sometimes this is immediate, but usually I will be working on another piece and choosing glass for it when ideas will present themselves for another mosaic. I usually ponder color choices for awhile before I commit. When I purchased it I wanted to create a fairy door, and that is still my intention. There are some challenges because of the look of the substrate, and I will have to make additions to it that are not a part of the substrate design to add more whimsy and fantasy.
 Now that I am finished with this last mosaic that sucked my time and inspiration out of me; I feel a sense of exhilaration and lightness to start creating new mosaics. I talk with other artists that feel blocked and have trouble completing a project or starting another after having created their last effort, it is the same as anything in life; if you are on a difficult path and one that has made you feel that you are used up and the outcome was not what you were hoping for, well these things can bring down your self confidence, but you have to remember that whether it is a good result or not, you learned something about your work. I have learned that while I am intrigued by the look of Moroccan designs; expressing this in mosaic is not my comfort zone. I have attacked it and am moving on to work that flows more easily from my heart.
This project I saw through to its completion, so I am thankful for that. To me my work is an expression of how I see the world translated into glass with an emphasis usually on fantasy and whimsy. It's time to get back to that and do what I love.

Over the Hump!

One-half is completed and the other is only a few weeks away from being done. I am so glad because my mind has started to move onto the next mosaic. I cannot wait to be working in pastels again, because I have decided to mosaic the butterfly substrate in light blues, pinks, lavenders, and whites. Oh, I just remembered I have to go all around the sides of this mosaic with glass before I am done. Then I will grout it.

This picture of the mosaic is very muddy, but I will take a much clearer photo when I am done. The mosaic is disjointed looking now, but after it is grouted it will look more cohesive. At least that is the hope.

Beads are the Best!

Okay. to be quite clear: beads are the best when time is an issue. This only took a few minutes to make. Whereas, a mosaic takes a longer time to make, and then there is the grouting and the cleaning to take into consideration.

 I promised my granddaughter I would make her a mosaic-type beaded piece with her name in it. This is my first try and I only was able to fit her first initial "K" on the piece. This felt very crafty, and I learned a lot with this effort. Now I need to find a larger frame that her name will fit on and one that her favorite colors will work with. There are so many adorable frames for sale that this will not be a hard task.

Some of you may be wondering what happened to the mosaic I was working on. Well, I am still working on the background. First, I decided to do it all in different shades of gold and cream, but that bored me to distraction. Now I have decided to have different sections with different colored glass. Yes, I have decided on chaos. I am not bored, so it will be moving along at a faster pace. Hopefully, in a week or so I'll have something to post.

I thought you might need a close-up. The frame is 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" from tip of petal to tip of petal. Yes, it is very tiny and very sweet. In person, the colors are much more vivid, especially the red on the millefiori which is the only glass I used in creating this piece.

Portia & Luna get a New Look

This grout color, I feel, is a better fit for the mosaic. It is still a little lighter than what I would like but it is much better than the white-looking grout from before. I can live with this grout color. Life is good. Now on to the next!

If At First You Don't Succeed, Regrout!

Portia, the mermaid mosaic, looked off to me with the light-colored grout. Sometimes a light grout can make a mosaic look broken up, but I wanted a more harmonious look. Re-grouting a piece is a bit tricky. It can cause a piece to break loose, glass can be broken, but sometimes it is the only choice. So, here is Portia and Luna covered in the new grout & grout glitter. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the new grout will take & harmony will be restored.

Portia, the Mermaid and Her Friend, Luna the Fish are Ready for Their Debut

My class has started, so I had a hard time finding an hour to grout this mosaic, but I finally found some time today. When I first found this tiny (approx. 2 1/2" x 3 1/2") picture frame, I thought it would be fun to put a bunch of mosaic fish in his belly, but then Portia, the mermaid, wanted to come along for a swim. I thought I better put a fish that had an appendage that held a light, so that they could see inside the whale, and Luna came swimming along. There is a pink starfish in the lower left hand corner and some beads thrown in for a touch of sparkle. Of course, I added grout glitter to glam it up more (it shows up better in person).

I have the tiny whale mosaic next to a plaque that says, "Always be yourself unless you can be a mermaid then always be a mermaid" That always makes me smile, like I get a choice. I would love to live in a world where I could choose to be a mermaid. Easy...I would always be a mermaid. I have listed this mosaic on my Etsy store, so it is for sale.

I have completed the doorway design and have started drawing another design for the other mosaic (Red mosaic), and will be starting that in a day or so, along with a new mosaic of a seahorse. I'll post pictures of the mosaic templates in a few days.

Okay, so I have finally finished the key and have moved on to the next design. I have found that I really like to do two mosaics at a time. The pressure of this mosaic is lessened by working on a mosaic that has a template and all I have to do is cut glass. After I finish this design, I only have to come up with two more (one at a time) designs and execute them. Then all that is left is the background, right...that's all. And I haven't a clue what I am going to do.

Usually, from the beginning I can see the mosaic and what I want to do, then I start drawing and making changes to the original idea as I create a template to mosaic. This idea of creating as we go along and seeing where we end up is very scary to me. I am afraid I am going to screw up Big Time. After this last design made it onto the board, I saw that it had no cohesion with the other designs, but I wanted badly to place it there and mosaic it. So, whatever I thought this board was supposed to be, it is now some thing else.

After I grout the mermaid mosaic, I will be starting another small mosaic of a Seahorse. I created a template for it, so it will go pretty quickly. I'll post a picture soon.

Tiny New Unfinished Mosaic

Here is my latest, completed mosaic. The frame is covered with tape because I want to protect it while I grout. It's always so interesting to see the mosaic before it is grouted. Grouting unifies and changes the mosaic a great deal. There is a fish in the foreground with a light hanging from an appendage with a mermaid in the background. It is a very tiny mosaic made on the glass of this picture frame. I will have better pictures and explanations after it is grouted.

Bella, the Pink Elephant, makes her Debut

This sparkly, sweet little picture frame attracted my attention, and I knew right away that I wanted to put a mosaic instead of a picture on her. The mosaic is 2 5/8" x 2 5/8" and the picture frame is approximately 6 3/8" x 5 2/8". I used a piece from a former bracelet in the center, blue glass tile, wavy glass tile, different types of millefiori, and grout glitter. When I grouted this piece, I tried to protect the picture frame, but right around the mosaic there was some bleaching of the area. She is able to sit on a tabletop, but does not have hardware attached for hanging on the wall.

Beach Daze, an OAK Mosaic and Original Painting

I love the way this mosaic resonates in my senses; memories of days at the beach, warm sand under my feet while walking with my favorite peeps, looking for sea shells (yes, I have boxes of shells, too), lazy summer days at the beach. I grew up in So. Cal and loved to body surf. I spent a lot of time at the beach and the memories always make me smile.
 Especially when I would do something crazy like accidentally riding a very big surf board backwards when I was about 15 years old, and after I wiped out, telling everyone, "Of course I did it on purpose." It was considered very brave to have done such a dangerous stunt. Yeah, right that's me. Okay so I lied, but it was either be considered brave or stupid. Well, I already knew what it was like to be considered stupid so of course I chose "brave"; definitely a better choice. See I wasn't that stupid.
I have had a love affair with the beach since I was a little kid. It is a place I am drawn to, and I know that many of you feel the same way.

A Tragic Loss

I am compelled to speak of the tragic fire on December 2^nd where 36 people died many of whom were artists of various talents. The Los Angeles Times did an article on the people that died and interviewed family, friends, or colleagues that had known them. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-oakland-fire-victims-2016-htmlstory.html

 As I read this article, I kept hearing about people who were kind, caring, quirky, fun-loving, thoughtful, and talented. Many had come here to the Bay area and stayed because they had found a place where they were accepted and encouraged to be themselves. Some people want others who are different to fit into a mold that “society” says is the “norm” and try to sell it as “you can be so much more”, but trying to fit into someone else’s or society’s mold only makes you less. It is soul crushing. 

The Institute of Mosaic Art started out in a converted factory off the Fruitvale exit not far from the Ghost Ship warehouse, and that is where the comparison ends. Fortunately, Laurel True and her partners were able to update and renovate the Institute. That is where I started taking classes in mosaics in 2005. I was in a precarious emotional place at the time, and this warm and caring artistic community welcomed me and gave me a safe haven to heal. There were no expectations that I needed to fulfill. 

At first, I felt like an impostor as they immediately referred to me as a mosaic artist, but then I started to evolve into my own style (still evolving) of artist, and realized that if others see you a certain way and encourage you to be what you so very much want that you eventually will become some form of that. And by some form of that, I mean that we are all different and a true expression of self is unique.

In this way, I feel a kinship with these struggling artists who found a safe haven where they could be free to laugh, dance, and celebrate their incomparable selves. My heart grieves that they had to die in such a manner, and to all of you who lost a love one in the fire, I am so sorry for your loss.  

WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE!

I hoped that when I started my college classes I would have time to work on my mosaic since I was flowing (and glowing ;) with inspiration, but no not at all. I looked at my last post on July 4th and was stunned that all this time has gone by. Here is where I am now with the mosaic.

As you can see I added more to the leaf design, and an embellishment to the design to the right of the leaf. I may remove that since I am not sure I added it because I really wanted to or because I felt I had to do something and splat! There it is. Now, I am sure about the key design, even though I just barely started it.

But the good news is: I started it! That sometimes is the hardest thing; deciding on the glass. I almost wish sometimes that I didn't have so much glass to choose from, but not really.
This mosaic started as a piece that was going to have an orange and red background with all the designs emerging from the background. But now I can honestly tell you that I do not know what the background will be. I am going to trust the process and let myself go with whatever glass and patterns speak to me. Art can be like life; you cannot force it to be beautiful, harmonious, or joyful; you just show up, put your heart into what you are doing and hope for the best.
I am cramming for my finals that are next week. When they are done I intend to throw myself into my mosaic and finish it, finally. I have prepped a butterfly-shaped base for my next mosaic. But we will see...
I have the feeling that when I get back into this mosaic, its intoxicating possibilities will draw me in and I will not be able to think of anything else until it is finished. I hope to have it finished before Christmas or the New Year. Let's see what happens...

New Vision with Old Work

I started this mosaic awhile ago, but I got stuck. Now I know what I want to do with it. Actually, I already started. The leaf was only the orange stained glass and the gold lizard charm. My initial thought was to make the leaf all orange, but my new vision is as you see it and with another leaf  on the right side.

 I added a drawing of a key that was inspired by a 100 year old French key.

As you can see, I changed the key's shape to fit my vision. Art is not about duplicating, but about expressing the way you see the world. I am beginning to understand what my mosaic vision is: it is the way that I would like the world to look if it were made up of glass, gems, beads, charms, found items, etc... Aha moment.

 When I started to do this leaf I felt a shift taking place inside my thought process. Excited to be taking a risk, challenging myself, and believing that I have nothing to lose if it goes terribly wrong. Working in this beautiful medium, my missteps are glittering works of art. How cool is that.

 Of course, I would prefer not to make a misstep, but that is impossible. Life and art are rife with faux pas. Why would anyone want to keep creating art when you know it could all go so terribly wrong? For me, it is the adventure, and believing that this is what I am meant to do; to express myself in glass.

The sun has finally set. I can hear the fireworks beginning to go off.  Happy 4th of July! Hmmmmm how would I express that in glass...