Third Day of Pansy/Crazy Making

This is the day that separates the truly committed from the procrastinators of the world. Okay, so if I had not told everyone I know that I was going to do this mosaic for the auction I would have gladly put on my procrastinator hat which fits so well, since I have hardly touched my poor abandoned mermaid mosaic for months now.

 Let us get back to Pansy. Cutting and grinding glass to fit several unusual spaces is time consuming and difficult work  Glass on glass is tricky because if you slightly touch a piece of glass you just set in place it can move easily out of place. The glue is tricky to work with because it dries out quickly. So, I cut pieces and place them all around the mosaic, then I squeeze out some glue, butter the glass and place it, move onto the next, and finally give them 20 min. or more to set up, then start again. And when it is all done I feel really good. I lovingly hold my little mosaic, and am so proud of my little pansy that I forget how painful that last bit was.

I know to some of you reading this that you might think that it sounds a bit like child birth... I gave birth to two beautiful babies and that is the ultimate in artistic creation; nothing can compare. And do not even get me started on the pain...as I said nothing compares to it.

All that is left is the grouting after it sets up for a day. 

Second Day of Pansy Mosaic

Working with yellow stained glass with sunlight flowing into my workspace is very uplifting. Thank goodness! Because creating this perfect little cloud of yellow around this pansy is crazy-making. Why does everything that looks like it should be easy make my eyes want to cross? But the good news is: it is done!

Now I choose the background: a milky white stained glass with light and dark purple swirls running through it. I quickly put in the pieces that fit without any adjustments. Fun! And the second day is done.

My new mosaic: Pansy!

I have been asked to participate in a charity art auction to aide literacy in this area. I was invited on Wednesday, March 5th, but I was unable to start the drawing and create my template until Friday, March 7th. Saturday morning ( March 8th) I started the mosaic!

I created a pansy in the center of the picture frame. This is a glass on glass mosaic. I love this frame, but since it is so ornate I felt I wanted to keep the mosaic softly understated.There is a yellow Swarovski crystal in the center of the pansy. with dark purple, lavender, and dark blue stained glass making up the flower.

The art auction is Saturday, March 15th!  
 

Here is Sandy with three colors of red in her hair. Although, I am using stained glass, so there are gradation of color running through most of the glass. The dark red glass looks darker in these pictures than in reality. I have not finished her hair on the right side yet. But I just had to post this while I had the time. The metallic van Gogh  glass on her tail is for highlighting. Nothing else has been decided yet.

 If you have any thoughts on the colors or design please leave a comment. The comments do not post immediately, so do not be worried that they are not there. It is just that I have to read and okay the comment before it is published for all to see. So, if you want the comment for my eyes only let me know, and I will not publish it.

Mermaid Mosaic Aspirations

I bought this wood shaped mermaid at a craft store about a year ago. It has taken that long for me to get inspired, and actually have a vision for who this mermaid is. I drew this design yesterday. Sandy (forgive the pun) is a red head and she obviously loves jewelry, ya think? Christi took one look at Sandy and said, That looks like a very ambitious project." Sounds like a challenge to me which is exactly what every artist (at least this one) needs to put a fire in the desire to execute this mosaic ASAP! 

Now I cannot stop thinking and planning. I will keep you posted, and please feel free to let me know what you think of the choices I make for Sandy. I am thinking green eyes, but aqua might be good too. I'll do the hair and post the results before I decide on the eye color. The way the hair turns out will dominate most of the color choices for the rest of Sandy. Sandy is approximately 11 3/4" high x 8" wide (from hand to fish tail).

Birdie has a Beachy Bungalow!

This bird house was so much fun to make! Some of the cuts should have been difficult, but I sailed right through most of them! I love this color combination. and adding the sun design and the bird were tricky in such a small space, but it worked. I used millefiori around the entry ports and gables for decoration, and then I placed some around the base to mimic a garden. Christi, my daughter, wanted a blue roof and I thought a tan roof was more authentic; obviously, Christi won, and we both love the results. It makes me think of all the fun times our family has had at the beach, and that makes me happy.

I have been doing painted wood signs for home decor. I found these two unpainted wooden signs and immediately got all these fun ideas. Next came choosing paint, and then prepping the wood (both sides) for painting; that was time consuming and a tad messy. I am now over the painting phase, and  back into the world of mosaics.

This Welcome sign is painted copper with gold hi-lites, and has some gold bees glued on. I did finish it with a spray on sealant, but I believe it is still an indoor item.

My sunny Garden sign is painted in yellows in the ombre fashion with vines and flowers to connect it with the garden itself.

I am just finishing up a Beach Bungalow Bird House, and will be posting it by the end of the week. Done in mosaic, of course. I"ll tell you all about that journey when I have a finished product to show. Until then just go for it! Follow your inspiration and see where the journey takes you.

 Creating something changes the way you feel about yourself and your beliefs. I will be cutting a piece of glass to fit into this small unusually shaped space, and this magical cut happens and it fits on the first try. This can happen over and over, and I start to have this feeling of wonder come over me as if I am not alone, but some unique helper who loves to create is guiding my hands. Sometimes when I am able to make the vision in my head translate to the piece I am working on; emotions well up and I am crying softly and cutting and buttering; I am so happy. I am not saying that the mosaic is so damn good, but the way it makes me feel THAT is so damn good.