GVAA Artist Tour

Here was our setup for the Goleta Valley Art Association (GVAA) Artist Tour yesterday. There were three of us at this location. My area is the red tent. It was an enjoyable day, the tent kept me cool, and I sold several things. We had around 70 visitors trickle in throughout the day. So I read a book on my Kindle Fire,  worked a mosaic for a friend so visitors could watch the mosaic process, and later in the afternoon I uncorked a nice bottle of wine to wind down the afternoon.

Love Makes the Heart Explode

Blue Mirror with Bead Flowers

Seascape Saga Complete

Seascape

The seascape mosaic is finished and installed! My three favorite items, hearts, suns and cats, were missing from this piece, but there is the idea of the sun coming through the water at the top! I am very pleased with the final result.

Below is the piece hanging at the client's home. She and her son were happy, and so am I.

Seascape installed at client's home

Seascape Mosaic

Beginning

I have a client who requested a scene of the sea to hang over a new sink. She said she really liked seascapes and would like it to have movement. She wanted a curved top and a large mirror that would be big enough for brushing teeth.Then she said she didn't want it to be busy. And she said she would like some beads in it like she'd seen in some of my other mosaics and she wanted me to use blues, greens and turquoise colors. She had some accessories she had purchased in those colors. 

I started out by cutting a domed piece out of Hardibacker. When she said beads I immediately thought bubbles, so I thought of an underwater scene. Then I happened across some stones and shells on one of my many, many supply shelves so I was off and running. I decided to do an underwater seascape with seaweed for movement and bubbles coming from some sea creatures. All I could find was a seahorse and the tiny fish.

Picture 2

Picture 3

So here we have the progression of the piece. My client lives in Hawaii and is leaving town on Friday so I have to finish up all the gluing today. Then tomorrow I can grout and be ready to seal it by Wednesday. I've decided to change the seaweed at the top of the piece because it's too light and doesn't stand out. The light colors denoting the sun shining through the water on the top right wash out the light colored kelp. And it is very heavy! The stones added quite a bit of weight to the piece. I hope she will like it but if not, I won't mind taking it back to sell another day!

Current state

Recycling

Wrought Iron Base

Making mosaic art is a good way to recycle. (Some may call this project "craft", however. :-}) I found this wrought iron magazine rack at my favorite local thrift store, the Assistance League. I tried turning it upside down and right side up and thought I could probably make something with it.

When I got home, I remembered a rectangular piece of wedi board covered with a layer of thin set that I bought some time ago from Passiflora Mosaics. So I set about making an outdoor mosaic with a star to match the base.

After the star was done, it looked like it should mimic a flag, so I put in layers of red and blue mirror and white glass. Then I put a black border around the edges to match the base. Now I need to grout the piece (arrgh.....what color???) and then finally attach the base to the top.

Mosaic Star

Flag Table Top

I plan to bring this piece to the upcoming Goleta Valley Artist Tour on Saturday, May 19th. I will be sharing space with three other artists at 547 Windsor Avenue. Twenty Goleta artists will be displaying their art at eight different locations. Stop by and see some amazing art. And perhaps we can set our snacks on this flag table and have a chat!

Flag Table

More Mosaics

Tempered Glass

I have been working on mosaics as I promised. I just haven't posted anything lately. Here is a tempered glass circle mirror (mirror not in place yet) with colored papers underneath. I've had it glued for a while, but I'm not sure what colors to use for the grout. There is some lavender in the paper on the left bottom so I may use a combination of pink, turquoise and lavender grout.

Turquoise Bead Heart

Above is another heart I made. Since every heart I've ever made has sold, I guess people must like hearts. So this is one made with some beautiful turquoise-patterened plates I got at our local Assistance League thrift store. I also put in some beads, ball chain and a polymer clay heart I made. Quite a mishmash! But think it's pretty and hopefully someone else will also. Below is a picture of the Good Cup wall where I hung it.

It's hard hanging mosaics at the Good Cup in a pleasing (to me) manner because the tables are always filled with customers! So I usually just hang new ones where old ones have been sold. The spacing isn't always great but I'm glad they have so many customers.

Good Cup Coffeehouse

Goleta Valley Art Association Artist Tour

The Good Cup Coffeehouse Show

Glitter Mirror

My show at the Good Cup coffeehouse has been extended through May! I'm very happy! It's been a really nice experience. When I go there to add pieces, people often come up and say how much they like my mosaics.

The glittery mirror on the left sold the first day as did the two tempered glass pieces below, Lava Flow and Fall Leaves. I wish I'd gotten better pictures before they were gone!

Lava Flow

I'm working on more tempered glass pieces and more hearts. Every heart I've displayed has been sold! Love is everywhere, it seems!

So if you're up on the Mesa in Santa Barbara, please stop by and see my mosaic art!

Fall Leaves

Happy Birthday to me!!!

I belong to the mosaicartistorg group on Yahoo and recently I read about a tool for cutting Hardibacker easily. Hardibacker is a cement board that can be used for outdoor mosaic use. The tool is called a Snapper Shear. I often wish I could cut shapes from Hardibacker like the ones I bought at the Institute of Mosaic Art below. I've tried a time or two with a jigsaw fitted with a carbide bit, but it is quite a cloudy mess and requires a mask to prevent all the dust getting in my lungs. Soooo...

Base cut at IMA

Base cut at IMA

...since this is my birthday month, I thought I should buy this tool for myself. It is quite amazing. I realize practice is needed to make good curved cuts, but below are a couple pieces I cut out for the first time.

I have to figure out a better way to secure the Hardibacker to my workbench. The problem with my workbench (which I love) is that the wheels don't lock. So if I forget to block the bottom, the bench starts to move as I'm cutting. You can tell I'm not an expert at this power tool business, but I'm trying my best to learn.

Snapper Shear

So above is the Snapper Shear tool and to the right are the first two pieces I cut. The heart was first and you can probably see that I either used too much pressure on the material or didn't have it clamped properly, but it started to split. The arch on the left is the second piece I cut. It's not bad, but I obviously need more practice. The curlieques at the top are the pieces left after cutting. You can just sweep them up and throw them away. 

Happy birthday to me!!!!