New Mosaics

Well, my brother has been chiding me for not posting anything for over a month. The problem is I've been busy with commissions that have to be done by a certain time. So as Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman says on her blog, "Here's what's been happening on the ranch."

Teal Mosaic Mirror

I finished a 24" teal mirror for a client.

Coastal Collections, a new and very classy store on State Street, is now displaying my mosaics. Here is a picture of the mosaic rocks and mushrooms.

Mosaic Rocks and Mushrooms

I have another commision for a client in Hawaii. I don't want to say much about it yet as it's a surprise. I'll post pictures once it's been delivered.

I'm working on another house number for a friend. And I'm trying to finish up a mosaic to donate for my darling grand niece Miranda's upcoming Gala in Carlsbad. She is playing Liesl in Sound of Music, and the opening is next weekend. So that has to be finished by Friday so I can take it with me on the train.

There! That should placate my brother, and I promise to write more next week.

New Works

There is so much to do these days! But I still try to get into the "studio" at least once a day to work on a project. On the left is a spiral piece I made with various cut-up plates as the filler. The beads are small colorful blobs. They're called Circle Glass Drops and I buy them from Opus Mosaics Drops, one of my favorite places online to buy mosaic materials.

Below are a few more pieces that are finished. The cat and heart rocks were made during my wonderful workshop with Chris Emmert in Eugene, OR.

I'm also working on two commissions for mosaics of house cats, Christmas tree rocks and coasters for a neighbor, plus getting ready for Christmas boutiques. Sounds like a lot of fun, doesn't it?





















Plus I'm working on finally setting up my outdoor studio. I I'll send some before and after pictures. Two worries I have - that I won't feel like being out there at night, and it may be too cold in the winter. I'll have to work on both of those things. At the bottom is a night view of what the studio used to be - a potting cottage. Now I hope to fill it up with all my tools and machines and saws and grinders to make working a little easier.

Mosaics at Gazebo Plants and Flowers

My friend Mike owns a gorgeous nursery and florist shop in Montecito, California called Gazebo Plants and Flowers. His shop and grounds are filled with Orchids, Begonias, Bromeliads, trees, statues, pots, fountains, silk plants and other beautiful items.  And he has been kind enough to offer to sell Joooles Design mosaics and coasters at his store!

Above is a beautiful glass table with Streptocarpus, African Violets, Bromeliads and Joooles Design garden rocks and coasters! To the right is one of my heart mirrors hanging on the wall along with more rocks on the table.  I can't think of a more beautiful place to have my work on display!

More Mosaic Lessons Learned

The lesson I learned with the parrot is that you can't make tricky, thin cuts when using Wedi board. As I was grouting him, I broke the bottom piece that is his feet and the branch he's sitting on. The piece didn't fall off because of the stained glass pieces attached, but I can no longer give it as a gift. So now he's watching the yard from the Sequoia in my front yard. Not a bad home.

Next time I'll cut him out of Hardibacker. I have until the middle of August before I see my friend, so I think I'll be able to get it done. Maybe I'll make him a little bigger this time.

And since I love cat adventures also, here is Prancer just taking off to chase some creature on the roof. He's out of focus because he's a very fast cat but look at those whiskers!!!

Mosaic art on rocks

There is a strange phenomenon that happens when you start doing mosaics. Everything you see is a potential substrate! I have a lot of rocks in my garden and a lot of birds, so I decided to put one of my favorite Scrub Jays, Blue, on a rock!

Blue was my pet for several years. He would take peanuts out of my hand (or anyone else's hand for that matter), sit on my head or shoulder and hop into the kitchen looking for peanuts. I could always wow my friends with his antics. I haven't seen him for two years now so I made this mosaic to keep him in the garden with me.