Uhmm....

So, I've been a little busy with other stuff and mosaic has come at a snails pace. The photograph we have taken isn't good enough (read: pixels) to expand to the size we want without getting blurry. We're trying to get a better copy of it.

In the mean time, I'm slowly working on another table top.

I guess this is the way of things, when you're doing this stuff on the side. I suppose I could work faster if I used bigger pieces of tile, and didn't care if the end result looks like something you could buy at Home Depot.

But that would be a shame, don't you think?

Next project

I've been piddling around my shop, accomplishing virtually nothing, sort of waiting for inspiration to swing by and say hello.

I have a friend who is a real artist. I just play at being an artist. In any case, she has befriended me. I'm so lucky.

She comes over, looks at my work, and then just spews out praise and encouragement. Its just what I need. Coming from a real artist...well it means a lot to me.

We've been toying with the idea of a shared show, mixed media, somewhere. In the process of discussing what pieces we could pull together, we started talking about not only pulling our individual works together, but actually creating a piece in a collaborative effort.

She has a daughter who does photography, she works in mixed media, and I do mosaic. We spent some time brainstorming, and came up with the picture below. Her daughter snapped the photograph in a borrowed photography studio. We spent 4 hours trying to get the right image. From there, we spent another 4 hours setting it up the way we want it.

Our plan is 5 18in. x 56in. panels, panel 1 is a mixed media interpretation, panels 2,3, and 5 are the photograph, and panel 4 will be a mosaic interpretation. We're working through the mounting issues. They are yet to be resolved. Colors are another issue, but it seems we'll work around the limited palate of mosaic.

I think that this will be a lot of fun, and I'll learn a lot by working with my friend. I'll keep you all up to date.

Finally

It is Done!

I've added several pictures for review. I will say this, all those tiny little tiles became annoyingly tedious to place.

I've sworn off ever doing bird feathers again!

How long did it take, you ask? A little more than a year to complete. Most of that was down time due to the move. Regardless the work represents 100's of hours of work.

The table top design is much better than the previous tables. I've purchased table bases from Tablebases.com. Their service is good and don't seem to mind one table base purchased at a time. My only issue is that I never know what the anchor for the top is going to look like. I try to generate a generic anchor under the table top, but each of the bases I've orderd has a different anchor bracket. I've had to improvise the anchor on the past two tables.

Yah, So, Uhm

It's been awhile...

I'm still working. Bogged down on the Peacocks, but it is coming to a close. Real life consumes a lot of time, and I might get an hour every third day to work on it.

I have a few plans for the next two mosaics. Next, another table top, and after that, an attempt at glass-on-glass vase mosaic.

I'll be posting pictures soon enough. I would expect to be done with the peacock table in the next month.

Word of advice: Don't do bird feathers. You'll see what I mean.

I'm Back

Yipee!!

Things have been moved and unpacked. The really cool thing is I have a new place to do Mosaics. It's under construction, but check it out. I only have one plug it and two light bulbs to work with. But that will get fixed as soon as I find an electrician to help me out. It will be nice to have some natural light as well.

Also, one of my pieces was made into a very, very nice table.



I'm very excited to unpack the 'Peacock Table' top that I've been working on for over a year - 6 months of that time the table top has been packed in a box.

Honestly, its very nice to be back online!

Absence makes the Heart Fond?

See me sigh. See me pine away for my Mosaics...

I'm moving to another home and my mosaics are packed up in boxes. Therefore, no mosaic for three months, and maybe longer, until I unpack it and recreate my studio.

I will keep you all informed.

I heard that Lincoln lost the Senate race 35 times

Well, not really 35 times, but several times. That is something to remember as we stretch out our wings and try to fly.

The Riverboat Days introduction of the artworks of Muddy River Mosaic was a bust. Not one sale. Lots of comments, positive all of them, but no sales. I guess there's a big difference between liking something and then actually paying cold hard cash for something you like.

Oh well, I have a little bit of inventory now, and I do have an art show planned for next year.

I'm back at the peacocks and it is progressing rather nicely, if I don't say so myself.

Take a gander at a few pics:


"Fire and Brimstone"


"Country Square"


"Blue Plaid"