A Mosaic Artist's Blog

Uhmm....

2008-01-16T06:40:00.000-06:00

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

2007-07-04T17:45:00.000-05:00

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

2007-06-10T14:44:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-12T06:29:00.000-05:00

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

2007-01-13T17:15:00.000-06:00

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?

2006-10-28T09:13:00.000-05:00

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

2006-09-09T04:29:00.000-05:00

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"

Brief: I'm workin' on stools!

2006-08-14T05:37:00.000-05:00

Riverboat days start in one week. I've been very busy trying to create a batch of stools to sell. I have 5 done, and 2 more to finish, and less than a week to complete them.

No time to type...but I'll post some pictures in a few days, after I'm done with the stools.

My poor peacock has had very little attention :(

Color: The Law of the Big Wheel

2006-06-28T17:44:00.000-05:00

You remember the Color Wheel? That funky thing they showed you in high school art classes with blue and red and yellow and all other colors in between. Yes, that's the big wheel. On that wheel you can see which colors "go together" and which ones just don't. Complimentary colors come in pairs, quads, or triples and we humans pretty much have it figured out which ones work together and which ones don't.

Put the right colors together and your eyes send a signal to your brain that says, "Ooohhhh, I like that!" You get a warm and fuzzy feeling inside and everything suddenly feels right in the world. But, if you put colors together that violate the law of complimentary colors, the visual disturbance which results gives you a grating annoyed feeling inside. You want to shout at the artist and say, "You boob! Can't you even get the colors right!"

Call me Mr. Boob, because I broke the law of complimentary colors on my latest piece: "Peacocks." Actually, I only told you half the story...Sometimes artists break the law on purpose - those rascalians - just to leave you with a disturbed feeling about a piece. I wish I could say that I was so clever. No, I just happened to put purple and bright blue along with green and yellow together. It doesn't work to well. Give me a ticket. I broke the law.

The rest of the time I'm working on the table, I'm going to try and fix the problem. Just like most laws of nature, I'm certain that I'm doing a Don Quixote thingy.

You tell me, what do you think of that big purple triangle thing? Uh huh....Just what I thought.

Pause

2006-05-23T06:18:00.000-05:00

A sigh, a moment of silence, perhaps a moment of thought. No real activity of late. There are reasons for that - time, money, and motivation. My financial advisor says that I shouldn't be spending as much money as I have been on Muddy River Mosaic. My professional life (the one that pays the bills) has been hectic. Lastly, I've been pondering other projects for the summer: A Canoe (see below) built with the help of my friend Jack or making some homemade cheese.

There's only so much time in a day and only so much time in a summer. And while my financial advisor swears I don't understand the word "budget", I do understand the concept of budgeting time.

Start with 24 hours, subtract 8 for sleeping, and that leaves 16 hours. Subtract 10 hours for working, and that leaves 6 hours. Subtract 3 hours for bathroom, teeth brushing, and eating (preparation and clean-up), that leaves 3 hours a day for the fun stuff. (That's kind of depressing, really)

Weekends leave you more time, but then again, most of us do have families which require soccer practice, baseball practice, family reunions and other such memorabilia. In the end, there's only so much time left, and you have to decide how you're going to spend it. For me the issue this summer is Canoes, Cheese, or Mosaic...I'm still in the middle of the pause.

Blue Cats Completed

2006-04-08T17:50:00.000-05:00

It was a nice winter project. You all would have laughed at me. I spent some of my time this winter bundled up in my garage with a kerosene heater blowing on me to stay warm - nipping, cutting, and gluing. Below is a picture of the completed "Blue Cats" Bistro table. As always, I've learned a few more things that I will incorporate into the next project which is another table with a peackock theme. I will keep you posted.

Did you know...

2006-03-31T19:55:00.000-06:00

That doing mosaics is just part of the fun. You do have to mount the mosaic onto something.

So, you just dont do mosaics. You might have to figure out how to make a table top, attach it to a table base, create a nice protective metal edge around your mosaic table top and secure it so that its level. You have to try to do all of it so that it will last and look good.

Or you have to figure out a way to frame your mosaic. For a non-woodworker, trying to make a nice frame with clean angles at the joints....it's enough to drive you bonkers. Not to mention the fact that the frame has to fit and look good too.

Now I really wish I had paid attention in those high school shop classes I had.

Let's see....this is a screwdriver and this is a hammer...

Pray for me, I need a little help.

Progress

2006-03-25T10:39:00.000-06:00

The laying of the tiles is completed. I like the result, I hope you do too. Remember, what you see is the back side of the tiles. I have yet to put the piece on the table top and grout it.

Grout is always the issue, it seems - that is, what color do you use? This time I'm going to use grey. That is the same color of regular old cement. It should serve to fuse the lighter colors together and also will break up the dominating dark tones of the piece just a bit. At least that's what I anticipate will happen.

Sometimes you get a surprise after you do the grouting and the piece takes on a totally different look. One that you hadn't expected.

I don't like surprises like that, so I'm hoping it turns out ok.

Blue Cats

2006-03-05T08:15:00.000-06:00

I thought you would like to see some pictures

Business trips, project update, and other

2006-02-05T09:43:00.000-06:00

I took a trip this weekend to visit with my web designer. Previously, I didn't need to travel because I was the web designer, unless you count taking a trip in my own mind as traveling.

We viewed about 100 different websites, looking for ideas. Critiqued my current website, and picked out some promising examples. I'm hoping that the designer will come up with some great ideas. From there, we'll update the website.

You can visit my current website at: www.muddyrivermosaic.com

My workload has slowed my current project. I am redoing "Sly Cats." This time, more color, and some attempts at shading. So far, I'm happy with the results. The project is about 2/3 completed. I will try to post a picture to show what has been happening with the project. My concern, as always, is that my photography skills are lacking, and the product doesn't do the piece justice.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

Its been awhile.

2006-01-22T17:24:00.000-06:00

A close observer of my blog (and I have a few) will have noticed that the frequency of posts has taken a decidedly diminished turn. Let me say, to all three of my fans, I apologize for not keeping you entertained.

The last post mentioned an exciting step out of my comfort zone. I had asked the director of the local Arts Association to come over and take a look. What a surprise that night was! First of all, I was as nervous as a teen-aged boy at his prom date's parents house. My palms were sweating and I was pacing the house restlessly until she came.

She was very gracious and encouraging. Perhaps sometime in the near future I might be fortunate enough to have a few of my works displayed in a show. That would be something to see.

If I do have chance to 'do a show', I'll send you all one of those fancy invitations with the ribbons.

An invitation to a VIP

2005-12-23T07:06:00.000-06:00

Now I've done it. I invited an artist to my house to look at my work. The director of the local artist association is coming over to look at the mosaic's I've done so far - tonight. Someone mentioned that I might like to have a show (self-promotion is over-rated). She was all over that idea. And now I will need to deal with the consequences of my invitation.

I'll be showing her these three and the stool.

Peace in the Storm

2005-11-20T14:31:00.000-06:00

The abstract project is complete! 3 months is a long time to be tied down to a project. I grew weary of it. In some respects, familiarity breads contempt. But looking at it on the website, I really do like how it turned out.

The best thing I did was to buy some Puau shells from New Zealand. They lost some of their luster when I grouted them, but in the sunshine, you can get a hint of how they dazzle.

It's funny how you start off with the image of what you want to try to create, floating there somewhere between your soul and your brain, and then you put your hands to the task. In the creative process something gets lost. You can't quite get the exact color, or the exact twist of the grout stream that you were aiming for. Each tile laid is a decision, and in itself, a fractional piece that alone has no consequence. But, the accumulation of little decisions that aren't quite what you had envisioned, and the end result is something that you and not imagined. Something a mere reflection of what you had held in your mind's eye before you tried to bring it into being.

I suppose that is the nature of art and those that are more able to approximate what hides in their soul, are the masters. The rest of us are imitators.

I hope you enjoy the piece, I do.

My next project is a revisited of Sly Cats. It will be an insert into a cedar deck table with chairs. The result should be stunning, if I can get my hands to create what my soul sees.

In the Trenches

2005-10-19T19:02:00.000-05:00

I was thinking the other day (a dangerously wondrous thing we humans do), while I was laying a few tesserae, about the differences between a hobby and work. What started me wondering was a "semi-slam" I received about part of my real job. I was told that this part of my real job - a part I really like doing - was a "hobby."

Then today I began to wonder what defines a hobby? Usually we mean that someone is doing something that they really love to do, but not for money. In fact, doing something to make money almost always disqualifies the activity as a hobby. When we start getting paid, it becomes a business or work.

In a cynical way I wonder if a hobby is anything that someone is doing that other people wish they could do too. For example, golf. Golf is a hobby, more than a sport, because most of us don't make money at playing golf - rather we spend quite a lot of it for the privilege. But almost all of us who love to play golf have dreamed of making money at golf. What could possibly be closer to nirvana than making money playing golf? We could only wish for such a gift. If not bestowed upon us, then maybe upon our children, we hope.

In either case, clearly this mosaic art for me is a hobby. I do it for fun, not for money. I thoroughly enjoy myself, and wish that I could make money at it. I dream of a large studio and fame in the mosaic art world.

All of that silliness swims in my head while I lay cut tile after cut tile.

The Reality of Physics

2005-09-29T05:41:00.000-05:00

It was going too well. Everything looked great. I was putting mosaics together like a professional. And then Physics happened.

Damned stuff made the wood contract, warp, and then, POP!, tiles everywhere they weren't supposed to be. Beauty was fractured, ego's were deflated, and my stool looked like a true ancient piece of artwork. Half the tiles were missing and the other half were still on the stool top.

My analysis: Not enough cement adhesive, too much grout on the back of the tiles, and humidity fluctuations. They conspired against me and now I have to go back to the drawing board.

Diversions

2005-09-14T15:51:00.000-05:00

I made some trivets. Actually, a trivet is either
A metal stand with short feet, used under a hot dish on a table or a three-legged stand made of metal, used for supporting cooking vessels in a hearth. But in our house we call trivets the things you set on tables to protect the wood from wet drinks. These represent my second attempt. The first one was horrible and not fit for public consumption.

My uncle, a retired professor of British Literature, writes poetry. As a diversion, I thought I'd post one of his poems. I hope you enjoy it.

MY FATHER’S GLOVES

by Larson Bowker

You’d take them off in the kitchen and toss them
on the stand by the door, bone yellow leather keeping
the shape of your hands, palms rough and black with
holes where the fingers bend. You rolled the tops
down one cocky inch I admired as I pulled them on
and off, mimicing the way you snugged your hands
into gloves you bought slightly too small. And sometimes,
for shadowed moments, my child’s heart, breathing
in your prairie wind and light, became your work-
thickened fingers with mashed fingernails that grew
back rippled wedges of fungus, gnarled roots above
knobbed joints you hid when you could, vain about
your hands. There was mystery in your hands, a
strangeness that set you apart, an inside river running
between narrow bands of trees, hands that in the lash
and slant of failure harnessed a young man’s river-
dreams, held back summer lightning while you repaired
transformers ninety feet above the earth, dandled
seven babies on your knee, worked days for a living
and evenings in your shop under a mulberry tree in
the backyard, where people brought you broken things
you brought back to life, always working in solitude
as deep and as ancient as the sea.

In your favorite chair, your gloves sitting on the stand
beside you–your wife in the kitchen cooking pork chops
in raisin-apple sauce, telling you how good the apples
were this year and how much she’d like to visit her sister
in Oregon once more–you slipped away on that cloud
that separates earth from sky, as easy as your voice when
you’d ask us to “slip out” of your favorite chair next to
the radio, a command sounding like a request to let go
something we’d rather have kept. They folded your hands,
the deep brown gaze of you, one into the other, and after
seventy seasons, they still looked less cautious than mine.
I live in the mountains now, where kestrels hover above
fugitive shadows chasing down the sun, listening to
the murmur of your gloves, falling like breath upon my skin.

A derriare two

2005-09-01T19:33:00.000-05:00

Here's another nice place for your tooshie. Created with ceramic tiles and vitreous glass. My wife took this one with her to school (she's a teacher). Its an abstract design.

I like the constrast between the Opus Regulatum (tessalatum) and Opus Palladianum. You say, "What?" I answer, Regulatum verses Palladianum - the regular verses the "crazy paving."

In the crazy paving I've run a grout river or two, which are curved and mimic or mirror the curves of the regulatum tiles. I like the effect.

A nice place for your derriÃ¨re

2005-08-18T19:57:00.000-05:00

As usual (you would think I would learn), the picture doesn't reflect the actual colors very well at all...bah! I will take another picture of the stool in full sunlight. The colors are deep rooty brown, soft caramel tan, black and white. These tiles are inlaid vitreous glass (10mm). I'm working on another Derriare cushion entitled, "Springs."

As a very famous fellow said once, "Tah Tah for now."

Table Completed

2005-07-22T07:44:00.000-05:00

The finished project is sitting on my deck. My wife says it's hers but I'd like to sell it. I need the money to start my next project.

I've worked out the design for a old world compass. I'd like to use it on a table top, perhaps a teak wood round topped outdoor deck table with benches or stools.

I'll post a picture of the design sketch soon.

Right now I'm playing with barstools. I've inlaid a mosaic seat onto the barstool seat. I used the same colors as the cat table top because I have some left over tiles. I'll post a picture of that on my website: www.muddyrivermosaic.com

On Mothers and Mosaics

2005-07-17T19:17:00.000-05:00

I love my mom. That's probably not a startling revelation, but I had to say it. I really, really love her. She makes me laugh and she's a contradiction. In fact, it is her contradictions that make me laugh. I should say that to me she is a contradiction, to others she may not be.

One contradiction is her dynamic life packed into a petite package. She is small in physical stature, but monumental in personal force. She dominates the landscape of my childhood. I think her stature in my life is a tribute to the sheer will of her determination to make something of me. Whether that has happened or not is debatable, but at least I exceeded her oft quoted statement, "I think you'll be a garbage collector one day." No doubt as she raised me, she felt that she was banging her head against a stone wall, or wished she was banging my head against a stone wall. Either way, I was frustrating. Probably more than frustrating - exacerbating, incorrigible, intractably entrenched in bone-head land. That was me. And my mother, she was up to the task.

Like two tectonic plates slowly grating on each other, there was the occasional and absolutely necessary release of tension. Both our worlds were rocked by the forces. I dare say that mine was molded into better form. For her, perhaps molded into grey hair, and wizened silence as her boneheaded son plowed headlong into a less yielding world. True to my family heritage, I loved her with intensity, never spoke a word of it to her, God forbid, ever demonstrated it, and at the same time drove her absolutely crazy with frustration. I dub her a Saint just because she didn't kill me. I'm impressed with her moral fortitude to resist the temptation.

Aged now, I tell her I love her, hug her every time I see her and I try to make up for lost time. Part of me is still adolescent. That young man in me cares too deeply what his mother thinks of him, still. Maybe I'm willing to admit what every other man my age really thinks or feels, or maybe I'm just stuck someplace I should have left eons ago. Nonetheless, I couldn't wait to show her the fish. It mattered what she thought, and I was eager.

The response was golden; one of the greatest gifts that I have ever received from her. She was sincerely impressed. I'll treasure it all my life, long after she's gone.

Thank you Mom. I love you!

By the way, for all three of my fans, the cats are completed. I just have to grout them and adhere them to the table top. I'll use grey grout. I'm not too excited about grey, but I think it's my best choice. Pictures are forthcoming.

New Pictures

2005-06-28T23:35:00.000-05:00

Here's a couple of updated pictures of my current project. I'm using 10mm glass tiles mostly - a very tricky size to nip - and only 5 colors. The monochromatic brown theme adds a slight taste of "old style" I think.

This has been very tedious and challenging. I'm certain I could do better if I started over, but overall, I'm fairly pleased so far.

Of course, the grout is the dilemma, again. I'm leaning towards a darker grout, but gray may work as well.

I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Men, Mosaics and Encouragment

2005-06-26T06:18:00.000-05:00

Its been awhile since my last post. Too long apparently, as one fan was wondering if I had quit. I better write something just to keep you all entertained. I imagine I have about 3 people reading my blog and I could just as easily pick up the phone and talk to them. But that doesn't discourage me. I glean a fair amount of selfish pride from posting here. Nothing at all to do with the mosaic, but everything to do with 40+ and writing on a blog. Blogs are trendy thingys for 20 somethings. Posting here makes me feel hip. Being hip is something I don't feel very often and that makes me laugh.

Let me put the thought that I've quit to rest. No, I haven't quit. But the question does raise an important issue about men. My latest reading has been about masculine/feminine issues and church attendance (Why Men Hate Going to Church and The Church Impotent: The Feminization of Christianity) This reading has me thinking about men in general and what an odd breed of duck we are at times. Men, though they would never admit it, need encouragment. Now clearly we all, men and women alike, need encouragement. But men aren't "supposed" to "need" encouragement and women are. It is a feminine trait to be needed, and a masculine trait to be independant. Of course this is complete bunk, but our culture tends to encourage men to be silent about their need for encouragement. So we men run around doing stuff, or trying to do stuff, and behind the scenes we ask our spouses, or significant others, or blog buddies, "Hey, what do you think?"

This question or others like it are sophomorish trolling attempts to garner encouragement. Us guys would never dare say, "Please tell me you like it cause I need to make sure that I'm doing this ok." We might ask that if we're a ten year old boy, but not when we're 16. (Sixteen might be as old as any of us men ever get.)

There are much more sophisticated levels of trolling. You might create a blog for instance and make sure that there is a place for messages. You might put your stuff up for sale and see if someone will pay money for what you've done. What you really hope for is a perfect stranger walking past your mosaic, stopping cold, gawking, reaching out to put their fingers on it, and saying something akin to, "Wow."

Yes, I'm a encouragment black hole.

More progress

2005-06-13T17:13:00.000-05:00

A closer up view. I still don't understand why I can't load two pictures up at one time...oh well. I'll post two posts for today then.

Progress

2005-06-13T17:12:00.000-05:00

Sly Cats - A table top of vitreous glass. The base will be cement fiber board with a copper rim. The are five colors in the mosaic: Black, White, Dark Brown, Tan, and Cream. I'm using predominately 10mm tiles, some cut into quarters. The small size of the tiles has made the process rewardingly teadious.

Sly Cats Update

2005-05-29T07:50:00.000-05:00

This is an update of my Sly Cat table. I'm going to use the "indirect method" ( http://www.greekmosaics.com/techniques ) which will provide a very smooth flat surface for the table. The tessarae are going to be glass, gold, black, bronze, tan, and white. As is typical, the picture doesn't do the design justice. I'm very excited about this project and look forward getting the tiles laid.

Visit my website: www.muddyrivermosaic.com

Lessons Learned

2005-05-27T06:05:00.000-05:00

One main objective of this blog was to provide a source of information for other beginner mosaicists. If I could openly discuss my mistakes, maybe someone else will avoid them. I may be overly optimistic that more then five people ever read my blog, but nonetheless, I'll list a few things I learned from my first real project.

1) Always have a plan. Draw out your design. Determine the colors and plan for the size of the tiles. In fact, I've taken to pulling out that elementary "Color Wheel" just to help me pick out the right colors. To this end, I purchased a sketch pad, some charcoal and color pencils, erasers (lots of erasers), a straight edge, a compass and pencil sharpeners.

2) Prepare your backing. Make sure that you choose the backing for your project carefully. I used 3/4" (20mm) plywood, which provided a thick heavy backing. Thankfully it was thick enough that the wood did not warp with the application of the tiles or the grout. However, I should have prepared the wood with a sealer. The usual recommendation for wood is a 50/50 mix of glue (I used Weldbond) and water. This would have effectively prevented the wood from absorbing any water.

3) Seal your ceramic tiles before you apply them. It works better to seal them before you apply, because sealing them after you've put them on the board adds more water to the project than necessary, is less troublesome and protects the tiles from picking up defects during the construction of your work.

4) Show your work. Maybe I'm wrong, but when you show off your work, you feel a little bit exposed. After all, what you have created is an extension of who you are, and when you put your work out there for display, you are displaying yourself. Being a self-avowed introvert, the act of putting pics of my work online and then asking my friends to take a look (www.muddyrivermosaic.com) , was a bit disconcerting. However, all of my friends and family have been more than gracious and extremely encouraging. I've yet to determine, what percentage of their encouragement was simply being nice and what percentage was the result of a genuine "Wow" response. In the end, it really doesn't matter. It is unrealistic to expect everyone to like what you've created, but hopefully a few will.

5) Be planning your next project. For better or for worse, I'm always one or two projects ahead. I think this is a good plan. Keep some ideas for your next project bouncing around. If you mess up on your current project (and I'm sure you will - as I do), then you can encourage yourself to improve your skill on the next one.

6) Don't be afraid. Lastly, don't hesitate to get started. Don't worry if your project doesn't work out. The only one who loses at this game is the one who wants to start, but doesn't. Send me a message about your website, I'll be happy to come take a look and leave a word of encouragement.

Sly Cats

2005-05-24T07:15:00.000-05:00

Beginning drawing of the table top "Sly Cats"

It is finished!!

2005-05-22T15:33:00.000-05:00

This is the finished project with the exception of the framing. That will be done in black. I'm pleased with the results. I learned many things that will be helpful in my next project.

I was shaking like a leaf when I grouted it, but was pleased with the choice of the dark grout.

I am already planning my next project: two slinking black panthers in a circle. It will be on a table top.

Pickerel in Clear Water - ungrouted

2005-05-19T20:22:00.000-05:00

I titled the work "Pickerel in Clear Water" The next step is to seal the ceramic tiles (I use standard grout sealer) and then place the grout. I've chosen the black grout. I'll post a picture of the finished project.

Grout - The Glue that Binds

2005-05-12T09:09:00.000-05:00

Others have made the analogy. They have said, "Mosaics are like life." In my opinion, it is not a great analogy, but for the sake of discussion, let us run with it.

Perhaps their point was that all of our lives are made up small parts. We may have the "spouse" part and the "parent" parent. Of course we all have the "child" part and most of us have the "work" part. Humans, being what we are, each contain the "dark" parts and the "light" parts. We have pieces which strikingly contrast with each other, and we have those pieces which share the same tone.

As in an orginal mosaic, no two designs are identical. It would be impossible to find exactly the same pieces, with the same tonal quality and the same shape. To have them placed on the backing material in exactly the same way is also unrealistic. The application and cutting of the tessarae are so unique, that no two works could be the same. As in life, each work is distinctly unique.

The trick of the finished project often lies in the grout. This material binds the pieces together. If the grout is mixed poorly, or if the color of the grout is wrong, the whole project will suffer. Choosing the right grout is the key to success.

Perhaps that is a good goal for our lives - choosing the right stuff to hold all the pieces together. If we choose poorly, the whole work of our lives will suffer. If we have chosen the wrong glue, or have cut the tessarae poorly, or have chosen the colors of the tiles with haste, then the completed work suffers. If the grout is wrong, then even at the end, our lives will be incomplete or less appealing than they could have been.

I have nerely completed the ungrouted piece. Unfortunately, I've run out of the tile color I need to finish. So, I have to wait until they arrive from the supplier. Hence the philosophical musings about life, grout, and trying to finish the piece well.

Put some thought into your grout. It makes or breaks the artwork, your life.

Let There Be Light!

2005-04-24T12:17:00.000-05:00

A better picture. Here you can see the difference between outdoor light verses the previous picture using indoor lighting. This also has implications for design of mosaics, as the color selection is critical. (I wish I had used a different color for the head of the fish, but I only have a limited amount of inventory - this being my first real project.)

The design plan is in place. It's simply a matter of completing the laying of the tessarae. However, I'm trying to decide if the background should be all water or should I have a sandy bottom? The major issue, however, is what color of grout to use. Standard colors are White, Grey, and Black. I'm trying to decide between Grey or Black.

The grout can make or break the design, so it's a big issue. I'd be very upset if I put in 100 hours worth of work, grout the tiles, and then ruin the mosaic because I chose the wrong grout color. It happens, so I'm told. Because of that I'll probably cogitate about grout colors for quite awhile.

Now, if I just had the resources to build a new studio with ceiling lights and big windows on the east, south, and west.

If you're wondering what the green thingys are, they are leaves from a water plant. The stems and trunks will be grout lines. I'll try to take a close up picture and post that, so you can see how the grout lines - the spaces between the tiles - can become part of the picture, rather than an artifact of having to use small tiles.

An Update

2005-04-21T09:53:00.000-05:00

This is an update on my progress. The photograph really fails to show the colors as they are - I need a professional, or better lighting, to take the picture. Hopefully, when I do have it done, I can get get a photograph taken by someone who knows what they are doing. I would estimate that this has taken be about 30-40 hours worth of work.

The Workshop

2005-04-16T13:31:00.000-05:00

This is my workshop. I constructed the shelves and the benches. There are shelves off to the right that have drawers. I put in as much light as I could short of hiring an electrician to put in some more overhead lighting. There are no windows as this is actually my garage, but I have florescent and incadescent lighting. Probably the best light is the architects light I purchased at K-Mart for about 20 bucks.

It gets a little chilly, so I have a small electric space heater off the right side.

One thing that I really need to do is to install a row of shelves off to the left and purchase some clear plastic containers with lids so that I can keep my tessarae organized. Right now I'm using clear plastic cups, but I don't have much so its not a problem.

I've completed the fish of my latest project and am starting on the background. I'll post a picture of it in a few days. One problem I have is that the camera flash messes up the mosaic, making it look much different than it really is. I'll need some lessons in photography, I think, in order to do it justice on the photograph, therefore the 'delay' in posting it.

A Second Attempt

2005-04-06T22:43:00.000-05:00

My new project. This time with a plan - plans are good, thats my first lesson, and I wont forget it. I have a drawing too, the one I'm working from, but I don't know how to post more than two pictures at one time, so you'll have to imagine it, I guess.

Through the generous donation of a friend, this current project is 'sold'. He doesn't have any idea what I'm making, and he's not seen my first attempt, thankfully. I'm baffeled by his willingness to purchase something sight unseen, knowing that I've never done this before. The justification, he says, is because the first works of a great artist are always worth the most. I didn't have the heart to tell him that he was suffering from some sort of dementia. If I'm somehow able to pull it off, I don't have the heart to tell him that it'll cost 2,000.

While starting with a plan was prudent, it is far from a guarantee that it will work out. The colors could end up being wrong, the design may not work, the grout may be the wrong color, or the wrong texture. The spaces between the tesserae may be too close or too far apart. I may not have prepared the base correctly or the tiles may pop off. The list of potential troubles is endless. But I'm hopeful and far from discouraged.

The Non-Starter First Attempt

2005-04-05T19:26:00.000-05:00

This is my first attempt at a mosaic, which I never finished. It ended up being two different pieces on one board - the consequence of no planning. Actually, I like both, the "Fish in the Water" and the "Bird in the Bush", but they don't work together very good. There are two reasons for this. First, the 'fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants' approach, while creatively satsifying initially, just led to confusion and frustration in the end. From now on, I'll have a plan before I start sticking stuff to wood. The second problem was the water. The blue of the splashing water around the tail of the unfinished fish, was tonally too bright. Your eyes are immediately drawn to what was intended to be background. Therefore, for two good reasons, the project wont work. Thats my opinion and it carries absolutely no weight whatsoever, considering my extensive experience in this artform.

If you agree or disagree, I'd look forward to your comments.

Stone and Wood

2005-04-02T09:38:00.000-06:00

I started with what I had in the house - left over ceramic floor tiles and scrap 3/4 in plywood. There was the glue I needed to buy (acquired at Lowe's) and the grout, I bought those. And the tile pinchers or nippers or whatever they're called, also needed to be purchased. Those I found at my local hardware store. The ones with the spring and the plastic coated handle seemed best.

My plan was to just start gluing stuff and see what happened. My floor tile, the remains of two former tiling projects, were 16 x 16 in and 1/4 thick. I had dark bronze colored ones and light, sort of a creamy white colored ones. Using a sledge hammer, I broke one tile of each color into small pieces. They broke like a piece of glass, angled and curved with some chips and powdered fragments. Then with a small hammer, I broke the larger pieces into a more manageable size.

Breaking the tiles was very satisfying, particularly after a long day at work.

After that, I just started sticking pieces onto the wood in a pattern that I thought was appealing. First I would lay several out next to each other, in the way that seemed to look the best. Then I would add a small amount of glue to the back of the pieces and stuck them on the plywood.

I was particularly pleased with the swooping curve from upper left to the lower right. If you look carefully, there's sort of a bird-like image in the right lower corner. I didn't really plan on that, it just happened. Actually, I didn't plan on anything, and that led to trouble later on.

I'll post a picture of the 'final' product, which remains unfinished, because of a fatal flaw.

The Original

2005-04-02T07:35:00.000-06:00

Heres a pic of my first attempt, not completed, un-grouted. I didn't have a plan before I started, which, as you'll find out, was a fatal flaw.

The Big Muddy

2005-03-30T20:25:00.000-06:00

A view of the Big Muddy. Wild and unpredictable in its youth, now tamed through the genius of grown men with big shovels and a lot of cement. The taming of the Mighty Mo' (The Missouri River - otherwise known as the Big Muddy-the inspiration for the name of my blog) summarizes how I feel about the course of my life of late. This picture is from a locale near my residence.

This taming of the river has provided rich farm land, much needed water and electricity, and plentiful recreation. All predictable, respectable, and responsible uses for a river. But the reigning of the the Mighty Mo' had costs, including uncontrollable sedimentation, declining natural habitat for rare native fish, and a perennial sporting event titled, "The Upper and Lower Missouri River Debate." This exciting event takes place every political cycle and provides rich entertainment, much hand-wringing, and in the end, no solutions. The once wild and unpredictable river has become channelized, boring, and safe. That sounds like someone I know.

If you're a Missouri River lover, like myself, and have interest, you might like to read this excellent article: http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/nebland/articles/outdoors/mightymo.asp

More information and pictures can be found at: http://infolink.cr.usgs.gov/The_River/

A mosaicists beginning

2005-03-30T19:20:00.000-06:00

Hope

Hope that what was once part of me could be rekindled, nurtured to grow from a dark place, where once there was light. It was the light of creation, of the imagination, unfettered by the calculus of life and ruled by the expected. Whatever or wherever my mind would roam, my hand would relay to the page, sometimes in wild feathery strokes of uncertainty, and other times in bold clear swoops splayed upon the paper as if they were always intended to lay there.

Somewhere between adolescence and adulthood, I packed this gift away, shoved it under the stairs and forgot about it. Well, not really forgot about it. Sometimes, as if I were walking past a piano once played with passion, and lightly fingering the keys to absorb some joyous memory, I would pull the old sketch pads from the back of the closest and marvel. I had created that once, amazingly so. But, then I would carefully tuck those treasures away, back on the high shelf, out of site. No serious effort was ever made to sit down and play. I was not interested in the work, and be not mistaken, it is that. And it doesn't fit to the music of this current life. Time seems irrelevant to the passion of creativity, it is a tune best played in a timeless place. My usual life is far from timeless and that is a problem.

But now I'm twenty something past twenty and life appears shorter. The predictable path of maturity and obligation seems narrow and dark to me. While I know why I took this path, I wonder why it was described with such vigor and wonder to me. Because it is far from that. More dark then light, more drudgery then joy, a lonely path full of fellow travelers, who stand aside me, but do not speak the truth. If I would dare to speak and suggest, better hint, that this path we all seem to be walking on is not worthy, most look at me blankly as if I suffered from some serious psychosis. Their response would press the lips into a grim line of anyone, except maybe the boldest amongst us. I followed suit, of course. That's what I've done best of late.

Hope, however, was rekindled. Why or how is still a mystery to me, but I stumbled upon this art form called "Mosaic" and I was enthralled. What beauty! What marvelous swirls, and color, anger and boldness! Surely, this is something that even I could do, I thought.

It is for sure an uncommonly odd thing for me to do. I've never pasted stones on wood, never contemplated the importance of spaces between objects, and I've rarely focused on the matter of hue, tone, contrast as much as of late. For my former love was black and white, simple fading and pencil pressure distinguished the figures, but now color matters, not just the lines. Because of my inexperience, I'm forging ahead as a beginner and a loner. A loner by choice, a beginner by necessity.

I've read a few books, completely scanned the internet and saved all the sites in my favorites folder, and I have even identified my favorite mosaicist - Sonia King ( http://www.mosaicworks.com/). She doesn't know it, but I'm a big fan.

So I stoked up the courage, and began. I'll post once in awhile and keep anyone who's interested up to date on my little adventure.

As far as unpacking that box under the stairs. Believe it or not, I have done it and I feel like part of me has been reborn. Perhaps I too, will take the path less traveled. And wouldn't that be a glorious thing.