In the Workshop

I haven't posted for a while, as I've been busy on my art projects, some of which Santa wants completed before Christmas... and who am I to disappoint him. Santa is very secretive, and has asked me not to post pics or other details of these projects just yet, as he wants them to be a surprise.

Mosaic fountain being constructed in my studio.

The 'new' fountain glass substrate is finished and is much closer to my original drawing, without the constraints of the square window frame. I've added the faces, and am now working on the background. IMO it's turning out to be a very interesting mosaic.

Cracked

Wednesday afternoon I cleaned and began to prepare the large window pane I was going to use as the substrate (backing) for the glass wall fountain. As I carefully scraped off the silicone sealant at the bottom of the window, I found a crack which was beginning to run upward and thus made the glass unusable as I had planned.

I had been wondering how I could curve the top of the mosaic, to echo the round 'faces' I had planned... the difficulty being that the window frame was square. So perhaps this was the universe answering me, as I quickly came up with a solution... 3 smaller panels, which I have now cut to shape. This will also allow more flexibility when positioning the finished fountain in my rocky hillside garden.

Lotus mosaic vase

I've just finished sketching plans before changing my studio layout to give it a better work flow. Drawing a plan could potentially save a lot of time, as it helps determine whether or not the layout will work, before I move anything. I also drew plans to build new shelves after finishing gluing the final pieces on 'Lotus Vase' recycled glass mosaic which I'll post pics of after it is grouted.

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Colour

Choosing the colours for your #mosaic is not always as straight forward as it seems, and even the geographic location should be considered due to subtle variation in the colour of natural light in various climatic zones. The colour of grout is also an important choice, as it can fragment, blend or enhance the final appearance of a mosaic.

Much of my early #mosaic work has been abstract, which works well with bright or contrasting colours and doesn't require as much thought of colour choice as when trying to make something appear lifelike. With these projects I allowed the materials I had on hand to dictate the design and flow, such as in the 'Flow Dreaming' mosaic box pictured in the October 31, 2010 post on this blog.

Vitreous glass on stained & lacquered wooden tray.

My first pictorial mosaic (pictured above) almost four years ago, began with an attempt to use realistic colours, but was also limited to the available palette of the materials I had at hand, and thus it ended up a mishmash of colour. I don't consider that mosaic a failure, as it taught me some valuable lessons. It was part of the beginning of my creative journey, which will no doubt continue to grow and evolve.

Since then I've moved on from designs found in books, and have begun developing my own style. Time to cut some more materials for the fountain...

The beginning of my current project;
a large wall fountain mosaic.

Grouting

Today I grouted my outdoor work desk. I use this desk when I am cutting messy materials such as glass and ceramic, as it's so much easier to clean up afterward. I also use it for gluing mosaics, which requires plenty of ventilation... no shortage of that out here! I love working here as it has a great view, and my feathered friends can drop in whenever they feel like it, which seems to be quite often.

This Laughing Kookaburra is looking for home decorating
tips for the nest she built behind my house.

My grouting area is under the house where it's shady and cool. It is important to ensure your grout doesn't dry out too quickly, to prevent cracks in the dried grout. I like to cover the wet grout with plastic, and in hotter weather also spray it with water.

Grouting is one of my favourite parts of making mosaics. I feel like I'm unearthing buried treasure as the mosaic reveals its new look when I clean off the excess grout. So, now I just have to wait 2 days or so until I can use the new table top.

I finished off the afternoon, taking advantage of the cool weather to do some garden chores and dug up a few grubs to feed the kookaburras which flew down to join me almost as soon as I unearthed the grubs.