Added a links page and began updating tutorials on my website. More to come soon...

I've been keeping busy assisting with my local community mosaic group for a few hours each week... working on my smaller projects at the mosaic group when I can as well as mosaic projects for the group, although most of the time I end up helping out with this or that and putting my almost 8 years experience of making mosaics (and many more years experience with computers & other techie stuff) to good use, answering questions and helping where I can. I enjoy my time there, not only for the interaction with other mosaic artists of various skill levels ranging from beginner to experienced, but also being able to give back something to the community. The mosaic group is a great catalyst for making/building friendships who all have at least one common interest... MOSAICS!

Thank you, Dianne Little for creating this wonderful group where people on the Southern Moreton Bay Islands (SMBI) can come to learn how to make mosaics for the community and also create new friendships.

My larger mosaic projects stay in my studio throughout construction, which is much easier than moving them around, and I am gradually setting up and adapting my workspace to accommodate my not entirely unique requirements. That's not an easy feat, as just the changing variables of my injuries have taken time to learn and understand how to work with, but I am making headway sometimes by trial & error, and sometimes by just good research/planning and using my brain. I figure if I could fix mobile phones and computers (what I did for previous jobs), I can do almost anything as long as the physical requirements aren't beyond my limits!

So there has been plenty to do to set up my studio, and lots of gardening too which I also enjoy, albeit in small doses to keep my pain levels to a minimum. The one thing I can do most of the time, is sit and cut tesserae for future mosaic projects, using mosaic glass cutters or tile cutters depending on the material. All in all, the last few months have been an interesting part of my life's journey, and so it continues...

Currently I have 2 mosaic projects in my studio:
"Night Watch" - a mixed media pictorial with cats in a tree. I have emphasised the eyes of the cats, to give the impression they are watching something, and also to the stars to convey night time. I've had this project packed away between moves, but now have the space to work on it.

The other mosaic is for a wall fountain (no title yet). This project has evolved since the glass background panel was broken both times I have moved since beginning the fountain. I was recently given a small fibreglass pond, which I wasn't sure if I'd incorporate with the fountain as I had planned to use a half kerosene type drum as the water reservoir. Then, shortly after I began looking for a suitably sized wediboard panel, the husband of a friend from the mosaic group found two panels large enough to incorporate the pond and delivered them to my door... what a surprise that was, and I am so thankful! Not only has it saved me the hassle of getting the material transported from the mainland to the island, it has also allowed me to radically change the background substrate to a torsion box type structure (picture a hollow core door) which will be much stronger and will also allow me to hide the plumbing inside the structure.

My new website is online at last!

After waiting for over two months for the web designer to complete my new website I decided to have a go at it myself, as I was tired of excuses and nothing getting done. I used a WordPress theme, for which I then created custom graphics, including a new logo.

As the new website also functions as a blog, I will now only make occasional posts on this blog which may include recipes or anything else not relevant to my website, which can be viewed at mosaicavatar.com

New art projects are often underway in my studio... so keep an eye out for project updates on my website.

'Easy No Dig Veggie Garden' instructions

Recently I've been asked by several people for instructions to my extremely productive no dig veggie garden in Hervey Bay which I created from scratch... so here it is.

Warning: This method will produce an abundance of fresh vegetables bursting with flavour, without the use of chemicals or pesticides!

Materials:

• Pine or hardwood sleepers (or other suitable material such as masonry blocks) for border. Ensure wood has not been chemically treated, as these could potentially leach toxic chemicals into the garden bed.
• Lucerne hay (1 bale of hay will do aprrox 2 veggie beds)
• Compost (well rotted)
• Newspapers
• Manure
• Blood & bone
  

Construction:

With this method you can even build your veggie garden on top of grass; there is no need to prepare the ground unless your chosen site requires leveling.

1. Build the border for your garden bed in a sunny area that will receive at least six hours per day of sunlight. The best orientation is north-south with taller growing plants at southern end of the garden bed for southern hemisphere dwellers (or at northern end of the garden bed if you're in the northern hemisphere).
   
2. Place several layers of newspapers directly onto the ground inside your completed garden border, then water until newspapers are damp.
   
3. Next place a layer of lucerne hay approx 10cm (4") deep, then water lightly.
   
4. Cover with a layer of compost approx 10cm (4") deep. Rake to level, then water until entire surface is damp.
   
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4.
   
6. Add blood & bone and manure, then turn through upper compost layer. Rake to level, then water until entire surface is damp.
   
7. Plant seeds or seedlings in rows directly into top layer of compost. It is a good idea to keep a note of what you have planted where. Water well, and keep moist until seedlings emerge.
   

Care:

If you have planted seeds, feed with seaweed solution when seedlings emerge. Apply solution approx every 2 weeks during growing season.

Approx every 3 weeks, add well rotted manure (Dynamic Lifter is an excellent alternative for green leafy vegetables, while tomatoes and other fruiting crops will benefit from cow & sheep manure), then water well.

Other useful tips:

I also like to plant a border of marigolds around the veggie plot, as these attract dragonflies which feed on other pests such as aphids.

To minimise evaporation, always water in the cooler part of the day.

To encourage healthier root growth, it is better to give few thorough waterings rather than many light waterings.

One small veggie plot, approx 1.2m x 3m (4' x 10') should be sufficient to feed 2 people, however it is best to have at least two veggie plots to allow crop rotation to avoid pests and diseases building up resistance.

Harvest your crop frequently, and enjoy!

Approx 2 months later - my 1.2m x 3m (4' x 10') veggie plot,
using the method above. (click image to enlarge)

Moroccan style media cabinet (finished)

It was quite an effort finding hinges and matching door hardware to complete the media cabinet I built from re-used timber, but it is now finally finished.

I am happy with the end result, and again have taught myself some new skills along the way.

'Moroccan style' media cabinet - re-used plywood and decking off-cuts, rolled glass.

Cactus cooker

I was recently given a used 'Turbo convection oven' which I then discovered had a very badly rusted heater element cover, so it was unsafe to use for food.

As usual, before throwing it away, I considered potential artistic uses for the glass bowl and other components. With the addition of a rescued glass saucepan lid, a liberal scattering of smallish rocks, some small cacti and succulents, it is now a terrarium... and the half hour or so that it took to create it gave me a much needed break from housework!

Now this cooker really is cactus!

Restored family heirloom

This antique medicine cabinet has been handed down through the family from my grandfather. I restored it some time ago, however was unable to find a suitable keyhole escutcheon which it has always lacked.

I stumbled across a selection of escutcheons during my search for hinges to use on the Moroccan style entertainment cabinet I built recently... it arrived yesterday and I wasted no time carefully affixing it to the cabinet, as well as replacing the glass which was broken while moving house.

New home, new studio

It's taking me a lot longer than I ever expected to get my new studio set up, but I've finally repaired the workbench which was vandalised on my balcony at the old house. Now that it's in the studio, it has given me an extra work surface, which means my glass-working bench no longer needs to double as a general workbench... and hopefully that means that I will be more productive.

I still have what feels like a gazillion boxes (really less than ten, but I'm somewhat exhausted from the move) to unpack, but the end is in sight and I'll be back in the studio before I know it!

Kev's Apple Ambrosia

I created this delicious, refreshing juice recipe this morning using 100% natural ingredients, and thought I'd share it.

I am considering starting a separate blog to post my many other recipes, so please try this one and leave a comment at the bottom of this post about what you thought of it.

Ingredients:
8 x red apples (I used 4 x "Delicious" and 4 x "Pink Lady" apples)
1 x pear
2 x Navel oranges
3 x large carrots
1 x dessert spoon (or to taste) honey
1/4 cup water
2 x sprigs chocolate mint (fresh)
2 x sprigs lemon balm (fresh)


Method:

Wash ingredients, and be sure to remove skin and pith from oranges before juicing, as they can leave a bitter taste.

Juice carrots and all fruit in juice extractor, then pour into blender. Add leaves of chocolate mint and lemon balm.

Mix honey in 1/4 cup of water and microwave for approx 30 seconds on high to dissolve honey (prevents it becoming a lump in bottom of blender if fruit is chilled), stir and add to juice in blender.

Process in blender for approx 30 seconds.

Serve chilled ...and enjoy!

Makes approx 2 litres of delicious, refreshing, juice.

Seeing stars

After a busy day a couple of weeks ago, I looked outside before closing up the house for the night... the sky was dark and overcast, but I decided to do a preliminary sketch for a mosaic featuring stars. The sketch also got me thinking about how to fill a blank area on my website. Seeing stars is not that unusual for me, as I have been fascinated by the stars and "why do stars twinkle?" since my early childhood. I've also always been curious about how things work, which led to me developing a keen interest in electronics and to a lesser degree mechanics... so I guess it's no wonder I became a telecommunications technician many years later!

Me terminating 100 pair cable to equipment rack in a telephone exchange.

For the last couple of weeks I've been concentrating on finishing my long overdue website update. After deciding to stop writing work-arounds for frequent bugs in one of the well known browsers (I'll work on these once my website is back on-line), the task is so much easier as no sooner had I fixed all the bugs, along came an update with a slew of more bugs.

So now, the last step is to complete the slide show to display my artwork... which is after all the main reason for my website.

After trying one recommended gallery option, I discovered it required a new HTML (web) page for each photograph. I then began working on a JavaScript which looked more promising until I got stuck and it was doing my head in, which was enough to make the decision to pay a professioanl to do it... I'm now anxiously waiting for him to complete it as I'm itching to get the website back on line and then get back into creating more art!

Still cleaning up after floods... 7 months on

I knew it would take me a long time to clean up after the floods here, but certainly didn't expect to be still going more than six months later! I must admit however, that my slow pace is also largely due to ongoing vandalism here which has required me to relocate my larger work areas indoors, as well as repairing the vandalised garden art pieces. I still hadn't gotten over my car being vandalised, when it happened again... but this time I witnessed it, and am not surprised to see who was involved, as they've constantly voiced their misplaced 'hatred' of others and often said I will never be a real artist as well as making numerous threats from the moment I met them. What is a surprise, is that the police still have not taken a statement from me regarding the car vandalism and burglary or any of the recent serious events, despite being contacted three times over the last few months.

The weirdness hasn't stopped there, with my phone line being cut, electricity often being switched off during the night, as well as numerous mail deliveries going astray, threats to kill others or cause property damage, and numerous other very unusual things ranging from just plain annoying or inconvenient to potentially life threatening. Regardless of whatever reason this person gives for doing these things, it is totally unacceptable behaviour!

While waiting on the legal system to deal with these matters, I've continued to address the challenges of less workspace by building more shelving to help ease the demand for storage of my artwork and tools etc. I've also begun repairing some of the vandalised garden art pieces and keeping my spirits up by continuing on newer projects.

After visiting numerous hardware stores and websites, I'm still searching for hinges to complete the Moroccan style media cabinet. I've come close to finding them, however they either are not in stock, are not the type of metal I want or don't have screws of the right length in the same material, which is important because different metals coming into contact with each other can cause corrosion. The cabinet still looks pretty good without the doors, but I feel they will be a perfect finishing embellishment. I still have plenty of other projects to keep me busy in the meantime...

'Flow Dreaming' mosaic sewing box - vitreous and
stained glass, and glass nuggets on hand painted
& lacquered craftwood box.

Fire down below!

This morning while tending to my vegetable garden I detected the faint smell of smoke, however when I looked around I could not see where it was coming from.

Click picture to enlarge

As I walked up the stairs to refill the watering can I looked down the hill, and froze in my tracks as I caught sight of the fire and billowing smoke from the field across the road. For a moment I didn't know what to do, but then came to my senses and raced inside to the phone then dialled 000 and asked for "Fire", then attempted to give the location of the fire. I guess I must have been in shock because although I was very familiar with them, I couldn't remember the street names "The Boulevarde" and "Deepwater Ave" but managed to say that the fire was near the Russell Island Lions Park.

I anxiously waited what seemed like an eternity, while the flames began to lick the tree branches and thick smoke billowed into the sky. I looked at my watch... I wasn't sure, but thought it must be about 15 minutes from the time I first phoned, but there was still no sign of the fire brigade.

I than ran outside and hosed the house and surrounds, as a precaution from flying embers which were being carried on the wind which then changed direction as I heard sirens in the distance.

When the firemen arrived, they quickly brought the blaze under control before it could cause damage to any homes. I watched on as they continued to monitor the smouldering field and dowse the spot fires which appeared. While watching them I suddenly felt overwhelmed and close to tears. After two hours or so, they left and life returned to normal. I was relieved, but also knew I would continue to remain wary as I had good reason to believe the fire may have been deliberately lit... please contact me if you would like the link to a recording of threats (contains obscene language) made approx 20 minutes before the fire broke out, from which you may draw your own conclusions. The threats were not directed at me, but at the owners of the neighbouring house, where the person making the threats was renting... first he complained about them spying on him because their boat was "moored" in the bay within view of the house (I was tempted to tell him it was anchored, not moored, but I didn't want to risk aggravating him further), then he threatened to burn their house down (was that just coincidence?). He has since been telling a questionable version of how the fire started. How would he even know without firsthand knowledge and especially when he said he wasn't here when it started? I also think the his leaving approx 10 minutes or so before the fire broke out and returning approx 5 minutes after the fire brigade arrived and saying he had followed them and had stopped to talk to them, despite the fact that I had been able to see through a clearing in the bush when he drove past only seconds before he came around the corner, was suspicious. I was also abused for overreacting when I called the fire brigade because "it wasn't a real fire". I am fairly certain the fire brigade would differ in their opinion about that!

I know the fire was not extreme, however I have had basic firefighting training several years prior when I worked as a security guard and other jobs which included regular emergency fire training, and am well aware of their potential to quickly become a uncontrollable wildfire in similar dry conditions and therefore make no apology for calling the fire brigade. I also refuse to accept this persons claim that "it needed to be lit", regardless of whether or not they lit it themselves. As I said to this individual, "little fires can grow into big fires very quickly"... but the response I received from this person would seem to indicate that person just doesn't care about other people's property.

 

Video: Fire at Deepwater Ave (near Lions Boulevarde Park), Russell Island QLD
Saturday June 25, 2011

Moroccan style media cabinet

Media cabinet before adding doors, timber stain,
and other embellishments.

I'm nearing completion of a Moroccan style media cabinet I am making from reused timber. I am very happy with the way it is evolving, and not having all the necessary power tools has given me the opportunity to learn more traditional methods.

Currently, I am searching for information regarding the correct type of hinges to hang the doors flush inside a "frame-less" cabinet.

Media cabinet door with
reused "clear hammered
glass" and ceramic knob.

Having never made doors for anything before, I didn't realise there were so many variations in hinge configuration, and I'm even more confused by the apparent inconsistency in their names.

If you can help with info regarding hinge types, please post a comment.

Cleaning up after floods

My clean-up after the local flooding here is bigger than I expected... after everything had almost dried, I had a chance to take a proper look and get to work cleaning up under the house.

Part of work area under house,
during clean-up showing erosion from flood water.

I thought I could cope with the clean-up on my own, after all it's comparatively nothing compared to what others in Brisbane have experienced. But to me it's a lot, as I've now lost a fair amount of what I've spent the last 6 years setting up to produce artwork to supplement my limited income from a disability pension and am struggling to get my head around the clean-up let alone the physical challenges. But I'm often very resourceful and know I will get through it one way or another.

Queensland Floods

My heart goes out to all the Queenslanders affected by the floods, and I wish you all a safe and speedy recovery.

I've received a few enquiries from concerned friends... the floods being shown on TV did not affect me here, as I live on an island. I did however have a substantial amount of rainwater over the last few weeks running down the hill on which my house sits (or stands, depending on your point of view, as it is on "stilts"), which resulted in a mud pit under the house as well as the usual stagnant water in the front yard which almost always happens after the rain here.

The downside to the mud under the house, is that I won't be able to do much woodworking until I've cleaned up there, but I am thankful that I didn't put my gym there which the removalist suggested would be the best place for it, when I moved in. I was kind of prepared, and had raised everything I could off the ground soon after moving here, so thankfully the damage is minimal.

I am also very pleased to say that as from this morning, I've now heard from all my friends that they're all safe and none suffered anything serious... and I am so very grateful for that!

I think the street name needs to swap with another nearby... "Deepwater".

The Queensland Premier has set up a website for those wishing to make a donation to help people affected by the floods, but please beware there are also unscrupulous websites with false links for donations... the proceeds of which end up lining their own pockets. If in doubt, please refer to the media for the correct links to the Queensland Premier's website for flood donations www.qld.gov.au/floods

You may also like to visit the Australian government's Scam Watch website for further warnings of scams arising from the floods, as well as other scams.

If you found this post interesting, you may also like to read these articles,

Digital Armageddon for flood victims containing some useful data recovery tips, and Flood devastation mapped by high-res sky cams.

In my garden

With all the heavy rain we've been getting, I've been itching to get back into my garden. New plants have sprung up everywhere, with many others flowering... enticing me with their multi-colour perfumed displays!

The rain also brought a heap of frogs with it, and the sounds of their croaking filled the air. It's a sound I find rather comforting because I know if there are frogs around, it means that my tiny part of the world is ecologically healthy.

While mosaicing away in my studio this morning, I decided to investigate a louder than usual frog whose echoing calls seemed very close. I found the little green tree frog pictured here, trapped in an urn on my balcony and then 'rescued' it so that it wouldn't drown in the next downpour which would most likely have filled the urn. Frogs can drown if the water is too deep and there is nothing for them to use to climb out. If you have a frog pond, you should include things such as rocks and pebbles or even a fallen log for your little green friends to disembark

Free, at last!

I love frogs, and seeing that they're one of the most vulnerable species here, I looked up information about local frogs and decided to build a frog pond where the water always sits in my yard. Now that it's built, I just have to add a few more water plants and wait for the frogs to come.

Ribbit!

The next downpour brought more of those ugly poisonous cane toads than I've ever seen in my life. I really wish they would go back to where they came from! I also saw a wallaby (a small kangaroo species, in case you're not familiar with them) grazing in my front yard... so far not the 'hoppers' I am trying to attract to the pond, however the wallaby was also a very welcome visitor. To help discourage those vile toads, you can use plantings of tall water grasses and other dense plantings which provide cool damp places for your welcome visitors to hide, but are too tall for Mr Toad to jump over.

After breaking the window pane which was originally destined to be the base for a wall fountain, I was left wondering what to do with the window frame. With a quick sand down, and a couple of coats of paint, it has found a temporary home in the garden until I decide what to do with it. I wasn't too sure about it, but I have seen three leprechauns hanging around it ever since!

The McShortee brothers, Seamus, Eoin and Oisin (pronunced Shay-mus, O-in and Uh-sheen).

 Well, it's that time of year again! ...so here's wishing you all peace and happiness, and a very Merry Christmas.

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.

If you've enjoyed reading any of my blog, please consider following it. I also welcome all kinds of feedback.

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.