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.

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.

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.

Om!

Sunrise over "Straddie" (North Stradbroke Island), viewed from my balcony.

It's set to be another very busy day, but it's off to a beautiful start. The sun is rising and will warm my yoga spot on the balcony. I am so thankful for being introduced to Qi yoga... it's a dynamic, flowing style of yoga that really gets my day off to a good start.

Here are close-ups of the two mosaics I made for this yoga & meditation space.

"Naquada"
- recycled coloured glass on clear
glass tea light candle holder.

"Om"
- hand painted glass, vitreous glass
and  ceramic on craft wood substrate.

Hey, hey, it's a beautiful day!

I was woken shortly before 6.30 this morning by the sun shining through my bedroom window. It was such a welcome sight after all the rain.

The weather bureau has cancelled the severe weather warning, however more rain is on the way. I'm looking forward to being able to set up my work area out on the balcony again, as it's my favourite work location with inspiring views over the water to North Stradbroke Island.

"Fallen from HEAVEN" mosaic, which overlooks my outdoor work area.

The above mosaic wall plaque was inspired by the many green tree frogs which ventured onto my balcony from a nearby tree. They often appeared unexpectedly, as if they had fallen from the sky. The tree itself was very sick when I first moved in, but made a speedy recovery after I removed the grubs around the trunk and roots before pruning and feeding it.

What do you get when you recycle some discarded items, and add water? A water feature, of course!

This project began with my first attempt at building a garden fountain to add some movement to what was a barren garden when I moved here a few months before. It received many positive comments, but to me as a new artist, it seemed like a failure, albeit one in which I could learn from the mistakes I had made. Using recycled bamboo, a discarded broken birdbath bowl, white pebbles and an assortment of recycled materials to create the structure, it didn't seem lacking in character and set the desired atmosphere in my garden... the tranquil sound of a gentle waterfall, as well as being an attraction for the local birdlife.

Recycled materials used for fountain include: bamboo, broken cement
bird bath, plastic tubing, plastic bags, reinforcing mesh.

The only problem was that the pump just wasn't up to the job it was designed for, even though it was operating way under its stated capacity. The pump was still under warranty, so I promptly returned it to the store and received a properly working replacement.