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.

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.

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.

Yoga and pancakes

I always feel invigorated after yoga, and it has, along with meditation become an essential part of my daily life.

So, with my soul fed, I need to feed my body. I always try to choose healthy foods but on Sundays I often prepare a special treat for breakfast... such as banana pancakes. I almost always use fresh home grown herbs in my cooking, and my choice of topping for pancakes varies between home made apple and cinnamon sauce, maple syrup, or strawberry jam. That may not sound quite so healthy, but it's an occasional treat only which I think I deserve.

My pot of French Tarragon - great with fish, perfect with chicken!

Crazy days!

First it was the crazy weather. I had packed away everything that could've blown away or gotten damaged, so I got out of it without losing too much apart from 2 trees, a potted plant and a ceramic pot... and a lot of flooding at the bottom of the 'mountain', as seen in the pic below.

Any more of this weather and I'll be trading the car in for a boat!

Then it was all the craziness with web hosting. I've employed a professional web designer to get my website back online, so it's currently undergoing a major rebuild since its last incarnation... there's not much to do now except fix a few script bugs and add more content, including pics of my artwork which is the main reason for the website. I'll post a link on here when that's done.

A sign of things to come...

It's break time, then back into some mosaic work if I remember how...

Birdbath mosaic during construction (detail).

I'm in a creative flow... it's a choice!

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.