Halfway done with mosaic installation!

I grouted the third panel today- three more to go. Here is a little piece to ponder....

Mosaic installation continued

                                              

I have grouted one panel of this 26 foot mosaic ( 6 panels total) and two are set in the thinset- grouting those tonight. It's a marathon session but I am motivated to get it done!

I am testing the grout here- on a piece I had in the studio.

Here is the grouted piece. Hard to get a good photo but it looks amazing!

Here is a section of  the next panel-

I continue on- almost halfway through! 

Mosaic Installation

I've been the consultant on a 26' mosaic mural that has been pieced together over the past two academic years at Derby Academy in Hingham,Massachusetts.  Together with Mary Ellen Olson, art teacher for the middle school, Alice McWilliams, art director of the school, and Marcus Jereb from Party by Design- the fabricator of the substrate wall,we have worked on bringing this idea to fruition. The kids worked on it during classtime ,  it took a lot longer than we expected.
Here is the beginning design.

Initially we wanted it to be free standing- but with the weather we get in winter we opted to have it installed on the wall instead.

I am doing the install in my studio. It requires cutting up the taped pieces into jigsaw like pieces-and troweling thinset (Laticrete 254) onto the substrate in those sections (WEDI board- its like a cement foam core)

The taped sections get lifted and placed exactly in position, one after the other, until they are all attached. The thinset cures overnight, then the tape is lifted. Fingers triple crossed that the pieces are securely attached- but there's inevitable touch up and fill- ins. Grouting happens at the end, and the panel gets hung. I am starting on the far right panel. Here's what it looks like in progress.

these are pattern pieces to help me know where the thinset needs to go- I can't do the whole panel at once as the mortar sets up quickly...

I used a sharpie to draw where I was going to cut.

cut pieces

stay tuned for more!

Surprise in the mail!

I have followed Diane Hoeptner's blog ever since I started my own years ago - I adore her work! Her cats are amazing!
She emailed me earlier this week and told me she was shipping a painting to me- just because! I was so thrilled and it arrived this morning and it is so beautiful- I love it!
Thank you Diane!

Maybe it's instant Karma- because on the same day I gave a painting away to my next door neighbor - she was so happy- she hung it in her day care playroom.

Clean Studio!

Monday was an unexpected day to be at home all day- so I took advantage of the hot dry weather and cleaned out the studio-everything got put out on the lawn- and painted the floor.  I used up a bunch of scrap latex paint and it worked really well on the 10 year old rustoleum garage floor paint.

Looks like a yard sale!

Heres the new and improved studio on video!

click here

Rock Abstract

This was a commission I completed in May. It is oil on canvas.

My husband made the beautiful frame. Clients love it!