Work in Progress May 18, 2013 - Ready to Grout

Mosaic Mannequin

Progress as of this morning . . .

I'm loving the band around her neck; it's from the rim of an amazing antique plate from Bavaria that has hand-painted roses all over and is made of super thin porcelain with 24k gold edges.  It has shape and texture and makes me think of leaves on the forest floor.  The amethyst pendant, the porcelain pieces on the bodice that feature sacred cranes, and the yellow with black dot accents from a broken saucer,  all given to me by dear friends.

Mosaic Mannequin

Progress 5-4-13:

Mosaic Mannequin

Ignore the gaps in the bust; I'm in the process of filling them in.  Using GE Silicone II (clear) Kitchen/Bath/Plumbing in a white tube with red markings.  I already had it on hand.  It's working beautifully.  It's a little sticky so I keep a paper towel nearby to wipe my fingertips on.  The antler is not attached -- I will wait 'til last to adhere it.

Mosaic Mannequin

Added a bandolier and epaulettes today . . .

Having a problem with using MAC glue; nothing will stick.  Tomorrow I will switch to GE Silicone 2, and if that doesn't work, then I will try thinset as the adhesive.  

Mosaic Mannequin

This torso will be a mosaic Artemis/Diana the Huntress-type.  She will sit on a marble pedestal.  That's a found shed antler which I will paint a metallic color.  Did you know you can sand antlers?

Mr. Jackrabbit is back and he brought his wife.  Aren't they beautiful?

Jackrabbit

Look who visited our front yard tonight!  Surprised my camera was able to capture the image.  Check out those EARS!

Metallic Acrylic/Silk/Denim 16x20 Paintings

I just finished these two 16"x20" paintings today.  Metallic acrylic and silk and denim threads on stretched canvas.  I prefer mosaic but I have a plan for these, so . . .

More about these later.  

Out of This World - Framed

Aaron Brothers on Brodie Lane in Austin did a wonderful job framing these.  I'm so pleased.  Thank you, Justin at Aaron Brothers!

18" x 24" Mars Outer Space Mosaic

18" x 24" Black Hole Space Mosaic

 24" x 48" Cow Jumped Over the Moon
Stained Glass Mosaic

Installed side by side they are 7 feet wide.  

Dave Mason (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, founder of the rock band Traffic)
outside South Austin Music store, 2013

Framing the Space Mosaics

We took the "Out of this World" triptych to Michaels last week to be custom framed.  They quoted $440 for the center one and $140 each for the two smaller ones.  We then took them to Aaron Bros. and they quoted $128 for the center one and $79 each for the two smaller ones (based on the same frame, a simple chrome frame about an inch wide).  The center piece is 4 ft. wide and the side pieces are each 18" wide, and all three are 2 ft. high.  I will post pictures when we get them back from Aaron Bros.  

Neither place could frame my round Space mosaic, so we wandered the aisles of Lowes, checking out the electrical, plumbing, and hardware supplies.  I am pleased with what we found; Tubular Vinyl Gasket and it's for weather-proofing windows.  The mosaic is on a thin piece of plywood.  I painted the gasket material with a mix of 2/3 silver metallic and 1/3 bronze metallic acrylic paint (Delta Ceramcoat).  I nailed the gasket around the sides of the wooden base, using tiny silver toned wire nails.  The paint adheres well and doesn't chip off easily, and the gasket remains flexible.  $2.00 for the gasket and $1.39 for the nails.   

Saying goodbye to my Transportation birdhouse; it's going to Dave's house.  On the front, a metal ship's wheel, a purple metal airplane, and a metal Harley motorcycle (I think it was a belt buckle) (the handlebars protrude to serve as the perch).

The back features a little silver choo-choo train, items like you might see in a diner on the road, and a design that makes me think of a racing flag . . .

 This side has a metal Mobil gas sign and a metal classic car that was a brooch.

and this side has a bicycle following the yellow brick road.  

My Generation (Talking 'bout) WIP

Rain!

Rain, Rain, Rain,
Rain, Rain!

. . . the most significant rainfall we've had in four months!

Peace!

"Feed the babies 
Who don't have enough to eat 
Shoe the children 
With no shoes on their feet 
House the people 
Livin' in the street 
Oh, oh, there's a solution"

-- Steve Miller Band 

Quilt

Here's a beautiful quilt for Cassie's Grandma to look at:

Pablo Picasso

“Every act of creation is first an act of destruction,” said Pablo Picasso.   Doesn't that apply to the world of mosaic art!  Sand is melted, other ingredients are added, and sheets of stained glass are formed, then broken into bits by the artist.  Glass is melted and dripped to form glass globs.  Plates are broken.  Tiles are smashed.  Necklaces and bracelets are ripped apart; pins are clipped off the backs of brooches.  So, rip! clip! nip! smash! destroy! and put it all back together in a different way and create a whole new thing!  Going to go nip now.  Have a wonderful holiday.  

3-part harmony

Hip to be Square Mirrors

Hip to be Square - WIP (Mirror)

The blue is painter's tape - underneath is a mirror.  The tape and the paper is to protect the mirror from scratches when I grout.  I plan to grout this black -- my favorite for the look of it and my least favorite to work with!  Stains my nails no matter what I do to avoid it.  Just bought new gloves this week; will double them up and see what happens.  

Hip to be Square

I am loving the look (and the challenge).  Fitting so many different sizes of squares together isn't easy.  

Second Dragonfly Done

facing the light

with light behind it

About these GOG mosaics, it's difficult to choose which view is best.  In a window, the translucent stained glass is beautiful, but you lose some details.  For example, the dragonfly body is a long jewelry piece of emeralds.  With the light coming from in front, you can see it, but with the light behind it, you can't.  So it's a tradeoff.

I'm working on a new mirror called It's Hip to Be Square (inspired by one of my favorite energetic entertainers, Huey Lewis and the News).  It's square with a nice wide frame and the mosaic will be a collection of 12 years of square jewelry, mostly earrings, supplemented by mini and 3/4" tiles.  All color mix, only theme is Square.  I've been hoarding squares for all these years and I'm letting go of them all at once.  Next to go, my hoard of shells.  I've a beautiful mahogany cigar box, covered in shells, with an antique rectangle tile featuring a shell as a focal point.  

Fish Mosaic done

5.5 inches x 2 feet, stained glass on Plexiglass

Closeup

Mosaic fish and Hubpages

My fish panel is coming along well.  I have other demands on my time, and Thanksgiving, with all that cooking, is coming up rapidly, and we have another Open House scheduled for Dec. 1.  The fish panel will feature 3 trigger fish and underwater plants and it's all translucent.  After I finish that, next up is a mosaic pique assiette pitcher (my last one sold).

I checked my profile on Hubpages just now, and my Hubpage score is 100.  This is a first, and I was pleasantly surprised.  The score fluctuates so it may drop in the next ten minutes, but right now, this minute, it's a 100 and I am proud of it.  Most of my articles are how-to mosaic articles, and I mix in some cooking tips and little stories about my life (plants, pets, dreams, etc.).   Here's the link:

Silva's Hubpage articles

Almost done . . .

This dragonfly is going so well, I will finish this morning.  I love it.  During the night I thought of the next mosaic I'm going to do on Plexiglass - a school of fish, all blue and green.  

Open House was a success

So much so that we will repeat it on December 1.  The dragonfly panel is sold and I am working on a similar one.  This new one will have bumpy clear stained glass wings and "emerald and diamond" body in a similar setting of leaves and branches.  

Open House Friday November 2

Grouting marathon this morning.  In two hours, I grouted the dragonfly panel, a complicated watering can, two picture frames, a large flower pot, and the roof of a new bird house.  Whew.  It goes fast when 1) you grout it all the same color, and 2) you grout outside.  The weather is beautiful here today, and I set up on the back porch and used water from the garden hose.

The bird house will have a beautiful pale pink-mauve porcelain rose attached to serve as a perch (and so the bottom hole you now see in the photo will be covered).  I will do it this way because I don't want to take a chance on damaging it when I grout the body of the bird house.  After grouting, I will glue the rose, wait a day, and then mix up a little grout and blend around the base of it.  

Stained glass dragonfly on Plexiglass WIP

Ready to grout. 3 feet x 5 inches - - -

Current project is almost done.  A vertical panel of plexiglass, perhaps 5 inches across and three feet tall, with a dichroic dragonfly near the center and stained glass foliage and stems in varying shades of green and brown.  The dragonfly body is gold foil fused glass beads nipped in half so they lay flat.  I haven't drilled holes yet for the hanging mechanism -- need to remember to do that before I mosaic over the spots.  This will be hung on a wall, or it may look great in a window; will have to wait and see.  I've used MAC glue ($19.00 for an 8 oz. bottle!) so the glass will look good from the back but we'll see if there's the dreaded "grout creep."  I made a thin line of glue all the way around each piece, hoping to avoid that.   

Second Brooch Bridal Bouquet done

Just finished today.  Covered the stems with a vintage ivory linen with cutwork trim.  This is for sale on Etsy.  Would love to start another one but I've used up all the brooches in our stash.  Time for another road trip!

I finished the mosaic work on a watering can last week; it's ready to be grouted.  Today our granddaughters were on holiday from school.  We all drove to Marble Falls for lunch. We ate at the Noon Spoon on Broadway and it was delicious.  The food was fresh and tasty and the service was excellent.  Then we checked out two thrift shops and a nice consignment shop, searching for vintage brooches, but no luck. Next we will try Llano thrift shops, and of course, I will continue to check eBay and etsy.

Crab Nebula - Round Outer Space Mosaic

Here's one more picture, latest mosaic hung over fireplace, renamed Crab Nebula.  

I can't believe it!

It's RAINING!  Happy dance ..... 

Space Round

Stained glass, dichroic glass, crystals, pearls, rhinestones, vintage jewelry, 2 feet in diameter, wall hanging on wood, click on image for a larger view . . . 

Vintage Brooch Bridal Bouquet -- Done!

Finished this today and I am THRILLED with it.  It's for Allie who is getting married in October.  This bouquet is made of keepsake jewelry from family and friends and will last forever.  Click on the first picture to see larger versions.

Round outer space mosaic is ready to be grouted --

I'm probably procrastinating because I will be using BLACK grout and I hate working with it!  (but love the results.)

So the space mosaic languishes, propped against a wall, while I work on a new project, a birdhouse, which I haven't done in ages.  My daughter went to Telluride, Colorado, and bought me a porcelain rose in an antique shop which she meant to be used as a perch for a new birdhouse, so that's what I working on right now.  Hopefully I will get up the initiative to bring out the black grout and finish the space mosaic this week.

Meanwhile, I am distracting myself with thoughts of beginning a new endeavor, alcohol ink on glass ... 

Round Space mosaic progress, and Rain!

The new project is going smoothly and is more than half finished.  And we got Rain yesterday, lots of beautiful, cold, gushing, excessive, blowing in the wind Rain.  It was heavenly.  The gutters couldn't handle it and the back yard was a lake.  In July - in Texas - how wonderful!

I returned yesterday from a week in Acworth, Georgia near Atlanta, with fresh resolution to dive into mosaics.  I had no idea that Georgia was such a beautiful, magnificent area.  We explored the Chattahoochie National Forest from the northeast to the northwest.  Took  a side trip into Mentone, Alabama and was so impressed with the spirit of the people there.  My week in Georgia was excellent, the people were friendly everywhere, in restaurants and on the highways.  The day before my return flight, I mailed a USPS flat rate box to myself with some plates to break and some interesting purple glass I found at a yard sale.

One tiny incident marred my otherwise fun-filled week.  I needed a ride to the airport yesterday morning and it was a long way through heavy freeway traffic right through the heart of Atlanta.  I called Gold Star Taxi and scheduled a 7 a.m. pickup.  They did not come and I called them several  times; each time they said the taxi was on the way, put me on hold, and never came back to the phone.

I finally took one of my host's cars and left at 8:05 a.m. to try and make a 10:00 a.m. flight, not knowing exactly how to get there.  By blind luck, I found the right freeway, made it to the airport, maneuvered through Park-n-Ride, check in, Security, the transit system, etc., ran all the way to Gate 36, and actually got on the flight.  Now my host must drive there and pick up the car.

Gold Star Taxi advertises fast, reliable, courteous service including airport shuttle service.  I just don't get it.

Delta Airlines was great; both flights were smooth and on time.  I called a Delta representative from my cell phone while on the freeway and in a quavering voice I told her I couldn't make the flight.  She was so kind and calming, and said, just try to make it and if you can't, we will get you on the next available flight.  I still don't understand how I made it; there simply wasn't time, since the house is almost 50 miles from the airport.  Yet somehow, I did, no thanks to Gold Star Taxi!

Now, back to mosaics.  I have started a large, round Outer Space mosaic featuring a spiral galaxy.  The galaxy will be made of dichroic glass and the surrounding space will be predominately black stained glass with a mix of other colors and vintage costume jewelry.  Exciting.  

And today! a fox in the backyard ... climbed over a 6-ft. fence, desperate for water ...

I couldn't get a picture but a beautiful fox was running around INSIDE the back yard heading for the birdbath when our little barky dog started barking hysterically and the fox climbed the 6-ft. fence and took off.  This is a first.  Poor animals; I put water out for them every day front and back.  The deer keep the bowl in the front empty.  I was just saying earlier that I need to get a trough.  Praying for Rain! 

Roadrunner at our bird bath - 109 degrees F today

Roadrunners don't visit our backyard; they tend to be loners; we see them occasionally in the front yard trolling for grasshoppers.  But when it's 109 degrees in the shade, they come in for water just like the cardinals and white-winged doves and blue jays.  It's been so hot this week I put out iced water for the birds twice a day.

Rain is a distant memory.  A couple of days ago, in the early morning, I dreamed that it was raining.  I lay there for what seemed like an hour, listening to the rain beat down upon the metal roof.  I was soooo reluctant to get out of bed, because I knew it wasn't really raining.  My latest project, a round depiction of Outer Space, languishes on the back porch, because I need to nip lots and lots of glass and I don't want to do it in the house and it's just too darn hot out there!

Mixed Media Exotic Wood Bark from Galveston Beach

Mounted on 10.5" x 10.5" wood with wire hanger

Back from the beach

Just got in this afternoon from a week in Galveston -- the weather was nice and hot, the traffic was plentiful, parking was scarce, and the prices for admission and food seemed to have doubled in the last two years.

The dolphin boat tour was reasonable and fun.  We were lucky to see lots of dolphins.

We ate lunch yesterday at The Original Mexican Cafe on the corner of Market St. and Christopher Columbus Blvd. and it was excellent.  It opened in 1916 in a building constructed in the 1880s.

The granddaughters are still in Galveston with their mom and won't be back 'til Sunday.  We came back through Houston and it was a driving nightmare for two reasons: horrible, misleading, confusing freeway design, and lots of mean, aggressive drivers.

I found some weird and wonderful exotic wood bark washed up on the beach and will be making some kind of funky mixed media art with it.

Granddaughters asleep on futon with Daisy the guard dog

Granddaughters on beach in Galveston