Sunday, July 31, 2016

Parrot

Today's mosaic is a parrot. He started as a sketch.


And then he received a little color.
And then he was moved to a frame. And then I started cutting and gluing glass tiles.


Once the parrot was complete, he let me know that he wanted a nice little tropical rain forest to live in.


As I was grouting this piece, a nice little rain storm rolled in. I used rain water to mix the grout and clean up my tools. I thought is appropriate that a rain forest animal should be made with actual rain.


Before long the parrot was complete.


And here is a photo from the side.


And here is a photo of Mr. Parrot in the Jack Mast Mosaics Studio.


Parrot Fun Facts (Source: http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/parrot.html)

  • There are around 372 different parrot species.
  • Most parrots live in tropical areas.
  • Parrots have curved bills (beaks), strong legs and clawed feet.
  • Parrots are often brightly coloured.
  • Parrots are believed to be one of the most intelligent bird species.
  • Some species are known for imitating human voices.
  • Most parrot species rely on seeds as food. Others may eat fruit, nectar, flowers or small insects.
  • Parrots such as the budgerigar (budgie) and cockatiel are popular as pets.
  • Some parrot species can live for over 80 years.
  • There are 21 different species of cockatoo.
  • Cockatoos usually have black, grey or white plumage (feathers).
  • New Zealand is home to some very unique parrots including the kea, kaka and kakapo.
  • Keas are large, intelligent parrots that live in alpine areas of New Zealand’s South Island. They are the world’s only alpine parrot and are known for their curious and sometimes cheeky behaviour near ski fields where they like to investigate bags, steal small items and damage cars.
  • Kakapos are critically endangered flightless parrots, as of 2010 only around 130 are known to exist. They are active at night (nocturnal) and feed on a range of seeds, fruit, plants and pollen. Kakapos are also the world’s heaviest parrot.
  • The flag of Dominica features the sisserou parrot.

Saturday, July 9, 2016

My Studio Space


Here is my new and improved work space. Take a quick look while it is clean, because it likely won't stay that way for long. Art is messy.

I painted the walls with Sherwin Williams "Sporty Blue" (SW6522).

I also added a grid 2' x 6' grid wall panel to display the projects that I am working on. I use these same grid wall panels at art shows floor tower configuration. This time I used a wall mount. These panels are really handy when you rotate a lot of stock in different sizes and shapes. They are very flexible. You can find them at multiple stores online including Amazon.