Fruit and Wine

One of the cool things about art is trying new and different things and getting outside of your comfort zone.  I'm now working with a client who is doing a remodel of her dining room.  She wants a new paint color and a custom mosaic as the centerpiece. That is where I come in. I'm the mosaic guy.

I asked my client what she had in mind for the mosaic.  She said that since the dining room is an eating place, she wants to have something with fruit and wine. To prepare for our first meeting, I printed out some reference drawings off of the internet of fruit and wine.  I then visited her home to get a feel for the space and to take some measurements.  With the permission of my client, I used some painters tape to outline my work area.  It is a pretty big area.  The mosaic will be 65 inches by 36 inches.  That is 2340 square inches for anyone trying to do the math.

Next I showed the client the reference drawings, just to get any idea of what she liked.  Out of the 20 paintings, she pointed at one called The Wine Cellar by Janet Kruskamp and said, "That is the one." I was ready to start sketching ideas and asked what elements she liked in the painting.  She said, "the whole thing."  Now I was perplexed.  I've never just mosaic'd someone else's art before.  But the customer is always right as they say.

After cutting the lumber, I then copied the drawing onto the frame.

And then I painted the frame to match the trim color that my client is using in her dining room.

Next I started selecting the tile colors to use.

And then I started cutting and gluing.  This is going to take a while, but they say that the longest journey begins with a single step.

Lot's of tile ready to be cut and glued.

Update March 24, 2015 - I just returned from a trip to Disney World with the family.  While there I was inspired by the many cool mosaics that I saw.  Now it is time to get back to my mosaic art.

The Artist Cutting and Gluing

Half Way Done

Update 10 Apr 2015 - I'm now 60% complete on the cutting and gluing.  I've completed approximately 10 square feet on cutting and gluing in 1 month including the week I took off for vacation. So that's about 3 square feet per week.  Not bad.  I have about six square feet remaining, so if I keep up the same pace, I should be done in about 2 weeks.

More Progress (10 Apr 2015)

Update 26 Apr 2015 - The project is complete and installed.

Final installation with Artist

Wine Cellar Final

Who

Happy New Year Ya'll.  I decided that the best way to start the new year is with a new mosaic design. This one is call "Who".  And I apologize to any Dr.Who fans to Googled "Who" and showed up here under false pretenses.  The website you were probably looking for is here, http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006q2x0.

As always, I started with a sketch.

Who Sketch

Then I added a little color with colored pencils.

Who Sketch with Color

Next I transferred the drawing to my already prepared frame and I began selecting tile colors.  I would like to say that there is a science to this process, but I usually just throw a bunch of colors on the frame to get something that works together.

For this piece, I decide to use the following colors:

Eyes - Night Black (C39) and Saffron (D43)
Outer Eyes - Fossil (A14)
Owl Body - Oak (A13)
Feet - Fossil (A14)
Moon - China White (A20)
Tree - Night Black (C39)
Sky - Pansy (PAN1)

Selecting Tile Colors

Next I began cutting and gluing.  I usually try to start with the hardest part first.  In the case of this piece, the owls eyes were definitely the hardest.

Gluing the Eyes

Next, I try to finish the remainder of my main subject matter.

Gluing the Owl

Then it is just a matter of finishing the background.

Gluing the background

And if one owl is good, then two owls must be better.

Who, Who

After all of the cutting and gluing is completed, it is then time to apply the grout.  For this piece, I am using a gray grout.

Grouting the Who

And at last, the piece is finished.  Please allow me to present "Who".

Who

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

• There are around 200 different owl species.
• Owls are active at night (nocturnal).
• A group of owls is called a parliament.
• Most owls hunt insects, small mammals and other birds.
• Some owl species hunt fish.
• Owls have powerful talons (claws) which help them catch and kill prey.
• Owls have large eyes and a flat face.
• Owls can turn their heads as much as 270 degrees.
• Owls are farsighted, meaning they can’t see things close to their eyes clearly.
• Owls are very quiet in flight compared to other birds of prey.
• The color of owl’s feathers helps them blend into their environment (camouflage).
• Barn owls can be recognized by their heart shaped face.