Sea Turtle 2.0

This is the first mosaic in my new 2.0 technique. If you've looked at my previous pieces, they all have a wooden frame around them.  For this piece I decided to use a flat frame and wrap the mosaic tile around the outside.  I like the way this turned out and I will certainly be doing some more pieces using this technique.

I decided to recycle a previously used design for a sea turtle.  Sea Turtle 1.0 as I will now call him lives in Richmond, VA.

Sea Turtle Sketch

Next I prepared a frame and transferred my sketch.

Frame with Sketch

Then I started cutting and gluing.  I used some fancier mosaic tiles for this piece that have metal mixed in with the glass.

Cutting and Gluing

Here is the piece after I finished the cutting and gluing.

Cutting and Gluing Complete

And here is the final piece after I did the grouting.

Sea Turtle 2.0 Final

Here is a photo taken from the side. I like the way the piece hangs snugly against the wall yet has a little bit a depth.

Sea Turtle 2.0 from Side

And here is a smaller version of Sea Turtle 2.0.

Disney Mosaics

I just returned from a family vacation in Disney World. I was amazed at how many cool mosaic piece could be found around the world. Here are a few that caught my eye.

Mosaic of Beauty and the Beast at Be Our Guest.

Inside the castle's archway, a series of five mosaic murals tells the story of Cinderella. Designed by Imagineer Dorothea Redmond and crafted and set in place by a team of six artists led by mosaicist Hanns-Joachim Scharff, the 15-by-10-foot (4.6 by 3.0 m) ornate panels are shaped in a Gothic arch. The murals took 22 months to complete and contain just over 300,000 pieces of Italian glass and rough smalti (glass made specifically for mosaics traditionally used by Italian craftsmen) in more than 500 colors. Many of the hand-cut tiles are fused with sterling silver and 14-karat (58 percent) gold, and some are as small as the head of a tack. Looking closely at these ornate murals, one will notice that each of Cinderella's wicked stepsisters appears with a little added color - one sister's face is clearly "red with anger", while the other is a little "green with envy" as they watch Cinderella try on the glass slipper

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.

Wrapping Up 2014

2014 is almost over.  I think these will be the last three mosaics that I finish this year unless I get really ambitious.  Thanks to everyone who supported my art this year.

I had a lot of fun making mosaics this year.

I started the year with a fish.

Then I did an Iguana.

Then I did two frogs and two beaches.

Then I did two butterflies.

Then I did two moon trees.

Then I did an artsy thing called Mary's Baubles.

Then I did a sail boat.

In October I donated a few pieces for a Church fundraiser.

Then I did a sign for myself.

And finally, I finished off the year with another sailboat, another moon tree and a rose.

By my count, that makes 16 mosaics this year.  Or 1.3 mosaics per month.

My goal for 2015 is to increase my production to about 2 mosaics per month.  Just enough to keep me busy without making me too crazy.  :)

If I don't see you in the next few days, have a happy New Year!

Guerrilla Artist Fills Chicago Potholes With Flower Mosaics

So usually, I use this website to tell you about the mosaic projects that I am working on.  I saw this project though and had to share.

It seems that the artistic community has reached a consensus – potholes suck. By creating colorful tiled mosaics in the potholes riddling the streets of Chicago, Jim Bachor has become the latest artist to offer his take on this public nuisance.

Thanks to his efforts, some of Chicago’s potholes are now filled with pretty flowers or sardonic labels. On his website, Bachor keeps a list of addresses and photos of his guerrilla “street” art pieces, so if you’re in Chicago, you can try to find some of them! There’s no guaranteeing they’re still there, however.

What have you done for me lately?

A few folks have asked what I have been working on.  First, let me say thanks for asking. I really do enjoy that folks are interested in my art.

I donated a few pieces to a fund raiser at Messiah Lutheran Church in Madison, Alabama.  Messiah holds a fund raiser every year called the Handmade Market. This event is used to raise money for the Lunches for Learning Charity. Lunches for Learning provides a lunch every day for elementary school students in Honduras. Before the Lunches for Learning program, children would drop out of elementary school to look for/beg for food.  That sucks.  Lunches for Learning keeps the kids in school by providing a meal.  And kids in Honduras who graduate from the sixth grade are much less likely to live in poverty.  I like the idea of giving kids a meal and a better chance at a successful life at the same time.  $15 bucks feeds a kid for a month.  I figure that the pieces I donated will keep a few kids fed for the entire year.

Jack Mast Mosaics at Handmade Market

I have also been working on my frame stock.  This weekend I cut down 64 feet of lumber into frame pieces and began gluing them together.  Check out the full process to prepare a frame here.

Jack cutting Frame Sections

Mosaic Frame Sections

Frames being glued

I have also been working on a few duplicates of previous mosaics.  Never fear, I have a few new pieces planned in the near future.

Gluing some mosaics in the studio