history of mosaics presentation

Yesterday, I gave a "History of Mosaics" powerpoint presentation at the Minnetonka Center for the Arts. Oh, it was fun! Thanks to all of you who attended. I'll be teaching a "Mosaic Smalti" class there this winter and the presentation was to kindle excitement for the class. I'm excited!

done!!!

The backsplash for Concero is in!

WIP - continued

WIP - hydrengea backsplash for Concero

I'm very excited about this piece. It's a backsplash that will be installed in a kitchen vignette in a new, upscale home remodeling store called Concero. I'm using a technique that I learned at the last SAMA (Society of America Mosaic Artists) conference. Very fun!

approaching mosaics in a new way

Usually, I figure out my mosaic and then make it. This piece took me on a journey. Without knowing exactly where I was going when I started, I listened to what the piece had to say and followed. It was an exhilarating way to work. The title for this piece is: Getting to the Heart of the Matter.

now on shelves

The book has arrived and can be purchaed at Barnes and Noble. I feel so lucky that I'm one of the featured artists.

Edina Art Center

I just found out that "The Tree of Inner Solitude" was accepted in the juried show at the Edina Art Center. I'm very excited!

ciranda is installed!

The Ciranda mosaic is finally installed. There was a slight delay with the city of Hudson, WI, but all turned out for the best. The mosaic stone sits in the front garden of Ciranda - an importer of organic ingrediants.

this week's Ciranda progess

Inch by inch, I'm getting closer to the finish line.

Thanks to an amazing stone artist, I have a flat surface to install the Ciranda mosaic on. Check out Peter's website and oogle over his beautiful work: www.balamstudios.com

1st student in the new studio

I had a wonderful time teaching Janeen how to mosaic. We created a glass on glass mosaic garden stand. Didn't she do a fabulous job!?! I'm looking forward to more classes in the studio.

ciranda - work in progress

Ciranda is a Brazilian circle dance. I believe it is a quick, lively one. This mosaic, however, is taking me on a slow and very intentional dance across the floor (if a mosaic is capable of doing that) - quietly, methodically moving me around. Ciranda is also the name of the company that I'm doing the mosaic for. They are importers of organic ingrediants.

giving thanks!

Starting out my day, being very grateful for all the support I receive from the amazing art/mosaic community. It makes me twill with glee to be a part of this group. Thanks everyone!

Big thanks to Kim at WitsEnd Mosaics for all of her endless sharing of priceless information. She goes way beyond in helping and figuring out solutions. In addition, a big thanks to her for featuring me in her Artist of the Month.
You can find Kim's full-service, on-line store at: www.witsendmosacis.com

Big thanks to Stacy Alexander for being such a strong advocate for the arts community. She monthly features artists in her blog as a way of giving back to the community. Kudos to you and thanks for this months feature.
Stacy's blog is: www.stacyalexander.blogspot.com and her website is: www.stacyalexanderstudios.com

tesserae: the art of mosaic

I'm so excited! Two of my pieces, The Tree of Inner Solitude and Kissed by the Tree of Weeping Love, were accepted into the juried show: Tesserae: The Art of Mosaic. They will be at the 2nd City Council Gallery in Long Beach, CA from June 27 - August 5.

ciranda rock mosaic

New project for Ciranda, an importer of organic ingredients. The rock is in the front corner of their property and will be incorporated into a garden. It will be a garden element as well as the company sign. Another great client!

birdbath update

The finished birdbath, in it's new garden home. All the tile work was done by 4th, 5th and 6th graders. I loved working with them. They were so excited to learn how to work with glass, use the tools and to be a part of this group project.

art-a-whirl

Art-A-Whirl is coming up. May 15, 16 and 17!

Art-A-Whirl is part of NEMAA (Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association) and 1000's of artists will be opening their studios. Come on by and say hi. I'll be in my studio in the California Building #309, 2205 California Street. NE.

Also, the Minnesota Mosaic Guild will be showing at The Thorpe Building, 1618 Central Ave NE.

Hours:
May 15 from 5 - 10
May 16 from 12 - 8
May 17 from 12 - 5

Hope to see you there!

art-in-bloom silent auction

This piece will be in the Art-In-Bloom silent auction at the Minneapolis Art Institute on April 29. Wish it good luck!

birdbath, continues

Next step - we're covering the forms in cement.

birdbath

Lucinda Anderson and I are creating a birdbath for the Lake Country School auction. When the form is ready, the 4th, 5th and 6th graders will mosaic it. We started with metal lath and then covered it in plaster.

firedog shower is installed!

back to the shower

Panel #3 is done. Moving onto the fourth and final panel.

kissed by the tree of weeping love

This piece will be in the Minnesota Mosaic Guild group show at the Red Wing Arts Association. The show will run from April 3 - May 11.

the tree of inner solitude

This piece is part of a WARM group show at the Minneapolis Foundation. The show will run for two months with a reception on April 29. I'll post more details.

Panel 2 is done and I'm ready to start Panel 3
Panel 1 is cut and ready to go.
I'm cutting panel 1 into puzzle pieces - getting it ready to transport.

the shower panels continue....

Panel 2 is moving along.
Panel 1 is done and taped (face-mounted with clear tape for installation).

Firedog Shower

After a short delay (waiting for tile to arrive), the first shower wall is well underway!

Moving Day for Shin - The Eternal in All

Today is moving day for Shin. Her new home is the corporate office of LDI in Minneapolis.

Here I go! I'm using 1/2" square glass tile by Trend

Now that the exact wall dimensions are set, the next step is to create a line drawing which becomes the pattern for the mosaics.

Here's the design, enlarged and taped to the shower walls. I used this to determine the exact wall dimensions. The wall sizes are 3' x 8', 5' x 8' and 3' x 8'

Firedog Shower

I'm just starting on a new project. This is the design for 3 walls in a shower. Stay tuned for updates on the process.