Mosaic Mirror Workshop in Canberra Australia

If you’re interested in learning how to create a mosaic mirror from scratch using predominantly glass tesserae (vitreous glass, stained glass, glass gems etc) then I will be running a workshop in November. Dates are Saturday 20 November (10:30 – 4:30pm) and Sunday 21 November (10:30 – 4pm).

You will learn how to cut out your final shape using a jigsaw and learn how to cut different kinds of glass and assemble the mosaic. The class is catered to creating a piece with an approximate dimension of 40cm square. Get creative, though, and think about making a mirror where the mirror itself is off centre, use strips of mirror instead of a block piece etc… Get funky and deviate from the normal square/rectangular mirror! There is no grouting in this class so if you have not grouted before I do recommend signing up to my Grout Clinic.

Cost is $185 + a $45 materials fee. Check my website for more details and if you want to sign up then email me!

Examples of Mosaic Mirrors follow.

By Sue Edkins of Mostly Mosaics in the UK.

by Carl and Sue Bryant of Showcase Mosaics.

Bubbles designed by Calligaris.

Queen of Hearts Mosaic Mirror by Erin Haworth.

Star Mirror 5 by Erin Haworth.

Fire in Bloom by Crystal Thomas.

 

Artist Watch: Pat McCumber

Surfing around Flickr yet again, ‘cos of course I have nothing better to do (!) I discovered Pat, aka P.S I LOVE GLASS. Don’t know where I’ve been hiding… Her work is gorgeous: very whimsical and very fun.

Pat’s been making mosaics for about three years, but has been “crafting” since a young child. She remembers one of her Aunts teaching her how to crochet and knit and whenever someone got married, they received an embroidered pillow case or hand towels for their kitchen. I love how traditions like this were passed down to each generation. It’s something that somewhere along the line got lost, and it’s truly a sad thing! Considering a particular “style” was carried through each family, a lot of tradition and skill has simply vanished. Think quilting, in particular. Anyway, I digress…

Pat loved doing crewel embroidery and had a lot of fun making macrame belts and hanging plant holders, some that she still has because she could never part with them! Then it was cross-stitch, quilting, decorative painting and even pastry chef! While residing in London, Pat took pastry classes at Cordon Bleu with the thought that someday she would open up a “tea shop”. A Jill of all trades

Now it’s mosaics and more recently stained glass. She loves working with glass (hence the Flickr name) and now works exclusively with this chosen material. She’s all about the colour and the texture in her mosaics and loves to add Van Gogh glass, glitter tiles and beads. Her process is to work as she goes – rarely with a “master plan” and is still in search of her “look”, her style. I love that… A true work in progress as an artist. She still finds inspiration from other artists and enjoys studying their art to figure out how it all “works” and comes together.

A year ago, Pat came across a new little gallery in the college town of Magnolia, Arkansas, called the Cosmopolitan Ladies Club & Gallery. The owners of the gallery agreed to display her work even going so far as buying her first mosaic guitar and contemplated presenting it to Sammy Kershaw at the Magnolia Blossom Festival… They didn’t, but for Pat it was a huge boost to her own outlook of her work.

Now retired and residing in NE Texas, USA, with her husband and two cats, Buddy and Ladybug, her life has been mostly with the US State Department. They spent a good 20+ years living overseas and have counted Malta, Iraq, Indonesia, Brazil, Finland, Liberia, and the UK as homes. Extensive travel has simply been a part of her life. She would still like to visit Morocco and Egypt (I’m with you!!!), but now believes she’s found her place on this planet – in a glass heap!

Time for her mosaic to do the talking…

Penny Posey – SOLD, originally uploaded by P.S. I LOVE GLASS

Green Goddess, originally uploaded by P.S. I LOVE GLASS
(I love the title of this piece and look at that fret board!!! It’s just fantastic…)

Kaly Kat, originally uploaded by P.S. I LOVE GLASS

Egyptian Cake Cover, originally uploaded by P.S. I LOVE GLASS

hope SPRINGS eternal, originally uploaded by P.S. I LOVE GLASS

Jeanie, where are you, originally uploaded by P.S. I LOVE GLASS

Finally, the Artiste in question; meet Pat…

Crossroads – the arrival

Slow day at work today… Catching up on emails and organising a trip to the US when I get an email from Susan saying the mosaic arrived at my house!!! (We made a trade, remember?!). Thinking to myself how hilarious that she would know this before me, the realisation that it was here, actually here started to dawn on me. I immediately left work. I only had an hour to go – the post office was going to close and it would take me a good 30 minutes to get home, pick up the postie’s card and drive to the post office to get it.

So off I went. Weaving in and out of traffic trying to go as fast as I could (I drive a Volvo station wagon!!!). Getting more and more excited… I finally arrived and picked up this ha-uge box. It only just fit into the back of my car. Quick, get the boys. Quick pick up Molly… Get home, where’s the scissors? Dang this thing has been packed well… Liam was snapping away the whole time (thanks sweet-art). Me behaving like a manic.

It’s here. It’s gorgeous. I love it. Thank you Susan… It’s just perfect. Molly was mesmerised, the boys were impressed. Now I need to do it justice and find the right spot to hang it in.

Pictures say a thousand words (that I don’t have)

Crossroads, originally uploaded by sucra88

Sacred Compass

Well I got to finishing the table/wall hanging (?). I prefer it as a wall hanging I think. Went with a chocolate grout and I think it turned out pretty well. Sometimes it’s nice to just not be stressed about getting something “perfect” – what is that anyway!!!? So I feel like it’s a good mosaic-start to the year! I ended up going with a dark brown background, originally was going to do a light brown. I wasn’t sure once I finished it, but now that it’s been a few days I’m happy with the choice. Am not 100% with the name. Titles for my pieces used to come sooo easily. Now I seem to not be able to listen as intently. Anyway, I looked at this and saw “directions”, a compass… Somewhat metaphoric perhaps to where I am in Life right now.

I’m finding it increasingly more difficult to photograph my mosaic… I know everyone says don’t use a flash and just use natural light. This one is in natural light, no flash. But on most of my other pieces I’ve always used a flash and actually think I get truer colours with the flash… Otherwise it tends to look very flat and blah… It’d be nice to have the bright studio lights all set up. I should really pester my sister who is a photographer to get her to take photos for me…

Artist Watch: Susan Walden

To add to the Artist Watch Series, meet Susan Walden aka BamaSusanna on Flickr.

Susan lives in North Carolina, USA and has been making mosaics for around 15 years. I also met Susan through Flickr. It’s become a huge playing field for mosaicists aswell as other artists and of course photographers and it’s been alot of fun getting to know artists from around the World. I found Susan thanks to Donna over at her blog Make Mine Mosaics. Donna blogged Susan’s birdbath. I immediately responded to her work – it’s amazing!

Susan started in mosaics as a result of having so many scraps from making stained glass, a craft she taught herself from reading library books. Inspired from seeing mosaic stepping stones and learning the basics of mosaics from information found on the web, Susan decided to give mosaic a go. To begin with all she made were stepping stones and must have made a hundred of them! Working in a custom framing store, she sold quite a few through the shop. Susan made nothing but stepping stones until about a year ago when she discovered a wonderful stained glass and mosaics forum on the internet. The forum was full of friendly artists who were very encouraging and it was from there that she was introduced to other mosaic artists’ websites. She browsed a lot of different styles and counts Irina Charny and Laurel Skye amongst her favourite artists (don’t we all!!!?) as she loves their use of colour.

The art that Susan’s newfound web buddies were turning out inspired her to try out different bases for her mosaic. The first 3D piece she made was a chimney. Covering the whole thing with scrap glass and finding a ceramic platter that worked for the top transformed it into a fantastic (and recycled) birdbath! After the positive feedback received from that piece, she was encouraged to go on and try other things.

Susan made another birdbath, this time using a concrete base. She cut glass squares for about a week before even starting and had no particular design in mind. She just picked up a piece of glass and got started, choosing colours as she went. It tuned out to be her favourite piece, and definitely one of mine aswell!

From then on, she hasn’t been afraid to try anything creating mirrors and other art pieces (watering can included!), all with encouragement from her friends. She is now a proud member of SAMA.

More recently she stumbled across a quote from the Great Maya Angelou:
“Not everything you do
is going to be
a masterpiece,

but you get out there
and you try
and sometimes
it really happens.

The other times
you’re just
stretching
your soul.”

So true!

I love Susan’s use of colour, which she credits to having worked as a custom framer for so many years. It’s so rich and always just works. The fact that she works as she goes also blows me away considering her wonderful designs… Again, I’ll let her work speak for itself:

Chimney Tile Bird Bath originally uploaded by BamaSusanna

Bird Bath Post originally uploaded by BamaSusanna

Mosaic Stepping Stone originally uploaded by BamaSusanna

Mosaic Mirror originally uploaded by BamaSusanna

scaredy originally uploaded by BamaSusanna

And finally a pic of the artiste in question:

The ‘Kiosque des Noctambules’

Designed by Jean-Michel Othoniel this entrance to the Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre (Royal Palace- Louvre Museum) métro station in Paris, France was realised in 2000 to mark the centenary of the Paris Metro.

From memory, it is situated in the Place Collette. You can’t miss it really! It is made up of 800 red, blue, amber and violet glass balls. Cool huh?! I know it’s really not mosaic related, but it uses glass (!) and it’s a groovy sculpture…

One of my current WIPs

The deadline for the Mosaic Symposium is coming up. I decided a little while ago that I wouldn’t put anything in because time is an issue currently. Well, the other day I changed my mind, probably because I really am a glutton for punishment. I just submitted some work to Art Sydney 07 and have decided to submit some work into the Mosaic Symposium being held in Tasmania this year. Unfortunately, I will miss it. Going OS – my first travels alone since having the kids. Very exciting, a little worrying too though…

Anyway, so after deciding that I will put something into the exhibition I got to thinking what?! I was going to put in Kashmir, but then I sold it. So I thought I’d do a babooshka. Something that’s been playing around in my head for some time now. I don’t know how I feel about her right now… She’s way to cutesy for my liking. But admittedly my pieces change sometimes considerably throughout the process, so I guess we’ll see. Just hope I can finish her before the 20th!!!

This is also my first “face”. I mentioned before that portraiture is not my strong point, never has been. I’ve found mosaic to be very forgiving, in that I can use patterns and shapes as opposed to having to be “artistic” if you know what I mean. Perhaps why I have found my medium!

Here I’ve drawn the outline of the shape.

Cutting out the shape with  the best birthday gift ever… that I gave to my husband (!) I really need to get that rated mask!

After sealing it, I start to mosaic.

See!? Too cutesy. I have to keep telling myself to be patient. I guess worse comes to worse, I just won’t enter it.