Breathing Life into Inanimate Objects

I must say I love doing it!

My studio has been a bustling place to be these last couple of days. I taught a friend how to make a mosaic (she is, for the record, totally besotted and has already scoped out her studio in her garage!!! Yay) and then a little 4 year old came over (one of my daughter’s womb buddies) and made a stepping stone. She rocked that mosaic!!! We were done in an hour and she was asking me what we could do next My kinda gal!

I finished, 100%, my commission-du-jour, Sir Elton. He’s not only grouted, but signed, sealed and on his way to be delivered. It’s rather exciting and then not so… The departure is all too sudden. I know, daft really. After all they are just inanimate objects. Why should I get so attached?! I never feel like I do until I have to say goodbye. So Sir Elton is packed in a box, surrounded by a some kind of foam, that was liquid so it could dry into his shape and mould him all the way to Seoul, Korea. He’s the one on the right

Called on the paparazzi for these pictures (by my sister Lee Grant). After all who knows when we’ll get Liberace and Sir Elton together again?! I have plans for perhaps extending the series even further Why not?! I might as well now and from this day forth be known as “The Chicken Lady”. {teehee…} I’m very pleased how he turned out. Let’s all hope that he makes it over in one piece…

Next on my hit list is the next commission – a big fish, another 3D sculpture. I’m excited about this one. Stuck a few tiles on him today and he’s come alive already. It’s exciting to watch. His tail is broken so I’m going to have to make and attach a new section on. I’m thinking mesh + thinset + *maybe* (if it’s necessary) some polystyrene… A bit of Darjit would be useful! Still need to follow up on that workshop. It’d be fun to do. There was talk about a workshop being held down my way… I have considered organising a one here, maybe even at the Art School at Uni. I think there’d be plenty of people interested. Just another thing to do really and fairly low on my list of priorities, I might add. Almost did one while I was over in San Francisco, as there was a course right after the mural workshop I participated in at IMA. Oh if I didn’t have a life and all I had to do was travel, make mosaics and meet lotsa cool, talented artists! Hmmm… actually now that I see it in writing, it’s what I do, just part time! That makes me feel better, I think… I think I just implied to myself that I have no life. Hmmm, time to get some sleep I think.

So on that note: Voila! Here is one of my WIPs (I’m actually working on 4 different projects right now, that’s a little psychotic is it not?!). I think he’s going to be loads of fun!

Niki de Saint Phalle at the Negresco

On to France!

When I arrived in France I really thought I would see more mosaic than I did. Of course what I did see was fantastic! This one caught my eye while driving in to Nice, down the south of France. We did a U-ee (U turn) and stopped in to take a look.

The Negresco is the “It” hotel in this region. Everyone (apparently) who is anyone has stayed at this hotel and they command some fairly hefty prices on some of their rooms. What caught my eye was this mosaic sculpture by Niki de Saint Phalle right out the front. Of course Niki is just amazing, that goes without saying. This one is a mosaic sculpture of Miles Davis. Unfortunately it is not made accessible to the public, in that it has been gated off, so hands off and no close looks… However, you can get up close enough to see some detail. It’s wonderful!

Gangnam Kyobo Tower

Outside the famed Gangnam Kyobo Tower is a public art installation of mosaic spires. In Seoul there is a law that states that every highrise building has to be accompanied by a sculpture. It’s a wonderful law. I think every city should adopt it! Public art abounds in Seoul and it really makes such a difference walking through it.

The building is home to, among other businesses, the Kyobo Bookstore.  It’s huge and so fun (I love bookshops. I could, and do, spend hours in them…). The building was designed by Mario Botta, an Italian architect who is world renowned. He also did the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco among many others… It’s a nice building actually, I quite like it.

Anyway, what I found so wonderful is out the front the mandatory artwork is a mosaic installation made by Yoo Keun-Sang called “Corea Fantasia”. I think it’s fantastic! Would love to have something like this in my garden. It’s made from ceramic, stained glass and smalti and is not grouted. The pieces have been pushed into the cement-based adhesive. Really inspiring work! I love the gradation of colour from cool to neutral to hot.