Day 117

December 21st, 2009

I have been wanting to get to blogging for a few days now so finally I'm making time to do this.

The class went well and the trivets turned out so nice that the ladies worked on. Here are some pictures of a few trivets. We found that the black grout worked the best. It is so fun to see the different designs. They are so full of color!

I have been trying to find time in between all the holiday "busy"ness to work on mosaics. I'm plugging away at my "Welcome" sign-it will be interesting how this will turn out-I'm ending up more detailed than I thought. I really like having a glass grinder to help with the curved shapes. I like the edges smooth. This will be on a wall entering my studio.

Quote of the day

"The unconscious mind writes poetry if it's left alone." from Duma Key, Steven King

Day 110

December, 14th 2009

I have been spending a lot of time on my mosaic class and it went very well. Most of the ladies made 6 x 6 trivets . One gal made a 12 x 12 mirror which I had ready for her on WEDI board. I had them adhere thier tesserae onto mesh then when it sat for a day I used thinset to adhere them to a 6 x 6 ceramic tile. On Wednesday they will grout them.

thought I would participate and make a trivet also-It's fun how quick the project is.

Quote of the day

"To be a powerful woman you don't have to be aggressive or forceful. Like a tree, you have to find your roots and then you can bend in the wind." -Angela Farmer

Day 105

December 8th, 2009

Today I started mosaicing my "welcome" sign. I'm using WEDI Board as a substrate-I was told to use thinset on the sides to make them strong and not dent-so I did that. I like to put borders around my pieces first to give me an edge to mosaic in. I like the rectangle ceramic pieces from Wits End. I'm going to be using mostly stained glass for this and some mirror for the letters.

I had some thinset leftover so I worked on my birdbath that has been neglected in my studio (I've had other things I have been working on) It was nice to get most of the base done. One tip I learned about was to put a dollop of Weldbond in the thinset to make it a little creamier to workwith also to keep stirring it so there you get more "open time".

I finally put the rest of the silver beads on my daughter's Fleur Di Lis piece and finished that.

I have been also busy getting ready to teach another class in my studio and have some gals have some studio time to work on mirror's or trivets.

Quote of the day

"Without a free, vigorous and creative mind, man is but an animal, and he will die like an animal, without any shred of a soul".

Day 97

Day 97 of my mosaic year!

December 1, 2009

Well I took some days of because of Thanksgiving and some other commitments.

So back at it!

I have been spending some time on organizing my studio a little more. I cut down some large sheets of stained glass and put them in containers to organize by color. I also hung my latest piece "classy blue" in a window.

I've had a roadblock with my installation piece "counter/bar" the plywood piece that I had all cut and painted may be too thick-so I'm still figuring out what thickness and how much tile I need and since I do not have the frame here I have to wait til Thursday when I am on site to figure that out.

Soo.....I started a project that I have been wanting to do-a Welcome sign for my studio. It took a few hours to come up with a design and colors that I like but I think what I came up will work out nice. I thought I'd have this project going since I can't work on the other one everyday.

Quote of the Day (I'm reading this book right now)

"When you begin to feel the Universal rythm in which everything on earth moves, you begin to understand life." -Lust for Life by Irving Stone

Song of the Day

Fantasy Impromto

-Chopin

Day 88

Sunday, November 22, 2009

This weekend I finished mosaicing/grouting my picture frame. I used a premade frame, used stained glass, ceramic tile, mirror, marbles and some metal charms. It took me 11 hours from start to finish-it was a fun little project to do. This will be a nice present for our art guild gift exchange.

I've also been working on sealing the plywood for my 1st attempt at an installation project. I've been sketching how I want the andemento to layout and still are deciding on what looks best-this may take awhile. I bought some tiles at Mosaic on a stick (Laurie is soooo helpful there) she showed me the best ways at cutting the tiles. It's nice to know these tips since I normally use stained glass in my projects.

Here's a pictures of the space for the installation (with the metal frame installed-waiting for the mosaic) and the plywood substrate. I used kilz to seal the top and painted the bottom black. It is 8'7" long and 23" at the deepest part. I'm thinking of using the direct method since I'll be working on site.

Quote of the day

"The soul speaks its truth only under quiet, inviting and trustworthy conditions."

-Let your life speak

Day 84

Wednesday , November 18th, 2009

Today I worked on my picture frame for a few hours-it has been fun to do a small project. I've decided to start marking down my time I work on each project. This was suggested at one of our mosaic guild meetings. It will definitely help when figuring out how much time it takes to do certain projects.

I also finally received the frame for a counter/bar mosaic I am doing-I had it custom made to fit in a window area. So....the fireplace is on the back burner as I start to plan out what design and tesserae to use for the counter. This will probably be the biggest challenge I have had. The counter is 8 feet 7 inches long and 23" deep at the widest part. I also need to make sure that the top is flat. Here are pictures of the metal frame and one of the designs I came up with so far.

Quote of the day

"Before I tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am." -Let your Life Speak

Song of the day

10,000 miles by Mary Chapin Carpenter (I like her style of storytelling)

Day 83

November 17th, 2009

Today I grouted my piece and used white grout. I decided with white since most of the background is white. I need to make sure next time that I put enough adhesive on the tesserae since I had a few pieces come of when I was grouting. I am starting to not hate grouting as much since I have become more experienced.

I also started on a small picture frame that will away in a gift exchange-hopefully it will not take that many hours. I would like to start on a big installations project. There is a fireplace that I have been wanting to mosaic-it is pretty plain and needs COLOR! So that is my next challenge.

Todays Quote

"One cannot find peace in work or in pleasure, in the world or in a convent, but only in one's soul." W. Somerset Maugham, The Painted Veil

Day 81!

Sunday November 15, 2009





Today I finally finished mosaicing my piece. I'll probably grout it tomorrow.
I like how the andemento turned out-I was not sure if it would be interesting enough by just using white in the background but I think there is enough interest with the different shades of white. The biggest challenge on this piece was getting it to be symmetrical-it ended up being a little off in the flower area - hopefully by grouting it won't make that area stand out even more.

My next project is a small one-I belong with the art guild in my area and we are getting together next month for a holiday party and we need to bring a piece of art to exchange. I was thinking of mosaicing an interesting picture frame in a monochromatic color theme. I don't think it will take long and may even be fun doing a small piece.

Quote of the day
"Because you do only get one life, and if someone can give you a tour of a road not taken, why would you not seize the chance." -Ann Marie MacDonald

Song of the day
"Regrets" by Mendelson (it's one that I've been practicing on the piano and has wonderful emotion to it)

Day 69

November 3rd 2009

Wow I can't believe I have not blogged in 11 days!

My class went very well. Everyone really enjoyed it and were a little overwhelmed with all the information-I am still that way! It was 2 Saturdays the 1st one I gave them a handout with all the information I typed up and called it ,"Mosaic Basics 101 class". Talked about Tools, Tesserae and Technique. They then started working on thier mosaic on glass, using a variety of tesserae.

The second saturday they grouted-I was so impressed that they all finished! They all looked great! One gal though was having issues with her pieces lifting while grouting-the pieces were very jagged on the bottom so we were thinking that the pieces just did not adhere properly-I sent her home with more stained glass and I'm sure it will turn out great after because she had such a nice design going.

I am still working on my piece-just started the background I am doing the ademento in Opus musivum style. I wanted to have this finished at the end of October-Oh well. I also have my daughters piece almost done, I ran out of metal beads that are going on all the diamond corners.

Just wanted to say good luck on the CMA's Competition 7 to all who participated!! It will be fun to read the comments.

Quote of the day

"Look at what you love to do. Look at what brings you joy. Look at what gives you peace. There is your calling, waiting for you to imbrace it."

Song of the day

"Gymnopedie No 1" it is a beautiful piano piece I have on my Ipod.

Day 58

Day 58

October 23rd, 2009

Well I have not been mosaicing a lot because I have been getting ready for my class that I am teaching! I made a 7 page handout formulating information of all the classes I have attended and my own trial and error. Yesterday I stopped in at j ring (a wonderful glass wholesaler in st paul) to pick up glass sheets and beads for the class-Most of them wanted jewel tones. Today I have been organizing and cleaning my studio to get ready. Here's a picture of my studio all ready-there will be 4 people total. I figure two people can work at the island and two at the table.

I am very excited to educate and inform other people on this wonderful (and addicting) art.

Quote of the day

"The best way to know God is to love many things."

-V. VanGogh

Song of the day (I was listening to my ipod)

Weiss-"Sonata #5 in G-Prelude (sm32)" played by David Russell on guitar

Day 55

Day 55 of mosaics

October 20th, 2009

Well my family and I had a fun mini vacation.

Now it is back to work! I have been busy gathering and typing information for my mosaic class this weekend. I've also been continuing working on my glass on glass piece. I like how it is coming together. I was just going to stick to a blue and white theme, but I had some greenish beads that I added so I continued with adding the blue-green color. I am not sure what the name of this piece is yet but I do like the elegance of it. I have really liked my tweezers with this project!

I also received my next groutline publication-I love reading the articles they always do such a nice job. I enjoyed reading the article on Randina Casenza's Mosaic diary-she is making a 12x12 mosaic a month for a year-so sort of what I am doing! Nice to hear what she has done!

I have been forgetting to put music on my blog that I have heard and has been important in my day. Music is so important to me that I need to continue with it. Art and music go hand and hand anyway they are such a great duo!

I was listening to MPR and I love lute music so my song of the day is:

"Pinetops" by Ron McFarlane it is off the Indigo Road CD

This was a song that he composed while doing warm up exercises on his lute-I thought isn't it wonderful to have those creative moments where we let go and let the natural creative force come through!

Quote of the day

"God speaks when I'm quiet enough to listen."

Day 50

Day 50

October, 15, 2009

I was able to get a little further on my piece. I finished adhering the border and added the metal charms to the corners-I like to add metal if I can to my pieces. I finished the swirls on the lower part of the "flower" this took a while to adhere all the tiny square beads-I took them off the string they came on since they had to bend for the swirl.

Last night I attended our Minnesota Mosaic Guild meeting-it is such a nice group, they are so resourceful and I always come away with new information! We had a discussion on marketing yourself , business cards, networking, and website/blog info.

The next few days I am taking off for doing sketching, computor work for my class and it is MEA for my daughters. I may add pictures here and there of sketeches or interesting things I come across, mosaic wise.

Quote of the day

"Fall down seven times, stand up eight".

-Japanese Proverb

day 47

Day 47 of my mosaic year

October 12, 2009

We woke up to a winter wonderland this morning! The snow was so pretty (even though it's quite early for snow). There certainly is a calmness to a nice gentle snowfall, it makes you feel cozy and protected.

Today I was in the kitchen most of the morning, we have a get together tonight that I had to make appetizers for. Soooo, I did not get as much time as I would like to mosaic. I did have a little time to start planning and adhering some things for the next project. I did find some interesting beads and metal tokens to add here and there. I like how it is coming along so far. I figured out the border and the corners. Things are not all glued yet but I like to place the tesserae out where I am thinking to see if I like the feel and look of it before adhering.

Quote of the day (It's from the Artist Spotlight on CMA, I just loved the interview)

"I think that creativity needs moments of suffering, that only the maceration of the seeds brings new life, that happy days are always the same from that you can not grow much. There's no tension,spasm; everything is easy, simple, normal. The spark of new needs thunderstorms and lighting to rip the darkness." -Giulio Menossi

Day 46

October 11th, 2009

I have been working on organizing my workspace. I put my small sketches in a sketchbook and wrote next to the sketches where it was inspired from and a picture of the inspiration. I also organized my idea file into different categories.

My Aunt would like me to do a mirror for her so I was working on some sketches for the border.

I also put my daughters project on hold. I found a pattern on paper that I really liked and thought it would make an interesting mosaic. I've been in the mood to do a glass on glass project again anyway. I bought a few frames at IKEA (thanks Sharra for your suggestion) and picked up a few large sheets of picture glass from Suzanne's Stained Glass in town. I scored the glass to fit in the frames and used silicone to adhere it within the frame. I think I am going to stick to a blue and white theme. It may go in our master bathroom.

I will be heading out soon to Michael's to pick up some more beads for this project.

I also have been putting info together for a class I am going to teach. Some gals in town would like to learn how to do mosaics. So it has been fun getting ready for that.

Quote of the day

"One day at a time-this is enough. Do not look back and greive over the past, for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet to come. Live in the present and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering." -Ida Scott Taylor

Day 42

October 7th

Day 42

Yesterday I did finish the 2nd 8 x 8. It still needs to be grouted and cleaned up with some cute adornments added after. It definitely looks "girlie". My daughter loves pink so she should appreciate this one!

Today I spent the morning sketching since I had one of those bad sleeping nights and could not turn off all my thoughts. Of course when this happens I lay in bed thinking of all the designs I would like to attempt. A few things I tried were some different layouts for a round mirror, and also a sketch for a glass on glass project.

Quote of the day

"This above all; to thine own self be true."

-Shakespeare

Day 42

Day 40 of my year of mosaics!

October 5th, 2009

Mondays are always good "workdays" for me since my daughters are in high school and they both have after school things going on til 4:30.

Sooo...today after my walk and normal routine I finally got out to the studio after not getting to work since last Thursday.

Today I continued working on my daughter's Fleur-di-lis piece. It is fun working with the pink colors since I have never worked with pink before. It is hard to find the right shade of pink though. I am using beads, mirror, stained glass and marbles. I can't wait to grout these pieces because I have some cute additions to adhere after they are grouted.

One of my favorite "tools" that I have been using on this piece is a toothpick! It really helps to move the little pieces around before they dry.

Quote of the day (It's a long one)

"This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do, and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be part of nature. Take the power to control your own life, no one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy." -S.P. Schultz

Day 35

Day 35


September 30th





Finally back at blogging again!


I have been working on my daughters mosaic for her room.


It will consist of 3 8x8's on Wedi board. The common design on each is the fleur-di-lis symbol because she just went to France for 3 weeks this summer and fell in love with France and anything to do with the country.





I'm pulling colors from her room and trying some background techniques that I have been wanting to try out. In the picture you can see the first one is almost done (I still need to grout and add some "bling" dots after grouting). The other two are in the works. The diamonds were a bit of a challenge. I had to make sure I had the right size to give it the balance. It was difficult to cut around the fleur di-lis symbol. I marked where I need to cut then used a glass cutter and running pliers along with wheeled nippers. I did get better as I progressed but it was very time consuming. All in all it turned out okay.
I am looking forward to working on the next 8 x 8!

Quote of the day
"Come forth into the light of things. Let nature be your teacher."

Day 29

Day 29

September 18,2009

I finally finished grouting my "Fleur Blanc".

I used 3 different colors of grout (white, light blue and black) and 10 different types of tesserae. It is always nice to finish a piece and I do like how it turned out. I was surprised at how much the color of the the light blue grout blended with the light blue. This really made the darker Cinca stand out when there really was not that much difference in color between them.

This piece is for a master bathroom that is painted in the same color green as the stems. The bedroom you see from the space is painted in the grey blue colors.

Today was an errand day. I went to j ring to purchase glass and beads for my next few projects. I somewhat started on my next one. I was cutting stained glass into diamond shapes and I am definetly learning from that experience!

Now it's off to my daughter's volleyball game!

Quote of the day

"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly" -R.F. Kennedy

Day 23

September 18

Yesterday and today I have spent organizing my art space more.

I cleaned up from past projects, moved my work space to a table so I can sit in a more comfortable chair and work. In that workspace I am going to try to work at an angle more so that it is not so hard on my neck. We'll see how this works.

Also I thought I would start on a small mosaic for my daughters room. I took a picture of the sketch and colors that I decided on. The blues may change. For the first time I tried out my Morten glass system to cut out diamond shapes. It worked really good for the white glass, but when I went to cut the blue glass it never cut straight. I think it was just the glass for some reason.

I thought I would also throw in a picture of my birdbath that I started last fall, for some reason I have not wanted to finish this. I'm not real thrilled with how the top looks. I might just work on it a few hours here and there just to get it completed.

Quote of the day

"Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life."

-Picasso

Day 20 of mosaics for a year

Day 20

September 15th, 2009

I have not been able to do much with mosaics. Life does happen and it's easy to get overwhelmed with it!

Yesterday was a grouting day and a frustrating one at that. I went to grout an old mosaic that needed two colors (which I have never done before) I was not quite sure how to attempt this. I taped off the areas I did not want white and grouted those. Then I realized that I didn't have the right blue grout for the center so I ran up to the store to see if they had the blue I wanted along with checking on grout colors to grout my next piece. I did find a blue that I liked but had to mix a little grey with it to tone it down. I did not find the right color to finish grouting "fleur blanc".

Here's how my piece turned out it's okay but I still have to clean around the shells.

I used quite a few different tesserae with it. Shells, mirror, Raku, pearls, stained glass, karma tile, vitreo and various glass tiles.

I found out how frustrating it is to grout with two colors. I know I do not want to do this too often, it takes a lot of time to tape off and the colors still end up getting under the edge a bit.

So........Now I am at a point where I have to order the right grout color for "Fleur Blanc" and start on my next project. I think I am going to do a few 8 x 8 mosaics practicing some different techniques, even trying some that I do not need to grout. I would also like to try using Smalti.

Like all of us just keep learning and plugging along.

Quote of the day

"all life is an experiment" -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 14

Septemper 9, 2009 (Happy 9-9-09)

I was able to get a lot of work time today. I did finish mosaicing my piece and decided on a name when I was done. "Fleur blanc" I still have to grout it. Since I used cinca tiles I thought I'd better seal them before grouting. I'm a little aprehensive about grouting because I've grouted cinca before and I could not clean the grout off, but I did not seal them, so hopefully this technique will work.

Also I counted all the materials I used and counted 10 different tesserae items!!! I might enter this in the competition no. 6. I used beads, cinca tile, ceramic tile, glass rods, sunshine tile, vitreo tile, stained glass, karma tile, metallic squares, marbles and a couple of pearls.

I was thinking since I was spending so much time in one position, how important it is to stretch now and them and really make sure you are standing straight and breathing. I notice my neck and back bothering me. It is so important to keep up with yoga or pilates to help my body stay strong so I can mosaic without pain.

Quote of the day

"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, gaiety and life to everything." -Plato

Song of the day (I heard this on MPR today)

"Theme and Variations (Ghost variations)"

by Robert Schumann

Day 19



September 8, 2009







Back to school day! I can't believe that I have a junior and senior in high school. I still remember how I was both excited and nervous on my first days of school and its fun to see my daughters growing up and going through the same experience.







Today feels more like a beginning day for me also. I finally get some time to really focus in my art studio and don't feel the guilt of spending time in there.







I am getting very close to finishing my piece with the white flower. I never thought that the background was going to take as long as it has. I did want this finished the first week in September. Oh well.







I was not able to blog for quite a few days since we were busy with family things and had a really nice visit with family over the labor day weekend.

Quote of the day (I read this last night)
"Don't be afraid to fail, to make something ugly or what you consider to be bad. Every piece of work you create is just a step towards the next one. Every piece is an experiment, don't worry about making a masterpiece each time."
-Karen Ami

Song of the day
Sonatina in G Major-Beethoven

Day 13
September 2nd, 2009

I did not get any pictures taken today but was able to work on my flower mosaic for about an hour and a half. I'm continuing with the lighter cinca tile even though I'm waiting on my order to come in for the dark. I also ordered a sealant to apply to the cinca tile when I'm done. It's been suggested to do this before grouting.

I still want to sit down and plan out my next mosaic. It's just been very difficult until school starts for our teens will I have uninterupted time. It's been a bit frustrating trying to keep up with everything right now. I'll keep plugging along.

Song of the day
"Free to be me" by Francesca Banescelli (I think that spelling is right)

Quote of the day
"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better"
-Albert Einstein

Day 11

August 31, 2009

I guess with all mosaics you come to roadblocks here and there. Unfortunately I ran out of cinca tile and have to order more. Thank goodness for Wits End-they are soooo good about sending things out quickly. I was able to work for a few hours this morning, I did not think this was going to take me so long. I'm still not sure whether I like that background or not. (See picture)

So I guess we won't be able to finish this piece on schedule. I have to wait for my order to come in.

Well on to the next project, I'm working on one for my daughters room and the colors are going to be really fun to work with. (See picture) It will be a contemporary design and I'll be starting to sketch it out tomorrow.

Song of the Day (I'm learning this song on the piano)

"Waltz in A Minor" -Frederic Chopin

Quote of the day

"Look at everything as though you were seeing it for the first time or the last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory" -Betty Smith

Day 10 (I was not able to blog the last two days)

August 30th, 2009

I was finally able to get back to working and I had about 3 hours of time to dedicate to mosaics today! I finished the main flower and now focusing on the andemento. I decided to use Opus Vermiculatum because of how this technique brings a sense of movement to a piece. I did not want to use the same blue for the whole background and so I thought to use different shades intermixed with the darkest being towards the right corner then I'll go lighter from there. I think this will be successful?

I really am trying to work on getting this finished within the next few days (we'll see) I would really like to stick to my goal on a mosaic a month.

I'm finding that we definetly need to have patience with each piece and look at it as growing and learning with each one. So before we start drawing a new design, laying tessarae down, deciding on color, deciding on what tiles, and grouting we just need to take a deep breath and enjoy the process!

Song of the day (I heard it on cities 97 in the car today)

"Have a little faith in me" by John Hiatt

Quote of the day

"If you hear a voice telling you that you cannot paint, then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." -Vincent Van Gogh

Day 7

August 27, 2009

I read in "Simple Abundance" today about Meditative Handiwork and how important it is to make sure we "carve" out time in our days to use our hands to create (ecspecially women). It is a way to calm our minds when we do take the time to do something meditative with our hands. I know that mosaics fits right into that thought.

(view of sunset last night from our deck)

Maybe that is why so many of us enjoy it, it is so fun to be in the "zone".

I did not do much today for mosaics, I had several commitments with my daughters today. I did have time to stop at Michaels and pick up some beads for my next mosaic and for future mosaics. Beads add that extra texture and shine to some projects.

I am seriously thinking of buying an old guitar and mosaicing on it. I've seen some outstanding mosaic work using a guitar as a substrate. It would be a nice item to donate. Some gals at the ladies night mentioned to look on ebay-I'll have to give that a try.

Hopefully we can all find time tomorrow to do some meditative handiwork.

Song of the day (I heard it on our local "cities 97" station today and love it)

"Solsbury Hill" by Peter Gabriel

Quote of the day

"when our hands are busy, our minds can rest"

-Sarah Ban Breathnach

Day 6

August 26th, 2009

Did not get out into the studio until 9:00pm! The day was too beautiful and had one of the best sunsets on the lake! My daughter also had her whole volleyball team over.

Anyways I was able to work for about an hour and a half and was able to continue on the large flower on my piece. I am using cinca tile cut into 4 strips and then turned on their side giving it a sort of smalti look. I started the andamento with blue cinca tile and mixing in sunshine tile. I think it will work out okay.

My oldest daughter joined me in the studio tonight (which is a rare occurance) and we watched "Pride and Prejudice" while I worked. I just love this movie!

Soo...my song of the day is:

"Dawn" from Pride and Prejudice by Jean-yves Thibaudet

(It's such a beautiful piano piece-I definetly want to learn to play this some day)

Quote of the day

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched-they must be felt with the heart." -Helen Keller

Day 5

Tuesday August 25th, 2009

I was able to find about an hour this morning to work on the large flower of my mosaic-sorry did not get a picture-I'll post it tomorrow. I was thinking today though that it would be nice to have a few pieces to work on after this one that I could donate for a silent auction piece. There are several organizations that I believe are doing wonderful things in our community and I know they are looking for some items.

Also my daughter would like me to do one for her room-I have a drawing

and there are so many fun colors in it-it will be a lot of fun to work on. There are purples and pinks though and I know those are hard to find in stained glass.

I do have a goal to finish the current one I'm working on by the end of this month (I'm not sure if that is a crazy deadline or not).

Tonight I went to Ladies Night at Sharra Frank's studio. We meet once a month and I absolutely love it! Like always I learned so much from all the wonderful ladies that went.

Thanks Sharra for opening your studio and sharing your knowledge! What an inspiration you are.

Song of the Day

Moonlight Sonata 1st movement-Beethoven

(It's such a beautiful piece on the piano)

Quote of the Day (I saw this at my Aunt's house today)

"Like water, be gentle and strong. Be gentle enough to follow the natural paths of the earth, and strong enough to rise up and reshape the world." -Brenda Peterson

Day 4


August 24, 2009





What is it about mosaics that draws so many of us to this medium? Is it the texture? The meditative movement of nipping and adhering? The unbeleivable amount of colors that surround us? etc... Whatever it is I am becoming addicted to the art form. I even dream of designs and colors and sometimes (like last night) I can't sleep because my mind keeps thinking of new ideas and trying to figure out how to apply that to mosaics.





I'm sure most of you go through the same wonderful experience and isn't it fun!!





Today I was able to get more done within the hour and a half then I thought I would. I like how the flowers are coming together, also I like the colors and how well they are working together.
I had a little oops happen when I was cleaning up glass bits around the mosaic (with a vacuum-why I was using this I don't know) and I sucked up one of my leaves that was not glued down-so I had to make a new one-it was kind of funny.


For the background I hope I can come up with how I want the andemento to flow. You can sort of see that I started an idea with a blue-grey cinca tile. I'm cutting the squares into 4 long lines to follow around the flowers. I hope this will work okay. I'm thinking of also mixing in some karma and sunshine tiles to add interest.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow-I'm going to my ladies night. A group of us get together to bring in our current project to discuss and ask questions, it's a wonderful way to share what each of us is doing. Also it's nice to work along side other people when this can be such a solitary art.

My song of the day was one that MPR had on this afternoon

Farewell to Strommes by David Russell (I love acoustic guitar music!)

Quote of the day (I have this on my bulletin board)

"Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace and power in it." -Goethe

Day 3
Sunday, August 23rd, 2009

Way too beautiful of a day to be working in the studio, also we had a picnic we were
invited to at a friends cabin. Sooo nice to visit with people we have not seen for quite a while.

I did want to mention a few mosaic things today though:

1. A few days ago I received Britt Hammer-Dijcks beautiful book
MOSAIC-finding your own voice. I thank you Britt for putting together such a wonderfully inspiring book. I highly recommend it!! (I've just read part of it, but have looked through all the pictures, and I am looking forward to sitting down and reading the rest).

2. Yesterday I did discover something that was helpful for adhering small pieces to wedi board.
I did not like how thick the weldbond was coming out of the tube so I squeezed some weldbond into a small plastic bottle with a small tip on. I picked these up a few years ago at an art store, I was planning on using them for acrylic painting. These worked perfectly for squeezing a small amount of weldbond to adhere tiny pieces of vitreous tile to wediboard.

Song of the day (I was in a summery mood hanging by the lake with my hubby and good friends)
"This is home" by Lucy Kaplansky

Quote of the day
"Where there is a lack of other connections, of meaningful moments, in our lives, music can often fill the gap."
-W Somerset Maugham

Day 2

Saturday, August 22nd, 2009

I'm so excited about this new endeaver to journal/blog for the next year!

I have a feeling this will be the boost I need for the rut I have been in artistically. What I am

hoping is that who ever reads this blog with learn and grow with me. So...enjoy the journey.

Today I worked in my studio for a few hours in the morning. I am so thankful to have a

place to call my own. It's such a calming, happy space. We finished it a year ago. It's so important to make a space for your own.

Anyways....on to work. I have two words GLASS GRINDER!! I just purchased one last week and finally got around to putting it to use today and I absolutely love it! Thanks for the info to getting one, Janine and Barb. The grinder really helped me to make the leaves out of the stained glass just the way I want them.

Today I finished the white flowers that was my goal and they turned out great!

This is a partial picture of my current mosaic I am working on and it is on wedi board,

the idea came from a fabric swatch I liked. This will be going in a master bathroom with an

oriental theme. I am still struggling with what kind of andemento for the background, I am thinking a grey blue cinca tile.

I love to have classical music on in the morning so I thought it would be nice to share one of the songs I enjoyed today.

Debussy: Claire de lune - Suite bergamasque

Quote of the day

"Drawing, like food, drink and sleep, puts strength back into a man."

a year if mosaics

August 21st 2009
I've decided to document by pictures and blogging a year through mosaics. I feel this will help me learn and grow as a mosaic artist. It is wonderful to see and hear the beauty in the world and to share it with others. It is so important to each of us to find that creative force within us. Art helps to see the beauty, and music helps us hear the beauty. Through this next year I will try to blog each day about my journey through mosaics and music.

Here's a quote I found from my first art instructor.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than be the one's you did do.

So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the tradewinds in your sails.

Explore, Dream, Discover"

-Jackson Brown Jr 1990