Mosaic

Have had a few setbacks. Because my calculations were out (despite the computer - must have been my measurements) we ran out of tiles. So am still waiting for them to arrive.

We have completed 3 of the six panels and for the last couple of days we were grouting and polishing. The excitement got the best of people and I had a phone call yesterday to tell me they had installed one of the panels! I was a bit taken aback because I was not ready for it to go, but its up and I am excited to see the rest of them.

Workshop

 Had a lovely time with the ladies at Ryde Art Society. We had two days of photopolymer printmaking (solarplate). Here are some photos of the weekend.

Some of the work produced

Mosaic

 Becky hard at work

Here we are not so hard at work

Finally, here is panel #4 done (the first panel completed) It took a lot longer, because of lack of time and helpers (thankyou to Becky who did half of it!). Have to wait for my techical help before I grout it. We need to find out where the screws will be approximately when it is screwed into the wall studs.

The next panel is already started, and I have more people working on it. Next problem is how to keep it consistent with different mosaicists.

Painting

 "The Walk North"
20"x20"
Oil on Canvas

Quick sketch of landscape in thin acrylic

Blocking in colour

More lights and darks

The Finished image, I kept it quite 'blocky' liking the shapes and colour movement.

Painting:

   "Brush Turkey"
Mixed Media (Print collage & textured paper on Hot Pressed Watercolour Paper, & Acrylic)
24" high x 12" wide

After collage has dried, block in areas with dark wash of acrylic

Adding more darks, developing image

Bringing in light areas

Lost my turkey, gotta go find him again.

I like bringing warmth into the painting.

There he is - shame, just after I started to paint him, the real brush turkey went away. Probably not a good place to start a nest/mound.

Mosaic

  My team of helpers has been quite small - me actually. So progress is slow.
I have started on panel #3 of 6 so we can install from the middle out.

Looking extremely abstract at the moment, but I am hoping it will turn out... Cant wait to finish this one and grout it!

Wonga Crossing

 The fabulous Wonga Pigeon is seen occasionally wandering about the place - much prefers to walk than fly. Here are some pics of the different stages of this painting.

Mixed Media  (Printed & Paper collage, Acrylic) on 300gsm Hot Pressed Paper (Fabriano)

The Finished work, 24" high x 12" wide

MOSAIC

 SUCH a long time sorting out those tiles (58 colours!) Thankyou to an ample supply of takeaway food boxes. Since I bought from 3 different suppliers, they all had to have new code numbers assigned, so alot of work there.

So many pretty colours!

All safely boxed up

I finally started yesterday. After sealing the sheets of fibre cement, I tentatively started the bottom part of the mural. I usually like to start in the middle, but because I was not sure of the measurements and I had an exact grid to work by I had to start at the waterline of the design. (So it will line up on all the panels).

Lucky I did, as I had a made a miscalculation with the mosaic program sizes. I will have to widen the design somewhat by cutting some of the tiles. - This will add size by the spaces in between the pieces. And look better too in my opinion!

Its a start!

Evolution of "Cuckoo Dove" Painting

 Mixed media on paper (collage & acrylic). 24" x 12"

The placement of collage materials on hotpressed watercolour paper. - some of the collage are pieces of 'failed'prints.

The Finished Painting

S-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g!

  No, nothing quite so frightening as excersise, or even torture (are the two one and the same?).
Spent my time in the studio stretching and gesso-ing some canvasses which I am ready to paint nowassoonasIgetthetime!

 

Wood Engraving

Finally put my fairy wren on the block ready to cut. Here you see the sanded maple block, wiped with a layer of gouache with the design pencilled in.

By the end of the evening, I have inked in most of the design where I will not cut. The large uninked area in the top left will be carved freehand. This design was tricky, I plan to have two blocks - similar to what I have done in the past  ("Currawong" pictured), so I have to work out what will be white, brown and black before I start carving. - the Brown block will be traced, drawn and carved after this one.

Have spend hours (days actually, this is afterwards!) playing with a program called "Tile Creator" , putting in scans of my paintings, learning the program and coming up with very nifty grids. The downside is that this is not for traditional mosaic, more for small squares of tiles in a grid that makes the pattern. I still hope to cut some tiles - especially for areas like tree trunks, but this way is probably quicker and easier for people to help me glue the tiles.

Part of my painting in grid form.

I also had to cut down the amount of colours to use (which was hard for me). I managed to get it down to 60 different colours.I still wanted to use as many possible!

As of today I have ordered my tiles from 3 different stockists. I LOVE Bisazza glass tiles, but to save some money, needed to get mostly the cheaper Asian tiles. Am still getting some Bisazza.

Where am I getting the tiles from? All over Australia it seems: Sydney supplier All Boxed Up,  Melbourne supplier Mosaic Matters, and Canberra supplier Mosaic Tiles 4 U. One of them (Melbourne) needed direct deposit instead the brilliantly convenient Paypal, so I have only managed to pay it now, but they all have been very helpful, and the Canberra people have already sent part of their order!