Newbys in the Studio!! Yay!

Looky here! We had two new gals in the studio today. Anne and Cori came to see what this was all about. Neither had done any mosaics before and they did some pretty terrific work on two panels. They said they'd come back next Wednesday to continue working on their pieces. Yay!

 

                         

Ann N and I are working on two panels that will go side-by-side on the outside of the water trough. These will include wild flowers, slugs, snails, mushrooms, plants butterflies and some rocks to complete the picture.

 

We've had so much fun finding those special rocks that look like mushroom that we're wanting to make them all over the place! But of course, we'll hold back and put them in just the proper places.

 

 

We even have a school of fish!

Sarah found just the right pieces to make a beaver chawing on a stick of wood. He's going to be swimming in the water. Look at those yellow teeth! We're going to have to get some whitener for him or he'll never be a movie star.

It was a good day today in the mosaic studio.

 

 

 

Corrections, Additions, Starts and a few more hours added

We had an industrious crew this past Wednesday. Ann has completed a true piece of art on her panel. She used a variety of stones, tiles and glass. You can see that the frog is sitting on some rocks and the water is sparkling down right behind him.

 

 

We changed the mirrored water splashes on the turtle. I wasn't satisfied with the look and popped the mirrors off - cutting my thumb in the process! Good thing we had Band-Aids nearby.

We could use a little more first aid if anyone has something to donate.

Melanie had a good time adding glass bubbles and rocks to the bottom - replacing the mirrors. It looks pretty good, doesn't it?!!

Melanie had time to start a new panel of water.

 

It's really not very stressful - you just sort of follow the lines and add your own inspired colors and charm as you go along.

See? Easy Peasy.

But it does take time because we work carefully and step back and check with others working to sort of match up styles.

We also laugh a lot.

And we're also quiet a lot.

Helen is working on a water panel.

 

We're going to add a day this coming week.

In addition to our regular Wednesdays from 10 to 3 we're going to be in the workshop on

this coming Monday, Janurary 26 from 10 to 3.

Everyone is welcome to join in.

 

 

 

Sunday School kids "Dive In"



This morning was a really fun time in the mosaic studio. The kids from the Sunday School came in and made their artistic debut for the Mosaic In The Rain Garden.

 

 

There will be a Sunday School Flower Garden in a portion of the finished mosaic and today our little artists designed their flower and learned the process of making it into a mosaic piece.

 

To help them picture a real flower, they checked out photos of flowers to get them started. When their design was finished, they layered things together. First the cardboard, then the drawn design. Over that went some clear plastic and finally the mesh to glue the tile pieces on to.

 

The next step was to pick out some tile pieces. Some needed to be cut smaller with the tile nippers and some needed to be "smashed" with a hammer.

The second way was a favorite the morning.

 

 

 Each one was different.

They also learned how to use special glue - Weldbond.

 

We'll have another session with the kids next Sunday morning.

Anyone is welcome to join us.

 

 

A Day In The Mosaic Studio

It was a great day in the mosaic studio today. Ann came in and started by helping me cut cardboard for backings when we're working on the water panels and the little flowers, creatures and fish.

We finished that job and got right down to starting another small panel that will be installed opposite the first one we did last week.



Ann is doing the bulk of the work on this panel and having a ball.

 

When you see the porpoise swimming in the rain garden,

you'll know that Helen had some fun on her very first mosaic project.

He/she (the porpoise) turned out to be very beautiful!

Well, turns out Helen is very beautiful as well. :-)

Making the frog and placing rocks under him was my job today. Sure was satisfying.

 

Soon I'll post some other photos of local mosaic murals that were made

by a sister church in Minneapolis: 

http://www.stpaulschurchmpls.org/ 

I was very fortunate and pleased to work at St.Paul's ELC with Pr.Luisa Cabello Hansel and Twin Cities mural artist, Greta McLain, once a week for over a year to learn some of the "ins and outs" of mosaic work. It's a continuous learning process.

Come learn with me.

It's free!!!!!

Studio hours and children

We're looking forward to having a lot of people come and have a try at this project.

So far we will be open on

Wednesdays from 10 AM until about 3 PM.

 

Let me know if you would like to come and work on this.

Night time hours will come later.

 

Working with two granddaughters, Cepeda 10 years and Francesca 6 years, (to see how it goes with children) we accomplished a fish and a mermaid! The girls designed and did the tiling all by themselves.  (the turtle was mine)
That shows that children will have a hand in this as well.

 

First panel finished!

Now that the holidays have passed, it's time to get down to the business of

Rain Garden Mosaic.

My friend Sarah met me in the studio today and we worked out the wrinkles of showing others how to get started and complete a piece of mosaic for the garden.

 This is the first panel begun this afternoon.

As you stand at the end of the waterway and look west toward the church building, there is a small panel facing you at the top right on the cement "box". That's where this one will be.

 

 

Here it is, four hours later, finished!

See the turtle at the bottom? What's that stuff directly above him/her? Got a guess?

It's not grouted yet so maybe it will be difficult to figure out but I know what it is.

Comment at the bottom with your guess.

 

Meet Sarah and her dog, Gladys who spent the day in the studio with us.

  Don't throw away those nice, clean, see-through plastic bags. We can use them in the mosaic studio.  Thanks!

Also, we're always on the look out for thick mirrors - broken or not (we'll smash them for the mosaic). Thickness should be about 3/8" or 1/4".