End-of-Malaise Bottle?

Since last November, I’ve been totally lacking in mosaic motivation. I attempted a couple of projects only to leave them lingering on my work table, destined to be abandoned. At first, I was a little concerned, but I decided to just go with it and see what happened. If, after some unidentified period of time, I still lacked mosaic mojo, so be it. I’ve just been living life without mosaicking for almost a year, and it has been a very productive time, just not mosaically.

Then, a few of weeks ago, I invested a good chunk of my weekend on a possible commission design. The potential client had been trying to work out a project for months. Each time I thought I would not hear from them anymore, I would hear from them. So, once again, they contacted me and I really did want to help them resolve things, moving ahead with or without me.

I prepared a design with which I could give good cost and time estimates and sent it to them. I highly suspected it was beyond their budget as well as time frame, but I gave it my best shot. Not having heard back from them, I am once again guessing that they have moved on without me.

Spending the time on that design was very good for me, however, and I think it helped to prod me back to mosaic. Well, time will tell about that. Anyway, I decided to mosaic a bottle while I was developing an art piece idea. And here is the bottle.

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Amber, Copper, and Gold Bottle 8.5” x 4” | 22cm x 10cm. Vitreous, mirror and Van Gogh glass on Hendrick’s gin bottle.

The main shape of the bottle was easy to work with. The 1/4” squares were cut to size by Mosaics By Maria. The top, however, proved to be a little more demanding. I ended up having to wedge most of the top pieces. It’s not my favorite palette, but I the materials left over from something else.

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It did actually feel good to have a project again, and I think I am ready to move on to the art piece. Perhaps my mosaic doldrums have come to an end? Let’s find out!

Marble and Gold Vase: A Closer Look

I’m getting so COVID-lonely that I’ve decided to make some videos so that I can talk to somebody. 😎

Here is a short little closer look at this vase/bottle that I mosaicked last year. The size of it says “vase,” but the narrow spout says “bottle.”

You can read my posts about making this here, here, and here.

It is available for purchase and I have recently added it to my shop.

Four Little Mirrors

I spent the last couple of weeks making these little decorative mirrors. It’s always fun to take a little deco break. The photos are not great, but good enough to show what I’ve been up to. The dark blob in the bottom left of the mirrors is my reflection. Mirror glass is ridiculous to photograph and I just did not want to spend the time on it. Since I’m only blogging it, I decided it was not critically important.

9” x 9” | 23cm x 23 cm. Mirror and Van Gogh glass.

9” x 9” | 23cm x 23 cm. Mirror and Van Gogh glass.

9” x 9” | 23cm x 23 cm. Mirror and Van Gogh glass.

9” x 9” | 23cm x 23 cm. Mirror glass.

Close Out Amazon Sale

In the next month or so, I will stop selling this book on Amazon, which has been the most affordable way for international people to purchase the book. Unfortunately, the sales have slowed to the point where I am paying Amazon to have the book available.

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This is not surprising as I knew this would happen after a couple of years or so. Still, I wish I could keep it available on Amazon.

So, I have reduced the price to $25 and will keep it there until the end of March. Then, the book will no longer be available on Amazon.

You can preview the book and read reviews, as well as purchase it from Amazon via my online store using this link.

Of course, for those within the U.S.can purchase the book, using the same link, for $22, including shipping, or the sligh,tly-less-than-perfect edition for $10, also including shipping using this link.

Bottle Finished!

Previous posts: Bottle Break, Bottle Update

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Marble and Gold Bottle 18.5” x 6” | 47cm x 15cm. Marble, acid green mosaic gold.

I don’t usually give my bottles anything more than a descriptive name, although I did try to come up with something for this one.

It’s hard to believe that I finally mosaicked this bottle that I acquired over 20 years ago. I really like this palette, although, in retrospect, I wish I would have used more of the dark brown.

I did enjoy this project, which has served as a break from a large wall art work which is still in the design phase. I hope to start it after July.

Bottle Update

This wavy bottle (click on image to zoom) is now 5/8 finished, not counting the very top edge, or spout. I have not quite figured out how to handle that yet, but I will think of something.

The gold is called Acid Green, and I bought it back in 2006 when I was in Venice for the Orsoni 2-week Master Class. I’m using a lot more of it than I thought I would when I started, and it’s not because of waste. 3d objects can be deceptive. I’m also surprised at how much marble it is requiring. But I like the way it is turning out.

I’ve got a little trip coming up to San Jose, CA, to visit my daughter for about a week. I will finish this project when I get back.

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Currently untitled. 18.5” x 6” | 47cm x 15cm. Marble, mosaic gold, on glass bottle.

A Bottle Break

With a busy June and July coming up, I’m taking a break between fine art pieces but still like to work in my studio when I can. I thought about doing some decorative work, and then I remembered a bottle that I had bought from an estate sale over 20 years ago. I thought I might have even gotten rid of it, but I found it at the back of one of my closets.

It is an unusual shape and only slightly wonky—most bottles are imperfect—and has a bit of a lean on one side. Still, it is a tall and distinctive bottle and I thought I could do something with it. It’s bulging shape did not lend itself to my usual geometric technique, and I’ve been wanting to do something 3d with marble for some time.

I came up with this design after contemplating the shape of the bottle and asking myself how I could best exploit the shape without making the project extremely difficult.

You can see the bottle at right (click on it to zoom). It measures 18.5” | 47cm tall and is about 6” | 15cm at its widest. I’ve marked the bottle vertically in eighths, and in this pic I’m just ready to start mosaicking the lines with brown marble.

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The dark brown marble is Emperador, and I don’t know what the beige is. I purchased the marble from Home Depot a few years ago as a mix for wall applications. I absolutely love Emperador marble! It has beautiful variations and veining, but can be tricky to cut. I’m accompanying the earthy marbles with acid green gold in crazy paving.

We’ll see how it turns out.

CREATIONS: Take a Peek?

I've created a book preview containing a few selected pages. The preview shows the work of the following artists, in order of appearance:

Rosangela Kusma Gasparin (front cover), Kirsten Jonas, Antoaneta Stoimenova, Sabine Schüle, Aida Valencia, Fernando Bekir, Jacki Gran, Jennifer Kuhns, Julie Burkhart-Haid, Kathryn Bernstein, Rhonda Dönges, Susan Burton, Yalily Mejia, and Allan Punton (back cover). 

And... Printing is tentatively scheduled for the end of January.  🤓

CREATIONS: Chatter

Back in early December, I recruited three very talented and knowledgeable mosaic rock stars to review the book and possibly write a blurb for the back cover. They all graciously agreed to take a look at it and, after having done so, have generously written lovely mini-reviews, aka blurbs.

On the little book site I set up, I've added a Chatter page containing the blurbs that are now on the back cover. 

Check out the chatter here!

CREATIONS: Special Announcement

Do you notice anything different about the cover? Other than that I have spelled Foreword correctly? 

That's right! The Mosaic Maven herself, Nancie Mills Pipgras, has graciously and enthusiastically accepted my invitation to write the foreword for the book. She has seen an early draft and is very happy to be a part of it!!!

To quote one of the presenting artists, Floy Height: "I'm so excited. And I just can't hide it."

Nancie has been supportive of this effort from the beginning, and helped spread the word in the mosaic community. I know, for a fact, that she is responsible for connecting some of the artists in the book with my Call to Artists. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you, esteemed Ms. Pipgras!

Update on CREATIONS

I'm so excited to share this stunning book cover. The work featured is a table lamp by Brazilian artist Rosangela Kusma Gasparin, and it is titled Forgotten Glass. I feel like this mosaic expresses the creative, original, and explorative spirit that this book presents in its celebration of contemporary decorative mosaic. 

I'm still working on features for 5 of the 52 artists. Here is where it stands right now:

• Artists from 20 countries
• 104 mosaic works
• About 200 photos 
• Available late-winter 2018
• Sold via J-MOSAIC or Amazon

In looking into shipping costs for outside the USA, I have found that Amazon can ship books internationally for much less than I can. So, I've decided to sell it through Amazon, as well as my storefront. It will cost a few dollars more, due to Amazon's fees, but the total cost of book plus shipping will be a good amount less expensive than if I were to ship it myself. 

All for now.!

What's In A Name? #1

Yesterday, there was an interesting discussion taking place in the Mosaic Mentoring group on Facebook. The original poster questioned the wisdom behind how we name our mosaic businesses. Specifically, she seemed to make a connection between how we name ourselves and how mosaic, in general, is accepted—or not accepted—within the larger art world. 

To this point, I've included three mosaic images above and ask: Which one of these is not like the others? Hold that thought as I will get back to it shortly.

The issue of mosaic being accepted or not, and what the reasons for this might be, is an important discussion, but one that hinges upon a more primary question:

Do you believe that mosaic art is not fully accepted/embraced as a fine art by the broader art world?

If your answer to this question is No, then this discussion is probably not relevant for you.

If your answer is Yes, then the next question to ask would be:

What do you think are the reasons for mosaic art not being fully accepted/embraced as a fine art by the broader art world?

My answer to the first question is Yes, so I'll continue. 

My answer to the second question is: Several reasons that I would love to discuss, but I don't think the name we choose for our businesses is necessarily one of them. 

So, now I am going to explore some things, based upon a belief that there is a struggle for mosaic art to be generally accepted as a fine art. Again, if you don't care about this question, this conversation is not meant for you. 

Back to my earlier question regarding the three mosaics featured at the top of this post: 

Which one of these is not like the others?

I'll talk about this in my next post.

Let's Decorate!

THANK YOU to all who have already submitted work for my book idea! We are on our way to a new and unique addition to our mosaic libraries. 

I've been including pics of some of my own decorative work in my promo calls, just to give you some ideas. If you're not quite sure about what qualifies as a decorative mosaic, check out this blog post that I wrote last week: What Is A Decorative Mosaic?

There is still plenty of time to get your submissions in before the August 1 deadline, so please do! If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me.

Could Not Resist the Pull

So, after finishing up all those frames, I decided to have a bit of fun making these little magnets. I used some scrap 1/4" thick masonite for the bases, and was able to use mostly leftover tess from previous projects. 

Then, I decided to include them in my online store, which I mentioned a few weeks ago. I've been working many hours to get the store front set up and—my goodness—what a lot of work that is! Even though I don't have many items, it's still a big project: photos, pricing, packaging, shipping! It's a whole new world, and my hat's off to all of you who have already tackled this.

In listing the magnets on the store front, I needed to come up with names for all these little guys, and that was actually a fun diversion. I just named them after family and friends that came to mind as I considered each magnet. 

I know that I keep saying that I am ready to get to work on that art piece, but I'm going to stop saying that. I will allow myself to work through some more of my decorative inventory for at least another month or so. And who knows, maybe longer! It feels good to be making use of some of the things that I've collected over the years.

Bottle #3

Well, another week, another bottle! These 1800® Tequila bottles are a joy to mosaic. The flat, rectangular-ish sides are nice to work with. And did you know that the corners are beveled?

I'm not sure about the glass stoppers. The last time I was looking at 1800® Tequila in a liquor store, the bottles they had did not have glass stoppers. I hope that they are still making some bottles with the glass stoppers because they are quite nice. I would like to do a couple more of these bottles. I think that I've seen smaller ones than this one, and I just might have to drink some more margaritas. 

Anyway, here is the latest product of my decorative detour. The palette is very unusual for me, but I have made peace with it. I agree with my daughter's assessment that it is a handsome bottle. It is actually quite neutral and I like that.

My decorative indulgence may extend into the summer. I've got a few more bottles lined up, and I may go ahead and mosaic a few frames. Years ago, someone gave me four medium-sized frames that were in almost-new condition. I really should just go ahead and take care of those while I am in a deco frame of mind. I see mirrors in my near future.

About the photos: I took these photos in my cool new Portable Photo Studio. To try and avoid the small bit of reflection through the small picture-taking window—such a problem for these mirror tiles—I tried shooting slightly down on the bottle. It was very helpful in dealing with that reflection, but the bottle looks slightly distorted—a bit top-heavy, perhaps?—especially the side view. What do you think?