Beginner's Mind #2

March 14, 2015 in New Work

For my 2nd attempt at getting into a beginner state of mind, l decided to simplify, stick with blues, and add a bit of gold in a rather wicky-wacky style. My cutting was much more loose and I actually tried to make the lines a bit crooked, although it barely shows.

I think a beginner could definitely tackle something like this. Even with the whole smalti and half pieces of vitreous, there is plenty of demanding cutting for a novice to deal with. I actually think that, should a beginner take on this linear-textile-y kind of thing, it would turn out better than this one of mine, as it would probably be more loose, less straight, have more movement, and be much more charming.

I'm sticking with this 10" x 8" size for my exercises to try to even out some of my experience advantage. This one went pretty fast and was quite enjoyable just working with those beautiful blues.

Speaking of the blues, I used two different smalti blues in this one than I did in the first one. Although they are close, I prefer the blues in the first one.

I've finished my 3rd one and will post it next. It's a geometric, repeating pattern design, and went very quickly. Again, fun to make. The 4th will not be linear or geometric, but rather something with some curves.

Beginner's Mind

March 13, 2015 in New Work, WIP

Beginner's Mind #1. 10" x 8" | 25cm x 20cm. Smalti, vitreous, mosaic gold, marble, porcelain, other glass.

This series is my attempt to work from a beginner state of mind. Initiated by a class that I am teaching, I wanted to have some examples for the students and wanted the examples to truly reflect something that they could achieve within the class hours.

Focusing on texture, the students will create an 8" x 8" or 7" x 9" piece using a palette of blues and golds/yellows. The variety of materials will present a good challenge for a mostly beginner class. Note: I feel I must give a nod to Sonia King, as part of my inspiration for this class came from a piece I made, Remembering Istanbul, in her 2010 Istanbul workshop. While the design and textured execution were my own, she set the color palette and, of course, gave her expert guidance.

My first attempt, shown above, turned out to be too complex for a beginner to create in the time period that we will have. I realized this about halfway through, but wanted to finish it anyway. It will still be instructional in illustrating ways to treat the various materials, and could be simplified.

My second attempt, which I will post in the next few days, was more successful in that I am sure that a beginner could accomplish something similar, and I was able to work much, much more loosely than I did on the first. I must say, it was quite enjoyable.

I am finding that it's a wonderful, although challenging, process to try to work in a beginner state. I am able to reflect on some things about myself, as an artist and mosaicist, through this foray into a beginner's mind, and I find that very exciting. I'll share some of those reflections when this little exercise is over.

I plan to make at least four examples, and maybe six. The only downside is that I am going to have to order more materials as I am using them all up. But what fun!

Impromptu in Red: Bad-Action Blade Wheel

March 12, 2015 in New Work

Impromptu in Red: Bad-Action Blade Wheel. 16" x 10" | 41 cm x 25 cm. Smalti, porcelain, vitreous, framing spring clips, hardware, jasper.

Framed and photographed! So, about the bad-action blade wheel...

I read about a Tibetan Buddhist practice, My Bad-Action Blade Wheel, in Circling the Sacred Mountain, by Robert Thurman. It's been over a decade since I read the book, but I'll explain my interpretation of the concept and how I practice it.

A bad-action blade wheel is basically a kind of karmic balancing wheel. For example, let's say that I find out that a friend has spread negative gossip about me. I'm feeling hurt and angry. Instead of just lashing out, blaming, or feeling victimized, I say to myself:

That's just my bad-action blade wheel come full circle. I have treated others in a similar way in my past(s) and this is just a balancing-out of my bad karma. I am grateful to have balanced out some bad karma, and I pledge to never again cause anyone else the kind of pain and anger that I now feel.

Well, I find it to be a very good practice, with the keyword being practice. Of course, I'll still have to deal with my friend (or perhaps x-friend), but hopefully after I process the situation.

New Work — Impromptu in Red

February 24, 2015 in New Work

Impromptu in Red: Bad-Action Blade Wheel

Adding to my Impromptu Series, I spent the last weeks working on a small piece in reds. I must confess that it was quite a challenge. As drawn as I am to explore this kind of shading, or gradation, it always proves to be a tormentingly masochistic adventure.

Yet, I cavalierly went down this treacherous path again! And this time, I could not just stick with a red to light red/pink, or even red-orange-yellow progression, but had to include peaches, roses, mustards, and even purplish tones. Whether or not it should be difficult, it just is difficult for me.

Still, at this point, every time I look at it, I see a piece here that is too dark, a piece there that is too light. The last mosaic that I did in this series was in 2009; like having babies, I forgot the misery of the process.

But it's finished, maybe, and I am ready to move on. For my work this year, I am focusing on some letting go, especially where my precision is concerned. Its an experiment. I want to see what other freedom I might experience if I set myself free... just a bit... regarding my hyper-controlled cutting. So, no grinder for this latest work, and that Mexican smalti is really a bitch to cut.

As far as the subtitle, Bad-Action Blade Wheel is a Tibetan Buddhist practice on which I will elaborate in my next post. For now, I'll just post this preliminary photo with its mocked-up frame. In the next few days to a week I will get better pics of the framed work and give more commentary.

New Blog, New Work

October 23, 2014 in New Work

Yes, its new blog time. I'm happy to have my blog incorporated with my website, but it means I must leave my old Tumblr. I've got some good information and posts on my old blog, which you can find here.

So let's kick-off my new blog with my latest mosaic.

If I Were A Tree 32" x 48" | 81cm x 122cm. Mosaic gold, shale, marble, smalti, porcelain, ammonite fossil. (Click image for more detail.) — **If I Were A Tree** 32" x 48" | 81cm x 122cm. Mosaic gold, shale, marble, smalti, porcelain, ammonite fossil. (*Click image for more detail*.)

This fantastical tree is a bit of a departure for me. It has been wanting to be created for a few years, but I kept rationalizing it away. Then, last May, it just seemed to get started. I'm not sure what the title means; it just seemed to attach itself to the work... very sneaky.

Maybe, if I were a tree, this is the kind of tree I would like to be. I would be strong and graceful. I would have leaves of fire or be a perennial fall tree, as fall is my favorite season. Clearly, it seems that I would be a very large tree, towering over the river and mountains.

The landscape was executed in a completely spontaneous manner. It rather created itself, and I thoroughly enjoyed discovering this land of river and mountains. The background was very technically challenging, seemed like it would never end, and got the better of me on a few occasions.