Wednesday, February 27, 2008

The Mosaic Mayhem

The first three are completed while two more are still getting more polyurethane coats. The newest one that will be making the trip to Savannah this weekend will get sealed tomorrow. Overall I'm pleased. I'm pretty tough on myself when it comes to critiques so I need to keep in mind that these are the first attempts in about 22 years at trying something besides painting a canvas.

I've also discovered that I have a great deal of experimentation left in trying to photograph these things. Generally my paintings are matte finished so I'm not worried about glare from the artwork. Not only are these things sealed glossy metallic paint is the primary coating underneath. That is why I'm not to happy with these photographs.

Let's put it this way: I'm in the process of learning how to do these things. I can see lots of mistakes and better ways (perhaps) of getting a better finished product. The rule of thumb is to sketch the idea and consider all of the 3-D possibilities before any glue is applied. For example if you read my artist friends comments, they like the idea of using wire for the lizard's tongue. So did I. I wish I'd thought of that before I glued down the tile that would become it's nose!

So my blogging buddies, let me introduce to you the first batch of my outdoor artwork. I'm still working on a clever name so if you have some suggestions let me know. also I'm still mulling over the prices of these pieces. They're all 18 inches by 6" for the moment. We purchased some more wood last weekend to make both larger and smaller works. If you're interested in any of these then e-mail me. Even though these are definitely going with me this weekend I can probably improve on each one just a bit. Some future ideas: a mermaid, an angel, and a celestial combination (sun, moon, and stars).

Here's a hint: click on each photo and you'll get a larger version to view!

This is my mom's favorite. The idea came from seeing a similar "turtle crossing" sign driving out to Tybee Island, GA last fall. I think I'll be repeating this theme quite a bit.

This is mine and Joan's favorite. I'm not much into thumping my religious ideas over a customer's head but given our situation you can't help acknowledge a Higher Power. The two buckles in the middle read "faith" and "miracles." The fish symbol speaks for itself. We really wanted to keep this one but instead we really need for it to sell. Again if you are interested in this theme then get in touch with me. I have access to may more of those buckles.

The side view of "Faith, Miracles, & Fish."

Here's the completed lizard. I ended up painting the tongue after several unsuccessful attempts at something more 3-D.

I think the sides on this one turned out the best of all I've completed so far. I'm liking this color on a black background! Scary stuff.

Here's the sea horse. He's drying after receiving his second coat of sealant.

This is a horrible photograph. We really like this one because it is all paint. Once the sealant is in place the colors will really pop!

Joan says this might end up her favorite. At the moment it has no polyurethane but you can still see how the metallic paint gives off a tremendous amount of glare by itself.

6 comments:

kimmyk said...

those mosaics are so cool!
i love the turtle crossing one.

they have a lot of turtles crossing in tybee island? ha!

Anonymous said...

great minds think alike- the palmetto tree is my favorite too! I just got what is bothering you and me with them. What if you took with the next round of these and took some glass snips and broke up the squareness of the tiles? That gives you more depth and color choices without seeing the squareness of the tiles and giving you a more polished hand-crafted look. I love the designs, I think I just get hung up on the predetermined shape of the tiles- by breaking them up you can focua more on the design and the interacion of the mosaic and paints.

Gretchen said...

I had a really long post and I don't know where it went.

I agree with anon on breaking up the tiles--especially on the palm trees--but they all look great. I love the fish, love it.

Like the doodles on the lizard too! And the turtles are too cute.

Looking forward to the angel and celestial--right up my alley!

A name, hmmmm

Your header picture is amazing--almost looks 3-d or something!!

Gretchen said...

Mosaic Medley?

Mosaic is nice, reminds me of Ben!

Anonymous said...

wowzeeee - they all look great! the lizard turned out really great - the swirls and tongue brought it all together really well.
pick a favorite? sheesh - that's really hard, they are all great. Probably the fish, because I like the varied shapes of the buckles, tiels, beady things, etc...
Title ideas? hmm.

- shimmering symbolics
- patio pearls
- patio pallette
- suncatchers
- mirage montage
- dazzling doodles
- vignettes of sunlight

here's what I usually do when I need some inspirations: go to thesaurus.com and look for where you are headed - sometimes a different name for the same thing will spark the perfect idea.

Hope your weekend goes really well - It should, those mosaics are cool!

Gretchen said...

"here's what I usually do when I need some inspirations: go to thesaurus.com and look for where you are headed - sometimes a different name for the same thing will spark the perfect idea"

This is exactly what I do too! Good luck this weekend Bennie--I love these!