Delay and Table

There's been a bit of a delay because it's been difficult to find a suitable base for the mosaic.  I've gone through many possible options but none fit all of the requirements.  It's finally been decided to go for thick perspex which will hopefully be totally weatherproof, won't expand or contract in different temperatures, won't bend and can have holes drilled in the corners for hanging on the wall.  All I have to decide now is black or white?  I'm hoping to have it ready for when Juliet gets back from holiday.


Meanwhile a friend has asked me to mosaic this table top.  She uses it on her balcony and wants a spiral design in white and several shades of teal / turquoise.  Great! Now how does one draw a spiral? This is just a quick pencil sketch I drew to show her but it will need to be more accurate and bigger for the table.

The internet is amazing I put in a search and have been experimenting with drawing spirals using the Pythagorean method which uses a series of ever increasing triangles and the Fibronnaccii method which uses a series of ever increasing squares - good thing I liked geometry at school!   Neither look right though so I have another little challenge on my hands...  maybe I'll end up using the Binks method which uses a random swirl and hope approach.

More Cutting

Another couple of happy hours cutting glass (and not my fingers today)!

I'm going to try to find some smoked glass mirror to fit in the last spaces.  I love the iridised glass - hard to do it justice in a photo' though.

Client Lesson!

Juliet is creative herself and would love to have the time to make things but with two young children there's not much of that available.  She said she would like to watch me working so I invited her round today.

I showed her how to score and break the glass and then gave her some to practice on and by the time she'd done that and we'd chatted over tea and cake it was time  for her to go and get the kids tea.  We had a chance to discuss what colour to use for the last few gaps in the design, how to make the numbers and the backing to stick it on. Now I'm looking forward to carrying on with cutting the new glass.

Shiny black stuff

Today I nipped over to Poynings again (lovely journey just underneath the north side of the South Downs) and collected the rest of the glass I need, some black and some gorgeous iridescent black which changes colour as you move around it with tinges of gold, pink, and green.  It should blend in well with the other colours.

Shoreham Gallery

Today I went to visit Wendy and Jose at the Shoreham Gallery just around the corner to where I live.

It's a little shop run by a co-operative of about 22 artists and makers.  They have some lovely work on display and I have often wondered if I should join them.  Unfortunately the costs to exhibit there are quite high as they have to split the expenses between them and I was fairly certain I wouldn't be able to make a profit (or even cover the costs)!  After having a chat I decided it's definitely worth a try as they seemed sure I would be able to sell my things - they have nothing similar and the price range is quite wide so could appeal to a cross section of potential buyers.  There's also the possibility of getting commissions and meeting customers whilst working in the shop one day every three weeks.  On top of that a customer bought five of my cards as I was showing them which was encouraging!  So my name is down to give it a go once a space becomes available.

Cutting the glass has begun

The design needed another bit of tweaking so I made a final version on white paper then couldn't wait to get started, so today I got out my trusty glass cutter and using templates I'd made from tracing paper set to work.  A couple of hours had gone by before I knew it!  It's a great way to forget everything else and become absorbed in my own puzzle of pieces.  I numbered them so they can be put back together more easily (once I have found the backing to stick them to)!   

The orange glass was smaller than A4 it had a piece missing from it and there was a slight pattern I needed to keep in line.  Opus glass couldn't get another sheet the same so with no room for mistakes I was determined to eek out my four shapes from this one.  Yippee!  Just made it with one tiny join.

Choosing the Glass

Yesterday when  Juliet came round I was pleased that she seemed to really like the design with the fans coming in from the side and preferred my numbers to the ones I'd printed from the computer.  She is much more decisive than me which is good!

We set off for Poynings just the other side of the Downs to go to Opus glass where they have a massive stock of sheets of glass in many colours, types and textures.  We spent a happy hour pulling out all the hot colour range that Juliet wanted, trying to find ones that worked well together.  We both loved the iridescent glass (obviously the most expensive)!  Rita and David were very patient - It took a while but eventually we came up with a combination which I think will look stunning and Juliet seemed very excited about.  Unfortunately the pieces were mostly too small so they will need to order more but the most important colour - bright orange - might be difficult to obtain so we wait with baited breath....  It's great to collaborate with someone with similar taste and we have come up with something I'm looking forward to working on.  

The problem now is finding a good base to make the mosaic on.  Originally I planned to make it on mesh and press it into tile adhesive on the wall.  That would have been permanent and secure but  technically difficult for several reasons so I am pleased that Juliet wants to be able to take it with her if the family move house.  This means I have to make it on some kind of board that can be screwed to the wall.  Wood is not good outside - even marine ply wouldn't cope with the conditions a few yards from the sea so after lots of online searching I'm going to see if tile backer board is suitable - I understand it is a thin sheet of concrete which can be cut to size.  Then the next problem will be working out a way to securely fix the numbers whilst making them removable.  What are the chances they'd move to another 123?!

Art Deco Fan design

I'm glad Juliet prefers the Art Deco fan design as I do too - also because it will need large pieces which she had said she preferred.   I enlarged the two versions and played with the numbers ready to show her on Saturday.