It’s been far too long since my last post. The last quarter of 2020 was marked by the passing of my Grandmother (“Grammy”) Beverly Frederick. Pair that with the ongoing ‘rona lockdown, work and other adulting, there wasn’t much energy left for creativity. But the highlight of the quarter was that we were able to have a small family Thanksgiving together and that was a nice change of pace. After that Beth and I kept a low-profile over Christmas and New Years. Just the two of us and the pup, we celebrated Christmas with Beth’s family via a Zoom call earlier this month.

Mosaic - a New Medium to Explore

The creative craft bug bit me with an interest in mosaic work. I started with two smaller projects and then proceeded with a larger piece - a 20” round tabletop. There are a lot of methods and techniques, and am enjoying exploring them. It has been some time since I started in a new medium and I especially like the “Glass On Glass” (GOG) technique. The medium itself is a nice blend of process, practice and improvisation. Lots of learning as I go, and there are groups on Facebook with significant knowledge to share and helpful group members.

Learn As You Go

My first mosaic piece, “Citrus Sun”, a Glass On Glass technique with stained glass on top of a mirrored glass and then grouted. The colors really pop and feel light and bright, definitely needed. There will be more of these!

The second test piece, this is on tileboard (cement backer board). It’s functional art, but its real function was learning. Some of this glass has an iridescent surface and really changes as the light around it and your point of view changes. I look at some of the imperfections and as much as they give me unrest, I also like the liveliness that they add.

Time for the Tabletop

First I made a full-size drawing of a compass rose. Then I transferred that to the cut tileboard with transfer paper (think artsy carbon paper). Next it was time to start cutting and fitting glass followed by more cutting and fitting. I started by setting the outside ring of tessera and then the inside. Then it is just a matter of repeating the cutting/fitting/setting process. The thinset gives you some working time to adjust spacing and placement - and to keep everything clean and clear of excess. There are different cutters/nippers/pliers and files used along the way. As this was a tabletop, I softened the exterior edges of the table with a diamond file once the thinset was hardened. The file comes in very handy to dull some of the sharper edges as you work with the glass.

Once all of the tessera is in place and dried it is time to grout. This step of the process has a nice blend of anxiety and anticipation. I’m relatively happy with how this piece grouted, but there’s definitely learning opportunities all around that part of the process.

Learned a lot along the way, made some mistakes but didn’t draw any significant amount of blood, so that’s a definite win!

These number’s number is up…

So while I was working on the Yarden project above I also had this in the works… Our house’s house numbers were a bit, eh, “frumpy”, so I enjoyed setting the numbers and repurposing the old frame.

Yarden, Phase 2

Over the Christmas break I started the next phase in the Yarden project. That included a small retaining wall above the sprinkler box and a full run of steps with a platform on the little hill in the backyard. It was literally “one step at a time” as I figured it out as I went. I finished it up with a railing and a more convenient place for the water spigot. Now it’s much easier–and safer–to get up and down the hill. We’re planning on a variety of sage and rosemary plants along the hill for the next phase.