Mosaic of Experiences

"Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are 

only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage.

 Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest 

essence, something helpless that wants our love." 

— Rainer Maria Rilke

Well, for the love of mosaic I went to Ann Arbor last week and helped one of my long time mentors with his commissioned artwork at the Summers Knoll School. Martin Cheek spent many weeks creating his mosaic called Danny the Dragon which was a compilation of drawings from the kids at the school. Here is the Facebook link to Martin Cheek's Latest Commission.

Martin is coming to A Work of Art Studio in April to teach a weekend mosaic workshop, there is still space if you are interested.

Now, a little background: Somehow Martin and I became friends on Facebook. I got an email from a glass factory that was hosting him for a mosaic workshop. I asked him about it and he not only sent me his 2014 USA tour schedule, he told me that he had a weekend free. That began my planning of his mosaic workshop at A Work of Art Studio. While chatting about our workshop I noticed that he was busy with this commission and asked if he needed help, which he replied, "It won't be fun, it is hard work." He didn't know me very well. Without further ado, here is the installation process of Martin's dragon:

 Laying out the meshed mosaic pattern and deciding where the starting point on the wall is located.

#Laticrete wonderfully donated the adhesive and grout for the project. It has great hold and tack.

 

 

Cleaning excess adhesive from the mosaic surface with vinegar and a scrubby sponge and eventually with a paper clip to leave room for grout.

 Dragon Selfie

"Our lives are unique stones in the mosaic of human existence -- priceless and irreplaceable." 

— Henri J.M. Nouwen

Martin and I smearing the grout into all the crevices between tiles and glass fusions. Because the glass fusions are so textured and bumpy we ended up using our gloved hands. The grout was a lovely chocolate color.

 

Because the glass fusions were so rounded and wonderfully textured, we scraped around most of them to allow them to stand out and give the dragon more depth.

 Martin Cheek and Molly Moblo Perusse after a long day's work. What a handsome devil; and Martin isn't bad, either.

If you like this mosaic you should check out Martin's other amazing artworks at his website:

http://www.martincheek.co.uk 

 And call or email today to book your spot at his mosaic weekend workshop at A Work of Art Studio! www.aworkofartstudio.com, A Work of Art Studio: 989-352-8222

Summer Evening Stroll

"If you never stepped on anybody's toes, 

you never been for a walk." 

— Barbara Kingsolver (Prodigal Summer)

I have always been fascinated with my little town cemetery. I played there as a child, rode bike around the curves in the road and down the large hill at the entrance again and again. I met one of my best friends walking to kindergarden because she came from the cemetery road where she lived in a house right outside the gates. I loved this prime chunk of land on the edge of our lake and wondered if someday I would have a lake view. Some of the same trees grow there, crabapples that we used to climb and ravage fruit from to throw at each other. I made a mental note on my stroll tonight to check if crabapples were edible because we used to chew on them as kids.

I always wondered how my friend could sleep in her bed in her house right on the edge of that cemetery without the "Bogey Man" visiting her every night. I had enough trouble being scared of the dark and monsters under the bed that I didn't need to live within shouting distance of the ghosties. I very often run through the graveyard with my dog leashed to my waist; he knows my exact route and keeps it unless he needs a necessary pitstop. While we were running today I decided to come back near sunset and photograph some of my favorite spots and stones. So, without further delay...

 I also wanted to ride around the lake and check out the scenery from the "living" section of town.

 This is where I ended my picture tour, at my shop in the middle of town, a lovely spot to grab the last of the day's sun. I am so blessed to walk, run and ride through this little beauty of a town whenever I have the energy. It never disappoints in blessing me and refilling my empty cup.

"I'd give all the wealth that years have piled, 

the slow result of life's decay,

 
To be once more a little child for one bright summer day." 

— Lewis Carroll