Craft Fair in aid of the Suki Woodland Trust

Brilliant fair at Stony Stratford yesterday despite the rain which produced a magnificent array of umbrella designs and styles on show but in true British fashion didn't deter the many visitors in search of Christmas presents. Lovely fellow crafters with some wonderful stuff on sale. Big thanks to Cherry and family who organised the fair and of course to all those who kindly bought a mosaic or gave me feedback. It was great to pack up boxes considerably lighter at the end of the fair than when I set up! Here's the link to the charity; such a sad story but one which has produced a determination to make something good happen. http://www.sukiwoodlandtrust.org/
Talking to all the visitors to the fair gave me some great ideas for future mosaics so watch this space!

Sleeping Fox

Autumn seems the right time of year for foxes even though I realise that they're active all year - and as prevalent in cities as in the countryside these days. This one is a special fox though. He's sleeping serenely in the garden dreaming his own foxy dreams waiting to be collected by his new owner Alison when her garden is ready to receive permanent guests.

A Friend for George

After making the little mosaic monkey called George it seemed only fair to make him a friend. Here's Louisa, another cheeky little monkey now in place.

Shabby Chic Mosaic Clock

One if the joys of mosaic making for me and others like me is being able to breathe new life into discarded bits and pieces. Using broken china in mosaic is known as Pique Assiette, sometimes spelt as Picassiette. It's literal translation is a not very polite way of calling someone a 'thief of plates' and it originated with a  chap called Raymond Isidore who covered the inside and outside of his house in Chartres with broken china mosaic. His neighbours apparently weren't too keen on what he was doing hence the nickname. Today there are devotees of the style; those who hate it and don't think it's proper mosaic at all; those who incorporate it with other elements in their work and of course every shade of opinion inbetween. Personally I enjoy seeing china plates, especially the old patterns that turn up in charity shops and the backs of kitchen cupboards unwanted and unloved, put to a new use. This week I've used one such plate to revitalise another piece in need of a new lease of life - in this case a clock, so here's my shabby chic clock, made in the French style of pique assiette but with an old English plate!

George and the Palm Tree

It's been a while since my last post. The long lazy days of summer are more conducive to time outside than inside sitting at the computer - that's my excuse anyway and I'm sticking to it!

For some time I've been planning to add to the mosaics on my long garden wall and this summer I've started with creating a little cheeky monkey to sit by the palm tree. He's been christened George and here he is just after I'd grouted him.

Next project might well be a climbing monkey for the other side of the tree!

Hatfield House Garden Show June 2013

Brilliant three days at Hatfield thanks in no small part to kind weather and  a beautiful venue. I loved talking to all the people who dropped by the stall and had a great time enjoying the atmosphere, not to mention the absolutely fabulous chocolate on the next stand to me! If you, like me before this event, don't believe that chocolates made without cream, butter or eggs could taste out of this world wonderful you have to try them. Here's their website www.the-chocolatier.co.uk

Big thanks to all those who bought a mosaic, and also to those kind enough to say they like them. It means a lot that people enjoy the work I produce. Here's a photo of the stand just after it was set up.

You'll note the new banner I made for the show - some people liked the banner as much as the mosaics!

Back to work now on a commission where the deadline is looming - but the sun is still shining and that makes everything seem possible. Details of the commission coming soon in my next post.

And this time next week...........

Although this is a Bank Holiday weekend here in the UK I'm very focussed on next weekend because it's the  3 day show at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire and I'll be there with my mosaics in the craft area. If the sun shines as it is today it looks to be a fabulous day out with all sorts of attractions to keep everyone engaged and happy. Here's the link:
http://www.hatfield-house.co.uk/events.asp?id=11&Events-and-Exhibitions

Do come and see me there!

Flitwick Fair April 2013

Yesterday was an experiment in trying a new local Craft and Vintage Fair on what turned out to be a beautiful spring day. Sadly the turnout of attendees wasn't great, but those that did come included some lovely people so thank you for all your kind comments! Thanks also to my fellow stall holders from Retro Vintage Car Adverts and the Anglian Air Ambulance who do such fantastic work - you made what might otherwise have been a long day a lot more interesting. Watch this space for when the next adventure in craft fairs will be.

Sorry that the photo features the curtain in the village hall that I promise I would have stitched the hem on if only I'd had a needle and thread with me!

Dreaming of Summer

Each year when March arrives I feel that spring has arrived whatever the real weather is doing, and of course spring means that summer can't be far away. Maybe it's because I associate summer with general wellbeing as well as fun and holidays that I enjoy the anticipation. The result this year has been a mosaic inspired by those wonderful travel posters from the 1930s in which the sun always shines on an idyllic scene of relaxation with a sea view. Not yet framed, but here it is if you want to dream alongside me.

A Candle (Not) In The Wind

Part of the joy of making mosaic objects is the fun of creating the substrate, the surface or object on to which the mosaic tesserae are applied. A recent experiment with concrete moulding produced a couple of pieces which seemed the perfect size and shape for candle holders. On more than one occasion I've been frustrated by candles blowing out necessitating digging around for matches again at inconvenient moments so I decided to give them their own little storm lantern effect using a glass. I wanted something pretty and charming but not twee so used classic blue and white china grouted in white which gives them a clean simple look. Having created them for summer evenings outdoors they work just as well on a winter evening indoors!

Work in Progress

One of the great things about making mosaics is there are so many techniques to use and discover. One of my favourites is to make the mosaic on a mesh base which can then be applied to whatever substrate might suit the piece best. It's a common way of making pieces which are huge works made manageable by being made and transported in sections and it's great for me when I'm shuttling back and forth between the UK and France as I can split the process making in one country and then applying to a base in the other. I've always loved the fairy story of the Frog Prince and thought he'd make a wonderful addition to a garden so here he is sitting on his mesh base ready to be fixed to a substrate and then grouted.

The Thinking Heart

Despite the challenges brought about by the weather and a variety of interruptions I finally managed to finish the first piece of work of 2013 this morning. Admittedly the snow we had last night and this morning did make me abandon my shed for the comfort of the kitchen to do the final grouting and cleaning off but it's done!
Here's a couple of photos showing the work in progress made in reverse as outlined in the last blog. Basically reverse technique means you apply the pieces to brown paper upside down then apply adhesive to the surface and whatever substrate you're using. Once the adhesive is dry you flip the piece and soak off the brown paper revealing the right side of the mosaic. One of the perils of working this way is that many materials do not look the same - see below where the two sections which look the same here are broken ceramic tile. The real colour of these tiles is pale lilac but they look exactly the same on the back as any other ceramic tile. Colour juxtapositions can be hard to judge working like this especially on large works.

This side is called Heart of Gold as the centre is gold mirrored glass

Ignore the background as I have it on an old chopping board! This shows the head and heart motif in reverse before adhesive has been applied

Here's the final showing the thinking heart motif.

Here's the heart of gold side - you can see the lilac ceramic tiles in all their glory now!

New Year, New Mosaic Challenges

Happy New Year to everyone reading the blog. 2013 already, and the wet and dreary weather is not conducive to spending time in my shed come workshop but I'm so engaged  in the piece I'm working on that I've been layering up in warm clothing and getting on with it. I should also mention that glass hates being cut when it's cold and it shatters and splinters more easily so my running commentary that I keep up to myself when working has been using words best kept private!
The piece I'm working on currently is a heart shaped form incorporating a head and brain design. Odd topic for a mosaic? Maybe so, but I'll reveal the whys and wherefores in my next blog when I hope to show a photograph of the finished work. Meantime having had a false start using a direct application method which just means applying the pieces of mosaic material face up the way they are in the finished work, I'm now using an indirect method, often called the reverse method because you make the mosaic by placing the pieces face down initially, the great benefit being that one can use different thicknesses of material and still end up with a flat finished surface. There is always the extra excitement of the big reveal when the work is turned up right side up - and hopefully all the pieces stay in place when the work is flipped over! More of that too in the next blog. Now, back outside.......