Pet Portrait

I haven't done very many small projects recently.  I do like a variety, so I was happy to take this small pet portrait commission recently.  The client's photos were not very good, and the pet had passed away several years ago.  I found a reuse clock frame at the Scrap Exchange, and had a couple great pieces of orangey-brown stained glass already in my mosaic stash.  The pupils do have an iridescence to them, although doesn't show on this photo for a great glossy touch.  The glue is still drying, and I will be grouting it, so not 100% completed, but it shows a great expressiveness, and I wanted to share.  The piece is smallish, about 7x7" without the frame.  Not sure why it loaded sideways...but I kinda like it.

The School for Creative Studies

This week I've been working with some fantastic folks at The School for Creative Studies, a new DPS 6-12 year round choice school.  The Principal Renee Price,  Asst Principal Andrea Hundredmark, and Instructional Facilitator Rita Rathbone,  are all women I have known (previously) at my own childrens' schools, and are leading the dynamic administrative team at SCS.  They asked me about creating a mosaic for the front desk, and I jumped on board, organizing and planning for a volunteer making day, as well as the installation.  We had administrators, teachers, and families all working together to create the logo in mosaic.

Today was grout day, with a final cleaning tomorrow.  What a great impact this will have for the front office visitors, and a fantastic project to begin the new school year...!!

Little Middle 2013

One of my favorite weeks of the summer is the Little Middle week at John C Campbell Folk School.  It's one of only two weeks that children take classes at this incredible creative arts vacation school/camp for adults.  This week is sold out every year with long waiting lists, and I have been so happy to share mosaics for 4 years now.  Each day I see the same 4 groups of 12 kids, first grade-5th, and this year I had a bonus kid to make 49 total. We did paper mosaics the first day to get the hang of using shapes instead of lines.

Alphabet cement blocks, like mini-stepping stones were the most fun.  Groups had to collaborate together to design and execute large mosaic sun catchers.  Unfortunately we had big rain downpours almost every day, but lots of smiles, hugs, and awesome art.

I'll be teaching an adult week in October, which will be a great experience too.  But, Little Middle holds a special place in my heart.

last chance

 

If you didn't get a chance to see my exhibit, "layers", this weekend is your last chance!  

North Carolina School of Science and Math, Durham NC, ETC Auditorium Lobby

NCSSM has several year end FREE student events happening as well:

NCSSM Annual Concerto Concert, May 11, 2013, 2:00 PM  ETC Auditorium

Spring Drama Production: A Weekend of Shakespeare, May 10,11,12 2013, Reynolds Circle in front of Watts Hall (Broad Street side of campus)

o    7:00 Show on Friday and Saturday

o    3:30 Show on Sunday

 Spring Choral/Vocal  Department Mother's Day Recital, May 12, 2:00 PM, 2012

o    Featuring NCSSM Chorale and Voice Students

o NCSSM Bryan Lobby

Alternate View

This year's Scrapel Hill exhibit opens next week.  I installed my recycled/scrap/repurposed sculpture today at the University Mall in Chapel Hill.  It is titled "Alternate View" and uses scrap and discarded mirror, reconfigured into prisms, to give viewers an opportunity to see unique kaleidoscope/mosaic fractured images through the sculpture.  There is a bit of mirror mosaic decoration, but mainly the idea is the deconstruction and reconfiguration of images with each passing glance, changing light, and who or what is on the other side.

The first photo is the lower prism complex which is at a child's height, and has 42 prisms each made with three 12x2" mirrors (cut from scrap/discards).  You are seeing Frank, the Footlocker employee, who was very supportive of my Flytrap piece last year.  His iconic Footlocker stripes looked extra cool in the prisms.

The second photo is looking at the University Mall banner thru the upper prism complex (adult height) with 12 12x3" prisms.

The prisms are housed in discarded foam coolers with applied fiberglass and cement to make each piece durable, finished, and suitable for stacking/support of the mirrors.  There are pvc sections within each so they can be attached together and to the cafe table base (perfectly good, which my Dad rescued from a dumpster).

Please go check out this exhibit, which will run from April -August.  Plenty of time, no excuse to miss rethinking about the items in your garbage can....

120 million

 Last week I took a quick trip to NYC with my 13 yr old son.  I told him that he could pick the things he wanted to see/do, with one exception:  one art museum for no more than 2 hrs.  I decided on Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) since I had been to the Guggenheim, and Metropolitan Museum of Art in previous years.  My NYC guidebook suggested going straight to the 5th floor and working down.  Just the 5th floor was totally worth it.  Each work is recognizable, and many of them are iconic such as "The Scream".  This is one of the 4 originals, pastel, that sold last year for an incredible 120 million dollars at auction.  120 MILLION.

Who knows how much "Starry Night" would bring???!!!  It was there too.  Yes, the REAL one.  Right there in front of us.  It was busy at the museum, but as you can see by my pics, we were up close and personal with these incredible works of art.  In fact, I was shocked that photography was allowed at all. 

This Monet "Water Lilies" version took 12 years to paint.  It was huge.

There were a ton of Picasso works, this one was bright and bold, and instantly recognizable.  They also had the boy with horse, musicians, and several others that anyone would know as a Picasso.

'

 This is the only work of Freida Kahlo's they had currently on display, it had a very ornate mirrored frame that was hard to photograph.

This Matisse was also very large, and what an impact it had in that space!

Each floor of the MOMA had treasures, but eventually Austin was making comments such as, "Mom, isn't that just green paint on cardboard, like the samples you  get at Lowes?"  I knew my time at MOMA was up.  Such a sweet boy, he did voice his opinion that my "Flytrap" was at least better than that.... sigh. 

something to ponder

metal electrical discard, faucet handle, screws, glow in the dark glass, milifiore