Weeds and Seeds (mosaic)

This is my latest mosaic. I've moved to the big formats which is scary. I have four antique window frames I was given years ago that had been stored in my garage doing nothing for too long. There are two at this size, 22" x 22" and two at 22" x 40", one horizontal and the other vertical.

They were a mess when I got them, layers of multi-colored paints from years of living. I stripped them. This also involved trying to remove the old window glazing that cemented into place. I worked on them for months although one of the windows I cracked and the glaze still remains. I also attempted to remove the rusty hardware to no avail. Stuck for eternity, but it has character...and history. How many people used those handles to open and shut the windows over the years? So I tried removing the rust off the hardware with every product imaginable. I can clean the metal well, but the rusty color remains. OK. I can work with that.

They have definitely tried my patience, but I love the frames' personalities. I love how they are so darn stubborn refusing to be modernized. So instead of painting them with unnaturally cheerful and youthful colors which I think would look hideous with the old metal hardware, I polyurethaned them so they are shiny, but retain their age-old wisdom.

Due to the old, antique, worn wood look I decided to use it as a theme in design and color, hence, the title Weeds and Seeds. It features what is supposed to be a (my) garden after its summer prime, in the throes of autumn death: brown, blacks, yellows, oranges and whites with seeds spilling all over.

The composition went crazy with a mind of its own. I'm not sure what happened but it definitely got away from me and by the time I realized it, I was too tired to give up or change it. It's interesting for sure. Not colors I'd normally use. If you look closely you can see dandelion poofs, poppy pods, thistle pods, rose hips, brown stalks, nigella pods, calendula seeds, borage pods, hollyhock seeds, Lily of the Nile skeletons, and a few grass stalks. Weird, but I love it. I like a tribute to my dead garden because there is so much life even when all that remains are bones.

In the "surface" photo below you can see a better view of the antique frame. I used white grout only because I was afraid something dark would shade the dark browns too much. You can see some of the remnants of the old turquoise paint on the frame...which is why there are splashes of turquoise in the design.

I plan to mosaic the matching frame with the same theme although hopefully less crazy and different plants.

SO FUN!