Octopus Mosaic

Check out these tiny glass fish I found at the bead store! Love them!

This mosaic is the largest so far at 38" x 17". The challenge was finding orange glass scraps. In the end I started running out and opted to use red, another color equally difficult to find. The quest for color, besides each step of the process, takes an enormous amount of patience, but it was worth the wait. I love the oranges and reds against the blues. The brightness is pure happiness. Fun!

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!

The Mosaic Show

Mosaics are fascinating, and new, and strange. Unlike most art forms, there are different "compositions" for each mosaic: 1) What one sees on the surface if place upon a white background. 2) What one sees when it hangs in the window with light reflecting through the glass.  3) For mosaics with black grout, what one sees when the mosaic is hanging in a dark window at night. For instance, the moon on the mosaic below is grouted with white and the remainder of the composition is grouted in black. This is the "surface" photo. The mosaic is laying on a white floor. You can see the white moon, the purple frame, and a little of the colored glass pieces.

The photograph below is the same mosaic in a window with light showing through. The white grout of the moon shows gray, but the glass pieces are vibrant with the black outlines reminiscent of stained glass windows. The frame virtually disappears to black in the brightness, however, most of my frames I painted to match the glass colors when light is showing through so the purple of the tree is the same color as the frame.

Here is the same mosaic hanging in a dark window although the flash of my camera did brighten it up a bit. As you can see, the purple frame is dominant and if it wasn't for the white-grouted, but clear moon, the composition practically disappears! So weird.

Everything I read says black grout is the way to go as it serves as outlines although some prefer gray and even other artists prefer colors like rust or dark purple. They say white grout tends to be too bright and stark, but given these various lighting examples, I prefer it. It shows dark gray with light reflecting from behind and maintains the composition at night. I'm not sure I like a window decoration to black out at night.

Black grout is also scary when one has white tile floors! Grouting is messy. It's like slinging mud all over and I'm doing it in my kitchen. In the middle of grouting the above mosaic which was my first black grout experiment, I realized if I dropped just one little piece of grout on the floor it might stain the floor! Eeeww...I'm growing more fond of white grout every day, although I am still experimenting with various colors.

My Very First Online Mosaic Show

All mosaics are photographed with a white background which allow one to see the frame color, grout color, and basic glass shapes and for some I included the view through light.

"Sunflower"

"Daffodils"

"The Fall"

"Mt. Rainier"

"America"

"Blue Rose Window"

"Medicine Wheel"

"Heart-Broken"

"Love Grows"

"Dandelions and Dragonfly"

"I'd Rather Be Dead than Decaffeinated, or
Caffeine-Induced Depression"
Because this is abstract and the frame
is unusually thick and wide,
I decided to decorate the sides:

...with coffee cups.

"Paradise" (or "My Garden")
If you are wondering why it has four hangers
I couldn't decide how I wanted to hang it, horizontal or
vertical. I couldn't put only two hangers so I just added
one to each side. (Think of them as vines or stems....)

"The Final Frontier"

I have one more to finish, but it's a big one, and many more ideas and plans! So fun.

2018: Review and Resolution

2018 seemed to go like the speed of light. Maybe I think and say that every year? I've been feeling negative lately which makes it difficult to view the past twelve months objectively, but I'll try!

GOOD THINGS:

DIY house repairs. This year I finished painting the sides of my house, sawed a hole in the roof for added ventilation, replaced a fence post and repaired fence parts, lined the last closet, silver sealed my dormer roof (in blazing 90 degree weather), fixed a gutter (in a thunderstorm), and prepped the garage for painting although didn't quite get to it. I paid absolutely no one money for substandard construction. I'm very proud of myself.

Health care avoidance. I've managed to avoid doctors and medical professionals of all kind for the last eight months. This is after eight months of incompetence overexposure, however, so I plan to avoid any and all for the rest of my life to make up for the trauma.

The Dems. Crazy liberals. Snowflakes. We saw the election of some great people in politics, people destined to change the course of America. People like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who is incredibly capable and intelligent with way more panache and energy than any of the old Republican guard. She's quick with the tweets and is going to kick ass. Also, Beto O'Rourke. I enjoy listening to his speeches. Watching Kamala Harris demand answers from the rapist pig during the Senate hearing made my heart sing. If she runs for president in 2020, she's got my vote. We need a strong woman leading the country. (Why do they call Democrats snowflakes? I've never figured that out. Snowflakes are miracles of nature, every one of them different and beautiful. Ummm....)

My blog. I love conversing with myself. It's great therapy. Thank you to anyone who might wander into it accidentally.

Free stuff, cheap stuff. The garage, yard and estate sales were outstanding this year!!

Jazz. I found a really cool jazz radio station online www.jazzradio.com and I listen to it all the time. Wonderful. So soothing.

New neighbor! New GOOD neighbor. No barking dogs. He removes the leaves from his tree off my driveway. He lets me dump my compost over his cliff. He gives me things. Wow. I forgot what good neighbors are like. I hope he doesn't change. Rathole does that to a person.

Fragrance-free friends. They are few and far between, sometimes in different countries, but I appreciate all the email correspondence, support, and kindness. They don't realize how much they contribute to my quality of life even those who rarely write. When they do it's lovely and makes me feel alive.

Glass on glass mosaics. OMG! Mosaics are so fun...alternating with frustration which kind of adds to the adventure. Patience has never been my strong suit and it is the number one skill one needs to master this art form although I can tell mastery will take me a lifetime. Glass doesn't always do what you want. Still, mosaics have replaced every substandard strategy for entertainment I've attempted as of late out in the middle of no where. The colors are so cheerful and the patterns so beautiful. It has provided me all kinds of joy.

"America"

IN THE MIDDLE:

Mosaics. I really should put mosaics not really here, in between good and bad. First, the tools and supplies are incredibly expensive. Second, my house is a disaster with most of my living room a workroom, the kitchen a process room, and my office a planning room. Just today I looked around for a surface and used the clothes dryer. What a mess!

Living Room. Most of the furniture has been moved out.

One of the kitchen tables. 

The other kitchen table...I've run out of tables. I keep eyeing the large
art tables out in my garage, but they are too heavy to move.
I've tried...twice! LOL!

Third, it is one of the most dangerous crafts I've ever encountered! So far my thumb got infected, swelled and the nerves were damaged for a couple weeks. I lacerated a finger nearly off on a piece of dirty, broken glass which gushed blood for about a half hour. The thumbs and first two fingers of both hands have callouses and scars from all the cuts and the wire I use to hang the mosaics is sharp and pokey which causes bleeding. I found some nitrile surgical gloves that are small, thick and tight and often cover my fingers with bandaids for protection. I also have to wear glasses to protect my eyes from the flying shards of glass and be very careful where I walk since these sharp shards of glass are all over my floors and must be constantly swept or vacuumed. Good god! No one ever talks about the risks and I often wonder if the risks are worth it, but I keep persevering! And of course, I'm pretty sure this is another creative endeavor that will uncontrollably reproduce itself and then get shoved into the back of a closet in a box never to be seen again (keeping all the other art things company). Until then, I'm having fun...and mosaics are still on my "Good Things" list!

Work. I like money. My eyes didn't fail me this year and neither did any other body parts.

Health. Everything seems to be working right now. Knock on wood. Eight months ago this was not the case. I recently read a book called Natural Causes by Barbara Ehrenreich about how we are unnecessarily preoccupied with keeping ourselves alive. As a biochemical researcher, her theory is once we get to a certain age our bodies are TRYING to self-destruct. It's the way organisms work. The older, less capable, less effective bodies make way for the younger so the species survives. Our bodies are not "holistic" as new-age doctors want you to believe and she gives the autoimmune diseases as an example along with inflammatory-based diseases such as Alzheimer's and atherosclerosis where our own cells are bent on destruction. On purpose! The money-making marketing of the health industry wants you to believe otherwise so you'll spend your dollars on exercise equipment, gym memberships, fancy foods, fad diets, and lots of DOCTORS and DRUGS in an attempt to defy the inevitable. There is no such thing as age-reversing. Great book and perspective. Like the author who has decided against future, unnecessary medical visits, I'm done....

BAD THINGS:

Health care. Useless, substandard, expensive, waste of time. This year was the worst. I saw at least a dozen doctors this year before I called it quits: three naturopaths, one functional medicine, three conventional twits, two eye doctors, one gastroenterologist, several radiologists, and one acupuncturist. And the hospital visit. Not one could diagnose me correctly nor offer any relief of any kind for anything.  I've assessed the last twenty years, most of it spent in the throes of MCS, and have realized not one medical professional has ever helped me with anything. NOTHING. The closest was my ex-environmental medicine doctor who provided a diagnosis and understanding, but prescribed "avoidance" as the only remedy. Sorry...not much of a solution, but perhaps the only solution until research gets its ass in gear. I am thankful for books and the internet and the ability to read or I'd be in misery.

People. I have come to the conclusion I hate people. Maybe I always did? I used to think most people were basically good, honest, kind, loyal, caring, but veered toward bad as an exception. I don't believe this anymore. I've always known they were disappointing, but I'm inclined to think they are useless and often evil on so many levels.  In my quest for new friendships and meaningful relationships searching both in my community and online, I've encountered way too much self-centeredness, selfishness, dishonesty, and stupidity. It makes me wonder if I've just become too intolerant. Maybe. Perhaps forgiving and settling for too long and now tired of it? Is this just how our society is now, everyone focused on themselves and what they can get from others? A culture of misery? Trumpism? Or maybe there are just no quality people in Rathole? And after each bad experience it makes me thankful I have the option to be alone. I'd rather be alone than deal with most humans. It makes me think I should get a dog.

Sexism. The Kavanaugh hearing was an eye-opener. We think as a society we have progressed into a civilization that honors all human dignity, but clearly women are still second-class citizens perceived as objects to be used, abused and thrown away. How someone like that can be nominated to the Supreme Court is shocking. But again, look who's president...

Dump. What a failure. What an embarrassment. Every step of the way he lies, manipulates, deflects, and insults. The ultimate immature, unprofessional man-baby. Clearly his agenda is to destroy our country by making us the laughing stock of the world as he spews his hate and ignorance. I pray he is arrested and imprisoned along with his sleazy cohorts and family. I'm sure all those Russian-loving, gullible imbeciles who voted for him are really proud. So shameful. How does anyone vote for such a horrible person without vomiting every time they look in the mirror?

Well, look how wonderful this year was!! I'm feeling less negative now.

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS:

1.) No doctors. Ever again.

2.) Avoid construction workers, although I am planning some plumbing and deck repairs in the near future so I guess I can't completely cross them off my list.

3.) Find some more friends. Although this was last year's resolution and I failed miserably at it, I haven't given up all hope. There must be someone out there who shares my ideals, can be fragrance-free, and wants to have some friendship fun.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Mosaics

I am off dabbling again in a new art form. Lately art doesn't feel interesting. In fact most of the time it feels very frustrating, stressful, and judgmental as it demands perfection. Last summer I went on an artist tour and met a mosaic artist...

MOSAICS! For a long time I've had a book on how to do mosaics, but I didn't know how to get started. The investment in supplies is very expensive so I felt the need for a test run and to see if any of the materials are toxic. This mosaic artist offers lessons in her studio, but it's not a classroom, more like a free studio time so you get one-on-one instruction. She doesn't wear scented products because she's a bit sensitive and doesn't like them. However, others who are using her studio, for instance, those also getting private instruction and visitors from off the street who walk in to see her gallery are a constant risk. The first time I went in there was only myself, the mosaic artist, and one other non-stinker working on her first project. Very nice!

For my first project I selected a 5 x 7 frame which is the smallest and lowest cost at $25. I drew a simple design on the glass, and started breaking glass and gluing! It's like doing a puzzle of patterns only you get to make the pieces! Wait for it to dry, add the grout, then paint the frame (optional) and add a hanger.

The glues aren't too bad. The main glue is like Elmer's, but the E6000 for heavy pieces or additions is really toxic, but optional if one doesn't use added or heavy pieces. The grout doesn't bother me. I painted the frame so that's a toxicity issue, but it is a small part of the project and optional, although I like painted frames. The glass and beads are totally non-toxic, although I did stab myself one day with a chard of glass.

My design is a sunflower with purple background and green tendrils. Above it is hanging in the window so it's a bit hard to see, but it's all about the light. I love the light play with these mosaics.

Here it is in indoor light on a surface:

I made it for my bathroom which is purple and yellow. That was my first mistake. I didn't realize the textured glass in that bathroom is tinted blue so the sunflower looks green when hanging in the bathroom. And then there are all the other design problems....ugh! That's OK. It was a learning experience.

So I've been collecting frames (free from yard sales, etc.), collecting colored glassware for breaking, and I dug my old window frames out of the spider-invested dark corners of the garage for some larger ideas when I get some more practice behind me. I'm psyched! It's going to be a huge investment in glass supplies and tools. I'm not sure where to do this. The garage is too cold in the winter and there is no way I'm going to have broken glass all over my house. Still planning. It might end up to be only summer entertainment.

I'm happy to be happy with art again!

So joyful!!!