The Storm before the Calm

I was commissioned to create a mosaic for a client.  The goal of this particular mosaic was to evoke calmness upon viewing the work. I had some direction from the client: a suggestion of leaves was mentioned; the dimensions of the finished piece; and the mosaic was to go in an office that has mauve, rose and green tones.  As I continue to create art I find I learn something about myself with each piece I make.

I begin to lay out the plan I prepared on my Wediboard.  I put the letters down first.  I anticipated that the letters were going to be difficult because I wanted to make all the cuts in the glass  match up all the way across each letter.  So, no surprise there.  I added the leaves and vines, no problem.  I get to the background and I’m thinking to myself – this should be done in no time.  I was cutting, I was back-buttering my tile, I was laying them down, easy peasy! Now, imagine these sounds: a needle skipping across a record or a car slamming on its brakes, your pick.

Acck!  What happened?

I wasn’t paying attention to the direction I was heading in and I didn’t make the background line turn in a very fluid motion, the cuts in the tiles indicate a stop and start motion, not calm at all.    I have learned that it is helpful to take a picture of whatever I am working on and look at it on a computer.  I can see the flow better on a computer screen than in reality.  I start looking at the picture and I realize that instead of following my predetermined background line or andamento, I started following the line of the vine.  UGH, it’s OK, right?  I can leave it, right?

Sometimes, I have to learn a lesson more than once.  See my list of “Things I will Always Do Again below. See the first one?  If I question whether I like something or not I am doing in a mosaic, I really need to look at it and reassess because, if I have to ask the question, it means I don’t like it now and I won’t like it tomorrow.  I might as well take care of it right now.

List

That’s what I did.   I ripped out all the “offensive” parts and started over.

CALM in progress, area ripped out

This was really hard to do the first time I committed to ripping out the parts of a mosaic I didn’t like.  It’s getting easier to do.  I don’t look at it as wasted time anymore and I don’t beat myself up about having to change something.  It’s a choice.  I have to remember missteps happen, it’s part of life to start over and try again.  I think I will add that to my list.

“Calm” 19″ x10″
2013 © Libby Hintz