Spring in Texas, 2012

Just finished two small wall hangings and a pitcher, all with a butterfly motif. Working on a butterfly/nature scene to donate to a suicide prevention center. I took this pic today of a mosaic totem I made in 2009 and bluebonnets.

Mosaic tequila bottle, finished

(Before and after -- click on the photo to enlarge)

March - in like a lamb!

Okay!  March is here.  Yay!  In my last post I complained about the bitter cold weather and how it sapped my creative energy.  Well, after the weather improved, we all came down with the flu, which lasted about ten days.  I started feeling human again yesterday.  So here's a photo of the tequila bottle that I amused myself with while waiting for a bolt of inspiration, and also a photo of a pendant I made for a friend's mother.  There's a story behind this pendant.  Her mother was moving to a smaller place and weeding out stuff.  Her friend had mailed her a tea set from Japan and it arrived with half the pieces broken.  She started to throw it out and my friend said, "Wait, let me have that for Silva; she mosaics."   So we ordered two silver plated pendants from Etsy and I cut a couple of pieces from the tea set.  The pendant she chose was a large square and the image captured in it was a white sacred crane on a chocolate and bronze background.   I didn't get a picture of it.  This is the other one; the one I kept.  The tequila bottle is ready to be grouted.  I am going to wrap a heavy duty textured ribbon around the neck and paint it.

I am about to get busy again.  A friend is having an open house in April called "The Art in Women" and I will have a display table there.  The fifth graders at Bee Cave Elementary will be creating a mosaic bird bath for their butterfly garden and I will be helping with that, starting about the middle of March.  So it's time to shake off the winter doldrums. 

Candle picture finished - click to enlarge the image

©2009, Silva Hayes, Five Candles

I changed the border from tiles to randomly shaped cobalt blue stained glass and removed the backing. I am happy with it!!

Candles, stained glass mosaic wall hanging

First, a framed print from a thrift shop. I removed the back and discarded the print and replaced the mat and the backing using a tool that shoots points into the frame. I used GE Silicone 2 clear for windows and doors and working from the front, I siliconed the glass to the frame. Next, I will mosaic directly to the glass, again using the silicone as an adhesive, then grout, then seal, and voila, I will have a piece that is already framed and has a hangar on the back. I am using some of the special Vancouver, WA glass for the candles and background, and a translucent vitreous glass tile nipped into halves for the blue border. Right now, I am tumbling all the glass and tile for about 45 minutes in the rock tumbler, just to smooth the sharp edges a bit. I will probably use pale brown grout and will probably paint over it with metallic paints.

Glass Totem body grouted, another view

The sun just came out so I took another photo: