Sometimes I like to transition from working with Glass Art to Mosiac Art. Some of their processes overlap. Instead of foiling and soldering broken glass pieces and found objects together I can work with the same materials but lay out the design in grout.  

 I had the circular table on the right already. The octogon shaped table top was something I had picked up at my favorite nick-nack antique thrift store called Green's Corner. I had considered taking out the plastic center and creating a stained glass design in the center but one day I realized that the octogon table fit perfectly on the round table. I decided I would mosiac the octogon table and use it for the final table top.  

 The piece in the center was a leftover glass lid. I had lots of scraps of orange glass to use and then incorporated blue glass circular gems and star shaped gems around the edge and center.

This is only my fourth mosiac art project, so I am still learning. It provides a nice alternative to my glass art sometimes.

Chunky Red Cross in the natural sunlight....

Crosses heading to Taos, New Mexico

 The owner of The Walden Fine Art Gallery requested more red crosses to sell in her gallery.  All three crosses were made with red and amber glass. Ceramic plates were broken and added along with 3 black speckled pebbles purchased from a rock store, glass gems of gold, sienna, and red were also soldered into the design. Black patina applied. Materials came from Oklahoma, Colorado, Missouri, Tennessee, and California.  

 Chunky Red  - 15 inches tall and 12 inches across.

 Red Plate Cross - 15 1/2 inches tall and 10 inches wide.

 Golden Brown and Red Cross - 18 inches tall and 16 inches wide.  This one has a large geode in the center.

 Close up shot of more detail. These crosses have an eclectic collection of broken ceramic plates, gold, red, and sienna glass gems with blacked speckled pebbles and marble glass from Missouri.

Crosses were stained with a black patina which gives the dark lines throughout each design.

My first formal painting class with Artist, Thomas Stotts

 This is what Thomas Stotts demonstrated for us first before we did anything.  This is an image of an adobe hut in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

He showed us how to loosely sketch the image on the canvas first. This is mine.

 

 This is the first layer of acrylic. There will be more as we create more depth by adding layers of acrylic colors. The class last four weeks and I am having so much fun, learning so much. This is right for me now.

Been doing some traveling....

Dallas, Texas

Glad to be home...but for three months, I traveled eleven weeks and visited eleven different states.  I am an independent contractor and my works takes me to many different places. I am thankful to be home for awhile. There is no place like home.

Been doing some traveling....(continued)

Santa Fe, New Mexico. A dream opportunity getting to "work" while in an art rich environment.  

Crow Agency, Montana. I remember I brought my boots that I have had for eleven years. The zipper broke. I had already had both zippers replaced, the sued sewn up twice and the soles were wearing thin. I decided to leave them in Montana as their final resting place. I slung them up over a sign in the middle of no where.   

Visited the Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings, Montana. Art! YAY!

Binghampton, New York. This was an old town with narrow two lane streets thru town and  neighborhoods where people lived in big old houses. The small city had just overcome a major flood. There was a Dunkin Donuts nearby though..;-)

  
Portland, Oregon.  Lots of things to love about this place.

Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, The Twin Cities. Remember getting the rental car about 9:30pm and feeling anxious in finding my way to my hotel (30 minutes away). My angels were looking out for me. When I walked to the desk, there was a colleague in the same situation. Driving together on five lane highway thru the large metropolitan area was a blessing.

Manchester, New Hampshire. Had lunch with my friend Jerry and his wife, Sandy. This was my last job and I was ready to go home.

Been doing some traveling....(continued)

Boyhood home of Mark Twain. Hannibal, Missouri. Toured the museum while there. Later watched a three and a half hour autobiography during an eight hour layover in the airport.

I remember factories in Steelville, Illinois. At lunch the whole town was busy with people in white clothes. They made pasta there among other things.

Holly Springs, Mississippi. Long drives back and forth to the hotel & work-site but met two new friends and we walked four miles most everyday there on a track near the hotel.

Book Store in Cookeville, Tennessee. Can't remember much.