Kim Larson Art - Mosaics, etc

Flamingos Find A Home!

2012-01-21T15:51:00.000-08:00

Always nice when your artwork goes to a good home.

Here is my friend Julia taking possession of two of my sculptures

to add to her collection!

Pink Flamingos - Mosaic Sculptures

2011-09-16T09:38:00.000-07:00

I love creating sculpture for mosaics.

My latest project is a set of 5 pink flamingos for my front yard.

Of course I will mosaic them in an impressionistic style - so they wont necessarily be totally pink!
Besides, the pink glass I have found is not very bright.

So here are the first two of the eventual five.

This one is 24" wide x 22" tall x 3" deep

And this one is 24" wide x 22" tall x 3" deep

Their "legs" are rebar and they each stand approx 4 feet tall.

Tree Of Life is Finished!

2011-08-26T09:55:00.000-07:00

Grouting was hard. Each leaf had pieces that needed to be revealed individually. Some will be forever embedded in the grout because they were too small or flat. But they are there!
Here are some of the descriptions people gave with the piece they offered:

Broken porcelain from Pt. Isabel Dog Park

Broken eyes glasses, seeing clearly how fragile we are

Vase made by a glass-blower who knew the fragility of her work, but wouldn’t let the vase go as a gift to someone…brokenness

Bits and pieces of the ancient inhabitants of the Mediterranean and North Africa

Unglazed handle is from Ephesus and probably came from the water jug St. Paul used to quench his thirst after he preached to the Ephesians

Curved, triangular grey mottled piece from behind the big cathedral at Marsielle

Little dark-green shard from the grounds of an ancient Moroccan mosque. Green is a sacred color in Islam.

One of a pair of earrings from my mother

Pieces of love, laughter, happiness

Pieces representing pieces from the broken bowl my mother made- a life-long potter…I eat from her works daily

To be able to put the pieces touched by fear, frustration, impatience, disappointment and putting them together in the moment and speak them in love

A gift from my students

Broken flaming chalice made by a potter friend of the family from Oklahoma

An earring from Grandma Marilyn, the other lots

Pieces of the ocean so dear to us

Beads from Africa

Gem-stones represent gifts of love from our children. Now they will forever be tokens os love with & for this congregation.

I can’t drink from this anymore; the handle is gone; this is about my not drinking anymore

The treasure of memories, love present, love withdrawn, experience, sadness, all these pieces make us deep and gain understanding

A UUCB church plate rescued from the trash, meals shared here such an important part of our lives

Little deer our daughter thought she couldn’t live without, now it is broken and forgotten, but she lives on happy far away in Mexico…

Here is the tree in situ.

Here is the way it will look, approximately, after the wall is painted.

Tree Of Life

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley
See more here
and here

126" x 96"

August 2011

Unitarian Tree Of Life Mosaic, Part 2

2011-08-23T15:55:00.000-07:00

I love grouting! But I knew grouting this tree would be hard.

I knew I would need to take great pains to reveal each piece of tessarae because each piece has meaning to someone in the congregation. But within each leaf there could be a small tie clasp sitting next to a thick chunk of outdoor tile! So revealing each piece was going to be hard!

To prepare the tree for grouting, I first had filled the spaces between the leaves with black tile that had been donated.

I knew I was using black grout so these tiles would recede somewhat and help to delineate the leaf shapes.There was also too much space between most of the leaves.

Then I taped off half the tree. That is usually a painstaking process which I dread but today it wasnt so bad!

The grouting process is an artform in and of itself. It begins with an attack of the piece - covering the artwork rather violently with handfuls of colored "slop" and ends with a delicate buffing and polishing that can last for hours.

But in between is the painstaking removal of the grout that covers each and every piece of tessarae. And if one is working outdoors in the sun, the time between these steps speeds up considerably!

I love working in the sun but it means the grout dries faster, needs to be removed faster so it doesnt dry onto the tessarae. But the fast drying time means you can get to the buffing and perfecting stage faster too. And the best part is removing the tape to see the shape edges all around the piece. Love it!

I like to use dark grout and am getting to like just plain black the best. I chose it for this tree mosaic because it was the only color not used in the leaves themselves!

I knew it would also set off the jewel-tone colors in the leaves. And it creates a little bit of a stained glass look that I like too.

Mosaic Tree of Life for the Unitarian Church of Berkeley, CA

2011-08-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

I want to share this project with you all because it is
very sweet and profound.

I am in the process of creating a mosaic tree for the Unitarian Church in Berkeley. They contacted me last Spring with an idea - to have their congregation create a mosaic together. The ministers there are Barbara and Bill Hamilton-Holway.
Their idea for this mosaic started with these thoughts:

"Unitarian Universalism brings together pieces of wisdom from world religions, science, poetry, personal experience to create a whole that is beautiful. Each person contributes their unique piece to add to the whole. Out of our broken pieces, together we create beauty."

Starting in June, Barbara led a series of sermons about the nature of healing our own and each others brokenness through love within a community. In this project, each person would hold people's "broken pieces" in their hands and create a whole new work of art with them - symbolizing the healing we can offer each other.

The congregants were asked to bring pieces for the mosaic tree - things that symbolized their lives, their loves, their wins and losses and just anything else they wanted to share with the group. They brought pottery, jewelry, plates, mugs, etc. I processed these offerings, broke everything down and all of the pieces were put into communal bins.

We organized three mosaic workshops - on June 17, 24 and August 14 - where each person would make a mosaic leaf. Well the response was overwhelming! The first week 62 leaves were made. The second week, 72. The third week, 93! I actually ran out of substrates the second and third weeks. What a great group of people! Here are some of the many leaves they made.

I took the leaves home to let them dry on their mesh backing, then cut them out and repaired any non-sticking areas, then carefully packed them up.

At the same time, in my studio, I created sections of the trunk using other, larger and not-appropriate-for-leaves pieces. For example I used these small, old and delicate porcelain horses whole because I felt it would have been a shame to break them up for tessarae for the leaves.

I began the installation of the mural at the beginning of August . By this time I was very eager to begin!

I decided on a Weeping Willow shape for the tree - a graceful, drooping shape that also reminded me of fireworks. So I used long, thin pieces of mirror to delineate a "falling" flow to the branches.

This is only about halfway done now. I will work on it every day until it's complete. Stay tuned for more pictures as the work progresses! This tree is approximately 8 feet tall.

The dedication will coincide with the church's anniversary on September 30, 2011.

Jingletown's Tree of Life Mosaic

2011-08-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

This is another panel on the Peterson Street Art Garden in the Jingletown neighborhood in Oakland.

My friend and tile maker, Saundra Warren, had neighbors come to her studio to create ceramic "leaves" for this tree. There are about 250 handmade and personalized creations in this tree.

You can see that many of the leaves are so creative they arent even leaves!! There is a whale, some cats and even two cars!

This labor of love took Saundra and I about 6 months to mosaic. She has since moved to Salem, Oregon. Oakland's loss is Salem's gain! I will miss her.

You can refer to past posts to see more of the process of us creating this wall. The painting around it will be finished soon by another neighborhood mural artist - Jill McLennan.
Here are some close-up photos:

Tree of Life Mosaic

18' x 10' approx

Peterson Street Art Garden

Jingletown, Oakland, California, USA

Celtic Knot Mosaic

2011-08-15T15:36:00.000-07:00

This was a commission for a Father's Day gift this year.

A Celtic Knot mosaic.

13" x 13"

May 2011

"Nude - Red & Black" for Doctors Without Borders Auction

2011-04-02T18:13:00.000-07:00

I am proud to be part of an auction happening
throughout this month of April, 2011.
Mosaic art from around the world has been
gathered and put up for silent auction.
Check out some AMAZING art and help an
extremely worthy cause.

This is my entry:

Nude - Red & Black

2011

Lin Schorr' Doctors Without Borders Mosaic Auction

Flat Fish Extravaganza Mosaic!

2011-04-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

This is my latest sculpture-for-mosaic.

I began this project indoors back in November.

I created the armature out of styrofoam that I then covered in

fiberglass mesh dredged through a cement slurry. Its a messy process.

After the fiberglass mesh set, I covered the whole sculpture

with cement - molding and shaping as I went.

I had envisioned a flat-shaped fish jumping

out of the water.

As the sculpting progressed I knew I needed

more room to work on him. I also knew I needed to move him closer

to where he would be finally displayed - because as I added

Thinset, glass and grout, he would become heavier and heavier.

So I moved him out to my front porch and worked on him there

when the weather permitted. It being winter, however,

I had to stop for many days at a time.

Slowly, though, he took shape!
So here he is finished from many angles.

I cut each piece by hand and laid them specifically in relation

to each other - to make the colors blend in the viewers eye.

The lay pattern on the back is my first attempt at the Opus Vermiculatum style of mosaic.

The underside of his tail is a swirling freeform mosaic style.

Flat Fish Extravaganza

Finished April 1, 2011

30" tall x 29" wide x 34" long

Sunface Kachina Mosaic

2011-02-04T16:27:00.000-08:00

This is the latest in my exploration of Southwest art, which I love.

Fortunately for me, it was commissioned by people

with a home, appropriately, in Arizona.

This piece depicts the Sunflower Kachina - a Hopi image

representing warmth, shelter for the old,

a bright future and playfulness for the young.

Sunface Kachina

24" x 36"

2011

Commission: Two Greyhounds

2011-01-20T13:32:00.000-08:00

This is a newly-completed commissioned piece to commemorate the passing of an old companion and the acquiring of a new one.

Two Greyhounds

19" x 19"

Stained Glass and beads

Jan 2011

"Cat In Tall Grass" Mosaic Sculpture

2010-12-19T07:10:00.000-08:00

Continuing my newfound interest in sculpting for mosaics
is my latest one: "Cat In Tall Grass".

This guy is 32" tall. My initial vision was to mosaic him totally in purple glass. I love the effect of that particular color because it appears to be black until you get in into the right light. I think of it as a metaphor for so many things: you can't see it until you really look! I like much of my mosaics to be that way. You only really see them when you take time to linger and look.

As it turned out, I already had on hand a lot of green glass but only a little purple. So I rethought my design and decided that this guy would be hiding in the grass. He even has a bee buzzing around the back of his head!

I initially set out to create a pleasing shape that had
popped into my head. I pretty much achieved it!

Here he is, in situ.

Cat In Tall Grass

December, 2010

Cement sculpture with glass and mirror mosaic

32" tall x 44" around x 16" wide

The Blessing of Jingletown's Virgin of Guadalupe Mosaic Mural

2010-12-13T15:54:00.000-08:00

As you may know, the center mural on the Peterson Street Art Wall is a mosaic of the Virgin Of Guadalupe. She was created by me at the request of Cynthia Elliot, the "Mayor of Jingletown", as a gift to the neighborhood and as a way to stop the gang graffiti on the wall.

December 12 is traditionally the Our Lady of Guadalupe feast day. To mark the occasion, Jingletown's own Victoria Slind-Flor and her witch's coven, the Coven of the Sacred Feminine, held a blessing of this mural. The day began with a procession:

The Lady is viewed by many as the patroness of North America and the incarnation of Tonatzin, Aztec Goddess.
This is Victoria Slind-Flor:

First, the artists were recognized and all the art
honored as sacred work.
That is me in the middle with Bill Silveira and Saundra Warren.

The first offering was "fire". Incense was lit, passed around,
then laid at the Lady's feet.

Next, "water" was offered. Each glass came from a different area of the country: the Colorado, Mississippi, Willamette, Potomac, the Oakland Estuary and the Great Lakes.

Cynthia poured the water onto the new rose bushes, which are an essential part of the Lady's lore. Neighbors are being enlisted to water and tend these bushes.

Next was the offering of flowers. Every person took a red flower from a basket and laid it at Her feet. It was obvious that many of us were saying our private prayers also.

Many flowers were laid.

At the end, a young couple from the neighborhood, who had stood by watching quietly, approached the mural, knelt and prayed. We gave them their privacy and left them to their prayers.

We went back to Victoria's loft for a feast of

Christmas cookies and cider.

We all agreed it was a very sweet and unique celebration.

All photos by Merri Besden

Peterson Street Art Wall and Garden in Jingletown

2010-12-13T14:20:00.000-08:00

Last April, the good folks of Jingletown broke ground on a long-planned project: the Peterson Street Art Wall and Garden. I've written about this project in past posts. The wall is long and empty and the "garden" was a messy dog walking area about 10' wide.

The ground was leveled, railroad ties created a "curb", cardboard was laid to keep weeds at bay, mulch was spread, etc. As usual, the neighborhood showed up in large numbers with each person doing their share. Then the artists started adding their murals.

By September the artists had been working feverishly and by November it was time to add a walking path and landscaping to the garden area. The center panel of the wall is a mosaic mural of the Virgin of Guadalupe (created by me). She has become a place where people are leaving flowers, candles and other offerings. So a special area was
created with railroad ties, gravel, pavers and
rose bushes in front of her.

Here is some of the art so far:

Bill Silveira's Oakland Riviera spray paint graffiti. (Love the "bricks"!)

Carlos Jahen is painting this mural of all the dogs in Jingletown.
This 'hood is a dog-loving place! Carlos also is the architect of the garden path and landscaping.

This is my friend Saundra Warren, tile maker and mosaic artist. The "leaves" of this mosaic tree were made by Jingletown residents in her studio. They all have people's names or their pets' names or whatever struck their fancy!

Then Saundra and I started the mosaic itself. It's still in progress, as much of this project is.

But it's turning out beautifully so far:

Here is Russ Osterweil, photographer extraordinare. His mural consists of 9 of his photographs printed on ceramic tiles. The surrounding area, painted gray for now, will have some type of "word art" but he is still pondering this next step. Stay tuned!

This is a painting by Jill McLennan.

Darwin Price, a religious scholar, gives us the Elephant God, Ganesh.

There is more to come. I am waiting for the names of the artists. Stay tuned!

Jingletown Holiday Art Walk 2010

2010-12-13T13:40:00.000-08:00

Jingletown just held it's 5th Annual Holiday Art Walk.

As usual it happened on the first weekend in December.

I always show at the 4:20 Gallery, 420 Peterson Street - one half block from the famous Peterson Street Art Garden. Above is my work, pre-crowds.

This year we had over 300 visitors come through our doors to enjoy everything from jewelry to photography to mosaics.
Lots of sales and fun conversations were had by all.

We're starting to think that Jingletown,
as an art destination, is on the map!!

Mosaic Rooster Sculpture

2010-11-30T07:45:00.001-08:00

I have spent the past few months learning to create cement sculptures for mosaics.
This rooster is my masterpiece so far!

He has movement and personality. Instilling those qualities into a
cement piece isnt easy.
But diligence and practice makes perfect. Or sort of perfect.
The basic armature of all my 3D shapes has been
styrofoam from Home Depot.
For this guy, I cut out basic shapes - for both depth
and width - and taped them into place. The next step was to cover this
with fiberglass mesh dredged through a slurry of cement and water.
The piece started to come into focus at that stage.

But the final perfecting was done with cement and Darjit.
(Darjit is a "green" product
made of paper that makes the cement more maleable.)
For the mosaic finishing phase I used what I had in my
studio - glass and mirror and some marbles. Pretty simple tessarae.
But there are many tricks to be learned about how to mosaic
a 3D object. If you arent careful, there can be many
dangerous "points" sticking out.

Rooster
26" tall x 21" long x 12" deep
November 2010

I rely on ideas popping into my head, seeing visions and
being struck by inspiration to lead me to my next project.
Roosters jumped into my awareness recently
the way frogs entered it a few years ago.
So I am following this artistic thread.
Below is a site about the symbolic meaning of roosters and other animals.
http://www.whats-your-sign.com/symbol-meanings-of-the-rooster.html

Latest Mosaic Art Fall 2010

2010-10-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

I took the summer of 2010 off (mostly) to travel to the Southwest,
paint the kitchen, etc. But here, and in the next two posts, I show
you some things I've been working on.

I love the Southwest, especially the earthy art. The first time I traveled there in 1988 I came home with a (sort of nasty) large steer skull. I've had it ever since and had thought of decorating it. But its natural, aged and weathered condition is too beautiful to mess with. So I made a large steer skull mosaic instead. This sold at Jingletown's Holiday Art Walk last year.

Steer Skull '09
Glass mosaic on Easyboard
37" x 25"

A few weeks ago, I was commissioned to create another one to be hung in a home in Arizona. Here it is:Steer Skull '10
Glass mosaic on Easyboard
37" x 25"

I am taking part in an online auction of mosaic art to benefit Doctors Without Borders. The art will be online starting at the end of November and the auction will take place in April 2011. Read more about it here:
Lin Schorr and DWB Auction
This is my entry:

Rooster
Glass mosaic on wood
10" x 10"

And finally, this is my "alternate entry" for the auction. I had second thoughts about "Rooster" after I had finished him. I know millions of people collect rooster art so I wanted to tap into that market. But a simple farm animal? I didnt know if that would be "sophisticated" enough. So I made this nude.Nude
Glass mosaic on wood
10" x 10"

In the end I chose to submit the rooster and give the nude to a friend who I know would love it.

3D Mosaics

2010-10-21T10:33:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I ventured into trying my hand at 3D cement sculpture. My intent was to create sculptures as substrates for a mosaic. In the photo above are a couple of large mushrooms and a cat
I made as my first 3D attempts.
The cat measures 16" wide x 31" tall.
The armature for these is styrofoam (insulation from Home Depot. $19 for a huge sheet) cut and glued/taped into a rudimentary shape.
The next step is just like papier mache only using a slurry of cement (instead of flour) and water. Fiberglass mesh, cut into strips, is dredged through the slurry and wrapped around the styrofoam armature until a close rendition of the final shape is achieved. Once that is dry (24 hours or so) a layer of concrete creates the smooth "skin" of the piece.
I learned in this process that fine sand, rather than coarse,
is the way to go when mixing the concrete!
In the pictures you will also see mosaics on rebar that I am calling "popsicles" for lack of a better word. I describe them in more detail in the following post.

Green Mushroom
Cement and tile
15" wide x 19" tall
Fall 2010

Blue Mushroom
Cement and tile
15" wide x 27" tall
Fall 2010

Green Mushroom in situ
with Butterfly popsicle

Blue Mushroom in situ
with Sunflower and Saint popsicles

More substrates waiting!

Latest Work Aug/Oct '10

2010-10-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

Hello again! As you can tell by the date of my last post, I havent written much lately. I have been working on new - for me - ideas.
First, I took the summer off to take a driving trip around the Southwest.
I love it there and we just meandered around,
camping and being off the grid - sort of.
But by the end of the summer I really wanted to get back to work.
I get really depressed if I dont have projects.
I love 3D mosaics, especially large sculptures. So I tried my hand at what I am calling "popsicles." They are shapes cut out of styrofoam, skewered on a 1/2" rebar, covered with fiberglass mesh and cement slurry, then finished with concrete. Then I used these as
substrates for mosaics. Some have the same mosaic
pattern on both sides, some are different on both sides.
These are my first attempts and are extremely imperfect.
But I am definitely on a path toward 3D mosaics and I love that!
Its a steep learning curve though.

Butterfly (popsicle)
18" wide x 16" tall x 3" deep
Stands 35" approx.
Fall 2010

Fish, side 1 (popsicle)
24" wide x 16" tall x 3" deep
Stands 28" approx.
Fall 2010

Fish, side 2 (popsicle)
24" wide x 16" tall x 3" deep
Stands 28" approx.
Fall 2010

Frog, side 1 (popsicle)
21" wide x 36" tall x 3" deep
Stands 51" approx.
Fall 2010

Frog, side 2 (popsicle)
21" wide x 36" tall x 3" deep
Stands 51" approx.
Fall 2010

Sunflower (popsicle)
20" wide x 27" tall x 4" deep
Stands 37" approx.
Fall 2010

Jingletown's Open Studios June 5, 6 & 12, 13 2010

2010-05-23T11:38:00.000-07:00

It's time again for Open Studios in Jingletown - the East Bay's coolest art's community. Located on the Oakland Riviera, off of 880 between the Park Street and Fruitvale Bridges, Jingletown is a homey little community with a lively art scene. This June over 25 artists will be showing everything from jewelry and photography to painting and mosaics. Come for the art, stroll around to see even more art! The streets are positively littered with mosaic murals. Stop in at the 4:20 Gallery where I will be showing these new pieces. They are a departure for me in that I am experimenting with mixing the strict lay patterns of hard tile with the more intuitive flow of glass.
"Saint"
30" x 56"
Tile and glass
2010

"Vase"
27" x 47"
Tile and glass
2010"Southwest Pastiche"
17" x 36"
Tile and glass
2010"Koi"
16" x 32"
Tile and glass
2010"Frog on Leaf 1"
31" x 15"
Tile and glass
2010"Frog on Leaf 2"
28" x 15"
Tile and glass
2010

Institute of Mosaic Art Changes Hands

2010-05-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

So IMA has been sold.

I wish the new owner all the best to create IMA to be a place of
beauty, peace and light, where all people will be treated
with respect and dignity.
We look forward with hope to see IMA become a
good neighbor, not only in Jingletown
but in the larger Northern California mosaic community.

Virgin of Guadalupe Mosaic Mural Installation

2010-03-18T14:57:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love creating mosaic murals and installing them.

It's hard work and totally worth it!
The Jingletown neighborhood in Oakland California has
a new mosaic mural! I am in the process of completing my latest mosaic, the Virgin of Guadalupe. She is 7' x 4' on a wall space that is approximately 10' x 10' and is made of ceramic tile, glass and mirror.
This mural is the first piece in a larger art project:
the Peterson Street Art Wall & Garden.

Jingletown is a neighborhood in Oakland that is dealing with gang violence and graffiti.
It is also one of the fastest growing arts neighborhoods in the Bay Area
with many artists studios and live/work lofts.

There is a very long wall on Peterson Street, down from the 4:20 Gallery, that is a tempting space for defacement by the neighborhood gangs and their rivals. But the artists in the 'hood came up with a graffiti-abatement plan that will also beautify and
uplift the area: let the neighborhood artists install art on the wall.
This is about one half of the wall looking west.

Before:

After:

The wall is naturally broken into 20 panels of about 10' x 10' each. Any Jingletown artist can submit an idea and then carry it out themselves.

The first image was to be the Virgin of Guadalupe because of the Latino heritage and influence in Jingletown. It is hoped this image - because of her power as a religious and cultural icon - will slow the tide of gang violence and the graffiti problems.

The first step, as always, was to transfer the image onto the wall by taping up the paper pattern and outlining it with chalk or a marker. Since this is an oval shape with a definite center line, it had to be placed perfectly or it would have been noticeably "off".

Then the fun begins.

The pieces are fit together one after another like a jigsaw puzzle and held in place with tape until the Thinset has hardened somewhat.

This process of "building" the mosaic took two of us 4 hours to complete.

The next day we taped around it in preparation for grouting.
This was one of the easiest tape jobs I have done on my work since it is basically an oval shape!
The grouting took two of us another 4 hours to complete.
Here I am with the mural after the grouting was complete.

The next day I painted the section of wall around the mural.

One of the most wonderful things about installing a mosaic is how people will stop by on their walks or in their cars and comment, give a thumbs up, ask questions or just to watch for a while. I find mosaic work to be very solitary so it really feels great to get good feedback and supportive attention from the public.

The Virgin of Guadalupe is often associated with the constellation Virgo so the next step will be to add mosaic stars around her to give it a more finished look.

Some close-ups:

The lore of the Virgin of Guadalupe is very interesting. Learn more HERE.

I have to thank my good friend and excellent assistant Saundra Warren for helping me again. Saundra is also a mosaic artist and a tile maker. Take a look at her website In Saundra's Garden.

The Virgin Of Guadalupe (in progress)
Peterson Street between Ford and Chapman
Jingletown, Oakland, CA
March 2010
Ceramic tile, glass and mirror
7' x 4' on a 10' x 10' section of wall

Please read more about the Peterson Street Art Garden in the San Francisco Examiner.

Mosaic Backsplash

2010-03-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

More mosaics around the house!
This kitchen mosaic measures approximately 25 square feet in total. It begins over the sink and counter, extends to walls around the stove and ends in a small bar area. I kept with the theme of vines and dragonflies because, I figure, why not!
The project began with the demolition of the existing tiles.

I didnt know what condition the wall behind them would be in.
This is an old house and the existing walls are lath and plaster.
The demolition took it's toll on the plaster.
I then covered the wall with Easyboard simply screwed into the existing boards.
Next step was to adhere the glass mosaic pieces and tape them in place to dry.

I cover everything with tarps to protect the area and for easy clean up.

This installation uses a combination of traditional tiling and broken tile mosaics.

Here it is finished.

After the sink backsplash was finished I moved on the the stove area. The same procedures took place: demolition, tape the vines and insects to the wall to dry then mosaic around them.

The first piece of this mosaic is a small bar area where I used very dark blue tiles.

For the rest of it I used a lighter greyish-blue color with purple flecks. This way there is a continuity in the color scheme but without being overwhelmingly one color.

Here is the stove area finished:

Here are close-ups of the finished piece:

Kitchen Mosaic for private residence
March 2010
25 square feet total

My Mosaics In The News

2010-03-08T11:01:00.000-08:00

Here is a little bit of fun.
For this week I am the Oakland Artist of the Week on Oakland Local, a website about the arts and events in Oakland, Ca. This feels good!
http://oaklandlocal.com/daily-image/oakland-artist-kim-larson

Mosaics Around the House

2010-02-18T08:15:00.001-08:00

Here are two murals I just did for a private residence in Oakland, CA.

This is "Frog Vine" and is on a small wall that juts out from the side of the house. Here is the wall "before".

I created it in my studio then adhered it to the wall in pieces.
But before grouting, I must tape off all the edges to get the clean look that I like.

That process takes hours.

This mural faces the street for passersby to see.
If you look carefully, you can see two frogs playing in the vines!
It is made of glass and tile and is 14" x 87".

The second mural was made of pieces left over from the
previous Vine At The Arbors mural installation.

Again this was created in my studio, then adhered with Thinset,
taped off, then grouted.

This is on the side of the house overlooking a garden area.

It is also made of glass and tile and is 62" x 62".

Vine At The Arbors Mosaic Mural Installation

2009-12-28T12:47:00.000-08:00

The installation of this mural, "Vine At The Arbors", began on the
Winter Solstice - a very auspicious time. It marks the end of the darkness and the coming of the light - a new beginning when all things are possible. I like that!
This mural is on the outside of a community building in a new housing
development in Richmond, California.
It's made of glass and high fire tile and measures 9' x 7'.
On the first day my assistant, Saundra Warren, and I traced the
paper template of the art onto the wall.

The second day was the one I had been planning for weeks
and it went smooth as ice!

Each piece was adhered with thinset to the wall and held in place with tape.

By the end of the second day, we had installed all the pieces.

The third day was grouting day. The worst - the VERY worst - part of this whole process for me is the taping off of this kind of intricate art. It is painstaking and there are no shortcuts - the surrounding wall must be protected! It took us three hours to complete this taping job.

Unfortunately I ran out of the grout with one square foot left to go!
Because of the Christmas holiday the grout store was closed so I had to
wait several days to totally finish.
But finish I did!
Here are some close ups:

Vine At The Arbors
9' x 7'
Glass, mirror and high fire tile
December 2009
Special thank you to Saundra Warren for her much appreciated assistance!

Jazz Cats Mosaic Mural Installation

2009-09-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

My latest mural is called "Jazz Cats".

It is on a small backyard garden wall and measures about 10 feet long.

My clients told me they love cats and music so I designed this for them. They let me create it and install it sight unseen. Gotta love clients like that!!!
A finishing touch were the musical notes I added at the end. I happen to know that their third love is baseball so those are the opening notes to
"Take Me Out To The Ball Game". A little subtle humor!
I created the mural on mesh and Easyboard in my studio then installed it in a few hours on site. The process begins with tracing the design onto the wall.

All the pieces are stuck with Thinset and held in place with tape for a little while so they don't slip.

After the Thinset has set - about 24 hours - the next
step is to tape off the entire piece for grouting.
This is my least favorite step!
It is a painstaking process on an intricate design like this.

But once the grouting is done and somewhat set, the "reveal" begins.

Peeling away the tape is my favorite step!
I use a small knife to get into the smaller spaces.

The grout can be left rough by this procedure so I sometimes smooth it out with a popsicle stick.

Here are the "figures" close up:
Two cats and the notes:

The third cat and one of the two guitars:

And Voila!

"Jazz Cats"
Ceramic tile and glass
10 Feet x 1 foot (approx)
2009

Southwest Mosaics Series Begins

2009-09-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

Above:
Steer Skull
Mirror and stained glass on Easyboard
36" wide x 28" tall
2009

Below:
Magic Feathers
Mirror, stained glass, leather and beads on Easyboard
16" - 18" long approx
2009

Calla Lily Mosaic Mural Installation

2009-08-11T15:17:00.000-07:00

My latest project happened because of a breast pump.

A friend of mine was looking for one on Freecycle and ran across a woman she had known a few years ago who was giving one away - Amy Blackshaw.

They reconnected with mosaic talk and Amy voiced her dream to do a mosaic on her large garden wall.

The face is 9' x 4' and the side is 8' long and tapers from 4' to 2' tall.

However, she didnt feel that she had the knowledge or skills to do it alone so my friend got her in contact with me. It turned out she lived close by so I went over to meet her and VOILA the Calla Lily Mural was born.

Luckily for me Amy has a great sense of fun and adventure so she let me design whatever I wanted to.
All she asked was that I teach her the process from beginning to end.
She and her two kids - Maya, 7 and Milo, 4 - liked the idea
of using a theme of things one would see in a garden.
So I created a whimsical, large-perspective design of calla lilies,
nasturtiums, insects and their cat!
First I cut a butterfly, bee, lady bug, dragonfly, cat and small butterfly
out of Easyboard and mosaicked them with glass in my studio. The next step was to adhere them to the wall with thinset and connect them all with mirrored "flying lines" as I call them!
After that, the direct tiling began! (Amy did the nasturtiums).

Here are close-ups of the "grass":

Here are close-ups of the Easyboard insets:

Amy proved to be a great worker, tile setter and learner.
Maya, her daughter, helped with the buffing too.

This is me on the left with my "student/assistant", Amy:

The final result: a 56 square foot backyard mosaic mural
(front and side walls)...

...made by:

Summer of Art - Sacramento's 2nd Saturday & Jingletown's 4:20 Gallery

2009-08-11T09:09:00.000-07:00

My art summer started with Open Studios at the 4:20 Gallery in Jingletown.

The 4:20 Gallery looked great!

The first two weekends in June saw Jingletown packed with
art lovers and party goers.

On Saturday, a street party rocked with the music of two bands and
a fundraising bar-be-que.

This is me with my dog, Kali. She loves to mix and mingle!

Cynthia - "the mayor" - had beer on sale in Jingletown glasses
as well as selling other memorabilia.
Nothing happens in Jingletown without beer.

A brand new art event in Oakland is Estuary Art Attack, an art walk in Alameda and Jingletown on the second Friday of each month. The first one coincided with Open Studios so, happily, the 4:20 was packed again! Many new faces came through the doors and were pleasantly surprised with the
quality of the art in this little neighborhood.

Some Alamedans organized a bike brigade to cover the miles of art galleries,
restaurants and events.

My third art event was Second Saturday in Sacramento, August 8th.
Also an art walk, it brings out thousands of art, music and food lovers every month.

My mosaics were in a show titled "The Art of Broken Pieces" in the Phantom Gallery at 1616 Del Paso Blvd.
The curator was Mariellen Layne.
She did a great job bringing 10 mosaic artists together because, as they say,
organizing artists is like herding cats!

It was great to be part of a mosaic show. I jumped at the chance to show my nudes.
Check out a video of the evening by Mariellen Layne.
The other artists in this show were
Madeline Behrens-Brigham, Donna Billick, Lynn Dowing, Frankie Hansbearry,
Mariellen Layne, Wenia Lee, Marsha Rafter, Sandy Weaver, Diana White.

Zebra Band Mosaic Commission

2009-07-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

This is a recent commission. My client had seen my larger and more complicated "Zebra Band" mosaic and wanted a smaller version. The smaller size also necessitated a less complicated design. And so VOILA!

Zebra Band II
27" x 17"
stained and mirrored glass
July, 2009

My African-American Memorabilia

2009-07-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

For my whole life I had thought this guy was a Black Man Cookie jar.
I love him but had no info about him and never had seen another cookie jar like this.
So I wrote about him here hoping to get more info.
Sure enough, a reader left a comment that clears up exactly what this is.
He is a Victorian era humidor. I had no idea!

He was owned by my father's mother - whom I never met - and he sat on our china cabinet for the entire time I lived at home.

He watched over our family's coming and goings with peaceful joy - like a Buddha.
Now he sits on my cabinet and stands watch over us too.

I knew nothing about him except that he is a spectacular piece of sculpture.

Yes, I know he is from a genre that is in questionable taste at best. But I think he is beautifully sculpted and painted. He is not a caricature.

His cigarettes and handkerchief stand out in full relief.

The cloth of his vest opens across his belly and his hand is partially in his jacket pocket.

Attention was even paid to the detail on the back of his jacket.

This genre may be a mocking one, but the artist was not mocking this person. I think he is beautiful. I have no idea how much he is worth. But he is invaluable to me.
My Black Man Victorian era humidor
10" x 8" approx

Jingletown Open Studios '09

2009-06-05T08:31:00.000-07:00

East Bay Open Studios starts tomorrow and runs the next two weekends:
June 6, 7 & 13, 14. 11am til 6pm.
Next Saturday there will be a STREET PARTY outside the 4:20 Gallery
from 1pm til about 4pm.
Stop by to see the art, eat some food, taste some wine and hear some live music!
There will be maps of the 'hood available when you get here.

Here is some, but not all, of my latest work I will be showing:

These "Heart Banners" are each 32" x 18" and made of mirror, stained glass and, in one case, high fire tile.

This is "Froggy Longstocking"
He is 28" tall x 16" wide and also made of mirror and stained glass.

Bright Ideas Mural

2009-05-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

Jingletown has a new mosaic.

Well, technically it's just over the bridge in Alameda on Blanding Street.

The name is "Bright Ideas" and it is a 365 square foot, 75 foot long mural on the
facade of a software company named Perforce.

Delaine Hackney designed it, Julie Alpers and I assisted in the mosaic work
and the three of us did the installation.
(Mary Earl, a mosaic artist from Las Vegas
came up to pitch in on the installation too.)

As the viewer walks up on this image from either end,
he will think that it is simply a design of colorful circles.
But those soon coalesce into the main image - a woman blowing bubbles - and the
whole image takes shape.

This work has three large separate sections - a small planter on the left:

the large center section:

and a large planter to the right:

Farther down the sidewalk there are even a few "bubbles" that
have blown out of the "frame":

Unlike the last installations which necessitated scary scaffolding and rickety ladders,
this site was at street level. Inside the building there was an elevator we could use
and outside there was a ramp instead of stairs! Very civilized.

So of course we had to take advantage of the ramp and have some fun.

Here we are ramp-surfing!

But after the frivolity it was time to get serious
so Delaine gently nudged us back to work.

She runs a tight ship!

Delaine's style is to use found objects and other elements of surprise in her designs.
This work includes small animal tiles. If the viewer looks closely he will see cats:

frogs:

and my favorites, ANTS:

This job was fun, not only because the logistics were easy
but the "audience" - Perforce employees, pedestrians,
neighborhood denizens - were all engaged and enthralled by the art and the process.
We had many visitors while we worked.
The weather veered wildly from freezing cold to boiling hot
but we got the installation done in three weeks.

Exhaustion made us giddy so by the end of the installation
we would yell "Ta Daaaaa" after each section was complete.
The closer we got to the end, the louder and longer would be our "Ta Daaaa".
It became a silly but fun tradition.
So here we are - Julie, me and Delaine - saying "Ta Daaaa"
to the completion of "Bright Ideas":

Here is a map that shows not only where this new mosaic is (indicated by the red dot) but where all the many mosaics in Jingletown can be found.

Jingletown's Mosaics

2009-04-25T10:47:00.001-07:00

There is a small neighborhood in Oakland that is a hidden jewel.

It's called Jingletown and it is covered in mosaics!
Relatively few people know about it though.

It gets it's name from back when it was a working-class neighborhood. The men would walk home on payday jingling their money in their pockets - hence the name.

I always compare this area to Balmy Alley in San Francisco - a neighborhood covered in art by artists working under the radar.

Many many mosaic artists, including me, contributed their skills and time to these murals.

But whereas painted murals are standard in the mural game, mosaic murals are much more rare, I think.
And whereas paint is a flat medium, mosaics are 3 dimensional and sparkly!

The neighborhood itself is little more than several square blocks of artists' warehouse lofts, condos, older homes and small businesses on the Oakland Riviera, between the Park Street Bridge and the Fruitvale Bridge.

It's an easy stroll for any art lover who wants to discover a new place.

These photos are presented here with very little description and are in no particular order.

I am doing this on purpose.

The mosaics range in size from sidewalk planters to creations that cover entire walls of buildings.

Just come, take a walk and experience this unique neighborhood for yourself.

Then have a nosh at Kefa Cafe or a drink and dinner at Tiki Tom's restaurant.

Jingletown is also a part of the East Bay Open Studios in June every year and holds an Art Walk of it's own in early December.

Again, these are purposefully presented with no information. Intrigued by what you see? Then come on down!

And note that some will be found inside buildings, not on them!

Mosaic teachers, students and volunteers all contributed to this neighborhood covered in art.
There are too many to name, really.

The orange dots on this map give you an idea where to find these mosaics.
Learn more about Jingletown at jingletown.org.

Isaiah Zagar in Jingletown

2009-04-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

In the previous post you may have recognized the very cool style of one particular mosaic artist: Isaiah Zagar.

He lives in Philadelphia and has covered the famous South Street area with his own style of mosaics.
He has now done several in Jingletown too.

As with the last post, I am not going to be specific about where his mosaic murals are. Just come to Jingletown, follow the map and see for yourself.

Hint: this particular mosaic is technically outside of Jtown.

It's on Blanding Street in Alameda - just across the Park Street Bridge.
The red dots indicate the locations of his mosaics.

To learn more about Isaiah Zagar, click here.
To learn more about Jingletown, click here.

Jingletown Mosaic Frog Walk Installation

2009-04-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

While you're in Jingletown, be sure to try to find all 20 (approximately) little mosaic frogs!

I've been told this is a new favorite pastime for kids and dog-walkers alike.

Here's a map to help you zero in on them.

Look for the frogs in the "red" areas.

These small frogs are sprinkled about the 'hood to be discovered when you least expect it!

Look high and low.

They're everywhere!

Have fun.
For more about Jingletown, click here.

Jingletown Open Studios 2009

2009-04-25T10:32:00.000-07:00

To find out more, go to www.jingletown.org

Peacock & Coffee Time Mosaics

2009-04-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

These are two of my latest pieces that will be shown in this year's Open Studios at 4:20 Gallery.

Peacock
Mirror, Glass and Tile mosaic
18" x 26"
2009

Coffee Time
Mirror, Glass & Tile Mosaic
15" x 20"
2009

"FIZZ" Mosaic, March 2009

2009-04-01T14:55:00.000-07:00

Delaine Hackney's latest mosaic installation was completed on March 21st, 2009.

This is Delaine.It is called "Fizz" and decorates the facade of the ShadZee Bakery at 6o Crescent Drive in Pleasant Hill, CA. This piece consists of 6 panels that measure 5' x 6' each and 4 panels that measure 1' x 5' each. The mosaic work took a couple of months and the installation took two weeks.

Before, above. After, below.

Before, above. After, below.

Before, above. After, below.

The design is comprised of impressionistic bottles done in a sort of 60's style.

(that's me!)

Each bottle is a different color and uses tiles, broken dishes, marbles...
you name it...in Delaine's unique style!
The weather was mostly excellent - wonderful Spring warmth, not Summer frying!
The first panels went up in one day. By the second day we were grouting the first panels in the morning then moving on to install the next two in the afternoon ...
and so on.

The install went smoothly but the most tiring part was dealing with the scaffolding.
Every morning and every evening the "Schlepping of the Scaffolding" would commence. I had to photograph the experience one day! Here are Delaine and Julie demonstrating!
The top "walls" were about 30 feet in the air. They, and then the cross bars securing them, needed to come down first.
But by doing that we had to take down the very things that made us safe up there!
Then the highest platform needed to come down....and, again, with every little bit we would remove, the scaffolding got that much more precarious.
Then the next set of cross bars, the next platform, etc.... And by this time, at the end of each day, we were tired, hungry and filthy! At the beginning of this installation, fear would make us be very careful....by the end of it, we were old pros at this and would be giddy and giggly with exhaustion.
So slowly the scaffolding would come down...inch by inch....piece by piece....becoming more wiggly with each dismantling step!

Then the biggest humiliation of all - we had to drag this contraption across 4 lanes of traffic to the room where it "lived".
It reminded me of the beginning of the old "Monkees" tv show where the 4 of them are pushing a bed down a street....but I digress. By that time we were SO ready for the day to be over we would just laugh at how ridiculous we must look.

Here are the players in this mosaic installation:

Delaine Hackney: designer and principal'

Julie Alpers: mosaics and installation,

and me: mosaics and installation.

The Bunny Room Mosaic Mural Installation

2009-02-28T07:34:00.000-08:00

I just finished a mosaic that I am particularly proud of.

It is a mural in the Bunny Room of the Oakland Animal Shelter,
1101 29th Avenue in Oakland's Jingletown district.
Marcy Schaaf, the founder of Save A Bunny, a non-profit rabbit rescue organization
based in Mill Valley, CA, was given the project of creating a nicer space in the room
for the rabbits, volunteers and visitors to enjoy.
Rabbits are often overlooked when people are seeking to adopt a pet.
They are an animal near and dear to Marcy's heart and she works
tirelessly on their behalf.

Here you can see that the bunny room was not very pleasant.
It had been used as a storage room until very recently.
I started by checking out the space and designing a shape that would be cool and pleasing but also one that I could carry out and install by myself.

I came up with a ribbon design festooned with hopping rabbits.
Above is the mock-up.

Marcy is also a mosaic hobbyist and has a LOT of extra tesserae at her home.
I went there and chose a loose color palette that I knew I could work with.

Next I cut the rabbits out of Easyboard and mosaicked them with glass and mirrors in a patchwork style.
The ribbon itself was done in tile on mesh in my studio.

Mural painter Gael Antognini - www.gaudysgood.biz - first painted the wall
with a faux window treatment and a little rabbit near the floor which you can't see in this photo.

That meant I had to take great care to cover the entire wall before grouting.
Even then, I still had to do touch-ups to the paint job afterward.
I left my grout color decision until the end. As I was installing this I realized that one grout color wasnt going to work. So I ended up using three different ones - a bright red for the ends,

darker red around the maroon/purple tiles

and a modified dark blue for the center blue tiles.

These blue tiles in the center are actually made of glass. They are a blue color with flecks of gold and are very bumpy in texture. After I chose to use them I realized, uh oh, the grout is going to get caught in all that texture!

So I used a small wire brush to clean them off after grouting.
All the grout didnt come off so each is left with an even more interesting color gradation.

This mural came out really well.

It measures 15 feet by 2 feet, approximately.
I know it will please visitors and bunnies alike.

Zebra Band Mosaic!

2009-02-03T19:04:00.000-08:00

This is my latest mosaic. It is large and heavy: approximately 4' x 3'. The zebras were first cut out of a thin Easyboard and mosaicked with stained glass and mirror.

For visual interest and surprise, some, but not all, of the glass reflects rainbow colors in the right light.

This piece was then adhered using Thinset to a thicker piece of Easyboard and mosaicked with high fire tile of varying shades of white....with yellow for the "music"!

Zebra Band
2009
Stained glass, mirror, high fire tile

"Greener Pastures" Mosaic Installation

2009-02-03T17:42:00.000-08:00

For several months - starting in September '08 - I have been working on a large mosaic project headed by my friend and fellow Bay Area mosaic artist Delaine Hackney, pictured below.

Earlier in the year she was commissioned to create a mosaic piece for the front of a new building under construction. This piece consists of 9 pillars, all approximately 14 feet tall and 5 feet around. Delaine named it "Greener Pastures" - for the good times to come - and it now brightens the corner of Adeline and San Pablo in Emeryville, California. After several discussions with the architect and others, the design was honed down to be professional looking, visually captivating and yet not too flashy. Anyone who has ever had to sit in a design meeting hashing out an art project knows how difficult this must have been.

Delaine's final design consists of multiple-sized mosaic circles all in shades of green that sit in a field of 1 inch Penny Round tiles in an off-white color. 650 square feet of these small tiles were required!

But for those of you who know Delaine it will be no surprise that the green circles would not be made of just boring factory tiles!
We used any green tile or bauble that she could find.
And Saundra Warren was commissioned to make 12 green circles of various hues and textures only to have us smash them up to use!

Old tiles, newly bought tiles, found objects like bangle earrings and glass frogs are all included in these circles.

The installation took about three weeks and finished at the end of January '09.

Here are just some of the circles laid out at the begining of the installation.

Our mosaic-artist friend and all-around good egg, Julia Alpers, joined us for the install and was invaluable with her knowledge of perfectly square and level setting. She taught us a lot!

The weather veered from very cold and rainy to very hot and dry.
We worked on ladders and scaffolding and got used to some pretty precarious situations!

As Julia and Delaine would finish a pillar I would move in to grout it.
We were a great team - like a machine!
And for two days Mary Earl, a mosaic artist from Las Vegas, drove all the way up to lend a hand and be part of the action too.

Ichiban, Delaine's beloved dog,

and Julia's Olive, were our doggy support team and provided comic relief.

We were in the midst of some serious construction and at one point Julia was overwhelmed by a desire to pilot this steamroller. I have to say the guys on this job site were great. Helpful, nice, respectful and fun.
As the time passed we raced to stay one step ahead of the window installers!

In this visually over-stimulated world we live in, drivers speeding by will barely notice these pillars.

Pedestrians might notice the multiple colors, textures, sizes and designs as they stroll by.

But for adventurous people who spend time with them - perhaps people who live and shop in and near this building - these circles will provide endless entertainment and visual treasure hunting opportunites. There are 210 circles in total and Delaine and I each mosaicked about half of them. She, of course, did the very special ones!
This job should be done soon so I can post a finished photo without the construction equipment obscuring the view.
See more of Delaine Hackney's work here and Julia Alpers here.

Fireplace Surround Mosaic

2009-02-03T16:53:00.001-08:00

In December '08 I received a commission to do a fireplace surround for a very nice family - the Rich's. They have a beautiful Craftsman-style house and were having a new fireplace inset installed as well as a new mantle.

The area around the inset is small - too small for traditional large tiles that are usually used on a fireplace. The area is delineated by tape in the photo above. Instead they decided on a small, simple mosaic and contacted me to do it.
Coincidentally the owners love gingko leaves and,
as you have read in previous posts, I knew the perfect artist to create them out
of ceramic tile - Saundra Warren, a Jingletown artist!

In the above photo you can see the Hardiebacker board that was put in place by the contractor. The flooring around the work area was brand new too so I took extra precautions - like putting down newspapers, beach towels and then a tarp - to avoid damaging it. The area of the mosaic itself is only about 6 square feet and the room - the dining room - is small too.
So I felt that just a subtle, low-key mosaic was called for.

This is the almost-finished product. All it needs is the mantle to be installed.
I used mostly earthy greens but with various textures and finishes to provide visual interest. And I mixed charcoal grout with the too-bright hue of the straight-from-the-bag dark green grout to tone the color down some.

And Saundra's gingko leaves in Autumn amber and rust provide the highlights.
The mantle is due to be installed soon. I cant wait to see this piece actually finished!

MERRY CHRISTMAS Art!

2008-12-16T08:26:00.000-08:00

Christmas Kitty

18" x 24"
2007
Acrylic wash & colored pencilFlying Santa

18" x 24"
Pencil

Santa's Visit

24" x 18"
Pencil

Three Wise Men

18" x 24"
Pencil

The Prophet

18" x 24"
Pencil

Rock Frogs, the latest

2008-12-16T08:20:00.000-08:00

Green & Purple Frog
15" x 24"
11/08
mirror, stained glass, rocks

Red Frog

23" x 36"
11/08
mirror, stained glass, rocks

Indian Elephant Mosaic

2008-11-25T10:08:00.000-08:00

This was a recent commission for a person who loves the way ceremonial elephants are decorated in India.
"Indian Elephant"
20.5" long x 14.5" tall
Mirrored and stained glass
2008

More Circus Elephant Mosaics

2008-11-25T09:59:00.000-08:00

This is a blue version of the previous elephants done in pinks, reds and blacks.
They are made of mirrored and stained glass on Easyboard.
Tail to trunk, as they are meant to be displayed, they measure 31" x 13".

The Mama Elephant is 16.5" long x 13" tall

The Baby Elephant is 16" long x 10" tall.

These were created in November 2008 and will be on display during this year's Jingletown Holiday Art Walk, December 6 & 7 from 11:30 - 5:00.

Mosaic Lemon Bench

2008-11-22T12:06:00.000-08:00

My friend, Saundra Warren, and I have just completed our first project. (I've written about Saundra in a couple of previous posts) We started from scratch with just an idea and, voila, the result is this Lemon Bench. And this is Saundra hard at work.

Recently Saundra had purchased a tile saw. As you may know, nowadays when you buy a large item, it is very common for it to come encased in a styrofoam box within the outer cardboard box. Saundra had an idea for us to put that styrofoam, usually a nuisance to dispose of, to good use. We decided to turn it into a cement bench that we could then mosaic. First we covered it with strips of fiberglass mesh dipped in a cement slurry - like paper mache only using cement instead of flour. After we had totally encased the styrofoam with it, we covered it with cement. Tips and techniques on how to do this are all over the web. And it's easy and fun to do too.

Next we needed to decide where the bench would ultimately "live". I have a sweet and rustic little brick area under a lemon tree out in my backyard, so we chose that place. Saundra is an expert at taking leaves, fruit and other organic things and making ceramic tiles and molds out of them.

So we took lemon leaves and lemons from my tree, as well as ivy leaves which grow all around it, and began a long process of creating the decorations for the bench. They came out just great.

With Saundra's personal tutoring on how to get the glaze to come out just right, and after some wrestling with the kilns, our ceramic pieces were ready. We supplemented with factory tiles in various shades of white and with small hits of other color tiles too. I also created some glass and mirror butterflies on Easyboard to add sparkle. Then we grouted with Antique White to keep the crisp white look against the natural colors in the environment.

We are very happy with our first triumph. But we have learned a lot too and will put our new knowledge to use on our next project - "The Persimmon Trio". Stay tuned!

"Lemon Bench"
Kim Larson & Saundra Warren
November 2008
32" wide x 23" tall x 15" deep
Handmade tiles, factory tiles and glass

Jingletown Is At It Again

2008-11-22T11:54:00.000-08:00

Jingletown is having a Holiday Art Walk. Yep, that's right! Just in time for the gift-giving time of year. Buy unique presents during our Open Studios - Saturday & Sunday, December 6 & 7, 2008. You'll find everything from furniture to jewelry, mosaics to paintings, postcard art to garden art...and much much more. Everything unique! Each piece hand made! You'll also see a lot of local color and charming characters. You may even meet the "mayor" - she's always lurking about! So come on down! I'll be showing my art at 4:20 Gallery. See you there.

Circus Elephants

2008-11-22T11:33:00.000-08:00

Here are my Mom and Baby Circus Elephants.

They are made of mirrored and stained glass on Easyboard.
Tail to trunk, as they are meant to be displayed, they measure 31" x 13".

Individually, the Baby is 16" x 10"
Mom is 16.5" x 13".

These were created in November, 2008, and will be on display during the Jingletown Holiday Art Walk, December 6 & 7, 11:30 - 5pm.

CYC, YAWAV and "Project Peaces" Mosaic Installation

2008-11-22T08:50:00.000-08:00

I recently completed a mural project that I am
particularly proud to have been a part of.

Back in August I received an email from a group named
YAWAV - Young Asian Women Against Violence - who had been awarded a grant by
the city of San Francisco to create a mural about peace and anti-violence
in their building in downtown SF.
I learned while working with this group that in SF there are about 100 homicides per year but over 5,000 instances of domestic violence in that same time period. And each instance of violence can lead to a homicide.
These young women committed themselves to educating other teens
about the problems of violence in their community.

When I first met with them, I was greeted by 6 smiling and eager
teenage girls and their peer leader, Den.
They laid out their ideas for an anti-violence mural and I had to catch my breath! The artist, Susanna, had come up with a very intricate drawing involving the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, a Mayan temple and the Great Wall of China as well as many other images. I knew this could not be done - not by a group of inexperienced artists and volunteers in a few months, at any rate! But I listened to their ideas about the message of the mural, gave my professional feedback and Susanna went back to her drawing board.

A gifted and intelligent artist, she came back with a perfect drawing that would be
easy for the group to execute and yet told the story they wanted to tell.This is her second drawing and the one we went with.
The mural is called Project Peaces and is meant to impart the feeling that the "sun" of peace and community can extinguish the "flames" of violence and hatred if all the diverse people of the world work together.

This mural was to be painted on the wall of a staircase and unfold as you walk up the stairs. As you can see it is narrow and therefore almost impossible to photograph!

The process began with the YAWAV girls and the volunteers cleaning and prepping the area. Then we drew the image onto the wall and started painting.

When one first walks in the front door, one is immediately struck by flames and words of violence with a black mosaic bird of doom looming overhead.

The "Crow" is about 18" from wingtip to wingtip and is made of black glass, with flecks of purple, on Easyboard.

As the mural's story unfolds the viewer comes upon a line of children of all ethnicities holding a hose which is dousing the flames.

The "hose" originates at the top of the stairs in a sun filled with words of love, friendship, community and peace. A mosaic dove flies from the sun.

The "Dove" is approximately 18" tall and is made of mirror on Easyboard.

The flags of many nations come together to create a large peace sign over the children.

And sprinkled throughout the mural are mosaic pieces in the shapes of hearts, flowers, rainbows and peace signs created by these multitalented young women to further support their positive message of peaceful coexistence.

Part of the girls' vision was to have mosaics be a part of their mural.
So one Saturday afternoon was spent making glass marble mosaics.

All the substrate shapes had been designed and cut out by me in my home studio. After a short lesson, the girls began work and filled their pieces with trinkets of personal significance to them.

Then I took them home and grouted them. The next Saturday we adhered them to the wall. This mural and those mosaic pieces will stand for a very very long time as a tribute to their vision and hard work.

Of course, between mosaics, painting, SATs, dances and Senior Boat, sometimes
they got exhausted and had to take a break!

Here is a photo of us at the opening ceremony
for Project Peaces, November 21, 2008.

The young women of YAWAV are:
Jenny Vuong - a lively personality who loves to share ideas
Julie Youn - a strong friend who is also the life of the party
Leslie Yip - a tough cookie who is always ready for a laugh
Kelly Liu - a sweet joker and storyteller
Kathie Huang - she's filled with spunk, wit and a willingness to help her friends
Susanna Cheng - the always-happy swimmer and the mural's main artist

and this is their beloved Peer Leader, Den Quinsay.

Here I am inspecting the finished product one last time after the ceremony.
I wish the YAWAV girls luck in everything they do in their lives.
This was definitely a memorable experience for me!
Learn more about YAWAV by going to their website here.

CYC Logo

2008-11-22T08:37:00.000-08:00

This is a large mosaic logo I just completed for Community Youth Center in San Francisco. CYC was started in 1970 and addresses problems of violence in the Asian community as well as offering programs for job-readiness, educational enrichment and leadership building.
As usual, photographing glass and mirror mosaics is very difficult and leaves a lot to be desired. This piece is made out of deep purple mirrored glass and other shades of purple stained glass. It is approximately 36" wide by 48" tall and will hang in their offices at 1038 Post Street in SF.

Rachel Maddow Widow

2008-10-25T19:47:00.000-07:00

Alright already. Enough with Maddow Madness! Has anyone else out there become a Rachel Maddow widow besides me?
It's starts at 5:55pm in my home - just as Keith Olberman's show is ending and he is on some wonderfully crazy, only half coherent, rant. From some other part of the house, my partner will come a-running. And she runs even faster if she has lost track of time and I have to actually remind her that Rachel Maddow is on. She will plop onto the couch and a totally loony starry-eyed look will cross her face. No sooner has this latest tv talking head started to tell us the news then my partner will start saying things like: "she is so cute"... or "she has such great hair"..."her eyes are so sparkly"...and "you could wear your hair like that"....or "she has nice eyebrows"! The worst: "why aren't you that smart?" And all these things are said in such a googly-eyed fashion that I wonder where my normally down-to-earth, not-impressed-by-much girlfriend of 24 years has gone!
Okay so she's a Rhodes Scholar, PhD, Oxford graduate and has a red truck. I have a green truck! I can lift heavy things! And I have a good hair day once in a while myself!
Drat you Maddow! I was doing just great with my girlfriend, being able to crush beer cans on my forehead. But now? Nooooooo, that just won't do anymore. Now I have to KNOW things! And even be able to make intelligent conversation! Thanks for nothing, Maddow!
Darn you.
Okay, maybe I'll try to get my hair to look like that. It is kinda nice looking.

Happy Halloween!!

2008-10-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

Halloween is my favorite holiday. I am always at my most inspired during October and the days leading up to All Hallow's Eve. The days get chillier, the nights longer, the winds rustle the dry leaves and everything becomes a little spookier. Over the years I have created many Halloween-inspired drawings. These are all done in pencil and are all approximately 18" x 24". Enjoy!"Pumpkin Moon"

"Trick Or Treat"

"Fortune Teller"

"Three Witches"

"Skeletons"
This one is a "Day of the Dead" tribute to my grandparents. In this drawing they are surrounded by the things they loved in life: my grandmother by her baking and knitting; my grandfather by his garden and his pipe.

"Ol' Scratch"

Dragonfly House Tattoo

2008-10-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

I just finished a small commission for a neighbor.

She is a fan of dragonflies and so wanted one "tattooed" onto her house.

I made this small mosaic out of mirror and stained glass, adhered it to her stucco house and grouted it in place.
Check out the symbolic meaning of dragonflies.

Mosaic Garden Stairs

2008-09-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

These are a series of seven cement garden stairs created for a private residence. Each step is 34" wide by 7" tall. I started by making mirror mosaics of frogs and ivy leaves on Easyboard and adhering them to the steps. Then I used ceramic tile to mosaic around them using colors appropriate to the natural surroundings. Here they are halfway through the process.Here they are finished but ungrouted. And here they are finished!

Jingletown = Mosaicville!

2008-09-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

Another mosaic has been added to Jingletown in Oakland. Actually it's the face of Saundra Warren's famous planter at 2908 Glascock at Peterson, written about in a previous post! This time it's an underwater theme inspired by a recent visit to the Monterey Aquarium. An exhibit there features a huge fish tank with a huge school of sardines swimming among many other types of large fish. Watching the school of sardines swim is like watching a silver lava lamp! They were mesmerizing. So these fish are made with mirror which is adhered at different angles to the substrate. They really catch the light as the viewer walks or rides by to make the fish appear to be swimming. Here are some closeups:

Left
Middle
RightSo here it is before...and here it is after!The finished front is 66" x 41". It is made with Saundra's beautiful handmade leaf tiles, standing in as seaweed, and mirror mosaics on Easyboard substrate.