anyone into mosaics ???

hey shawn

love that fish. it's my zodiac sign. not long till i start a fish of my own

well...

the mirror is done. all grouted up
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/pho ... 0362RCQPki

same album, NEXT or PREVIOUS you can see more pics of it, and also in detail parts of it.
i used very dark almost black grout. it said "granite". there was no black, but near black, and anyway... no black grout is really black, right?

hope you all like it.

and... already started my second work

CALIN

 

the next one is THE EYE!
already did parts of it. love it... gonna be... a masterpiece (in my opinion, anyway).
http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo ... 0362OaLfNT

 

Calin, your mosaic is STUNNING!!! I also have a hard time believing this is your first. Obviously your creativity was waiting to EXPLODE! Hubby and I are just THRILLED with this. :-D :-D


PS.- Good thing you are all the way in Romania. Otherwise you would be THE COMPETITION. :-D

 

Mosaic Design and Deco Art

Hi Calin,


I have found your post just now and even though I don't have much experience in order to give you a professional advise on the matter, I had to reply to you.

First of all we are both from the same country... I am Romanian too, moved to USA 4 years ago. So each time I meet new people from Romania, I have to say Hello, especially that I know very few Romanians since here...

I am graduating Residential Design in less then a week, and for me design started as an old passion, a sleeping monster that I had in me for many years. Finally I have found the strength to pursue my dream and here I am, few years later, with absolutely no regrets, but satisfaction and lot more knowledge in the field...Needless to say great ideas come from those who dare to dream, because those who do not dream will never accomplish anything.

Now to go back to the subject in matter, I am absolutely impressed by your work: original, eclectic, simply beautiful. I strongly recommend you to continue it.

Your idea of applying mosaic on all deco items is great. Art has no limits, and if some finishes, materials or fabrics are originally made for one purpose, does not mean we have to be conservative and not find for them multiple uses... it's all about being creative.

I highly believe that it can work on pretty much everything. I have recently came back from a trip in the Caribbean, and on St. Marteen Island there was this local bar, quite unique in its decor. The bar stools have used same bright island colors of red, orange, blue, green and yellow. The chairs had carved gigantic parrots and exotic flowers on them, and the bar itself had used mosaic tiles in same colors. Seeing your mirror reminded me of that beautiful bar.

If you do not mind my suggestion, as I saw you used cardboard for the back of the mirror, I would recommend the use of wood as base, for resistance, plus adds substance and value to your item. Since the border of the mirror is so wide, the thickness of wood should be substantial.

For supplies, I have little knowledge when it comes to mosaic manufacturers, but I know for a fact there are small local factories where you can go and buy plain ceramic deco pieces, like vases, plates, etc, which you could then decorate if you might have that in mind to use as base for your design.

Another idea: combination of materials, wood + mosaic, glass + mosaic, natural stone + mosaic... the options are unlimited.

When using wood, you could pretty much use any type of wood. Have you thought of recycling? Any old piece of furniture, that can be reused and make something else out of it, could easily turn into an eco-friendly design. I do know Romania is one of the few European countries that is still cutting down trees to sell them through all over Europe, with no thought toward the environment... Sad but true, thus saving our forest should be an alarm bell for all of us. Not to mention that the best vintage design could be obtain by using an old recycled piece.

Eco-friendly, sustainable are just few terms extremely well known and broadcast, used and advertised. This is the new direction, and all design, let it be commercial or residential, is heading strongly towards this direction. Therefore you might want to keep this in mind, and if interested by the idea, advertise it out there.

I know that you have only asked few design ideas about using the mosaic, and here I am giving you advises on how to maybe orient your future possible "business". But you never know in what direction you might head with this. And if you want to expand from just hobby to actually doing this for living (and by the way, many great designers have started their career from a hobby like yours), this could make your product better and special than the competition ("eco-friendly mosaic art deco") Plus interior designers could be a major market for your products, they are always hunting for unique pieces, so in this regard, I have no doubt you can push this idea from hobby to business. The next step would be a website, and all would be ok from there. There would be more international clients than locals. I most certainly can guaranty you that.

Anyhow, hoping that my suggestions were not too many and they would be of any use for future. Best of luck.... And I am looking forward to see more of your wonderful creativity.

Sincerely,

Bianca

 

hey bethie. was waiting for a reply to my PMs... this will do!
don't you worry about any competition from me... or maybe we could work together on a join venture...LOL

hey bianca. thanks for all the suggestions. well noted
i am thinking about profitting from this. when... in the future. right now i am creating a few pieces and then we'll see.
a website would definitely make my world larger.
but it's all in the future. right now... i am just hobbying
it's not cardboard you saw. the mirror is made on an MDF board...which is 18mm thick.

ideas could come from anywhere... but romania is still a country where people recycle themselves or just throw things to the garbage. i mean, some people try to re-use stuff they have until it's good for nothing... while some decide to just throw things in the garbage container without thinking this could be of use to someone else.

so... it's hard to find stuff like tables, wardrobe doors... etc..

but i am always looking around for ideas

i will soon come with pics of my 2nd piece

 

my these are lovely. I sure wish I had the patience for it!

 

hey builder1.
patience is needed... but not that much!
you do a little, when you feel you've had enough, go pour urself a nice glass of coca cola (i love it)... then a bit later... come back to it...
that's why it's a hobby... u do it cause u like it... right?
i rarely set myself "i gotta finish this much today/before the weekend/over the weekend"
I DO... but i never really stick to it... i have friends visiting, decide to go out... etc.
it's a hobby ! YET !
HAHAHA

 

Hi Calin,


I am glad you found my message useful. I wish you all the best and I am looking forward to see the second piece. Sorry if I misinterpreted the finish base of your piece. It was hard to tell from the pic.

Not that it is very much related, but I have a hobby too. Since I spend quite a lot of time in the Bahamas, I like to collect shells from the beach, wash them and my boyfriend came with the idea of gluing them. We got foam balls and glue all these shell on them, even the broken ones. Each ball is unique and its design is different. It's just a great way of relaxing and enjoying the time here.

Thanks for your reply. Take care.

Bianca

 

HERE IT IS:
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/pho ... 0362IZacKf
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/pho ... 0362DOEuKa

hope u like it guys!!!

 

Re: mirror ready!

that is beautiful! I never would have known that was your first project!

 

Wow! You're inspiring me, Calin!

 

I love it. Great job again. Keep up the good work.

Bianca