Mosaics for the Sacred Heart church - Part 4 - the font!

Hello everyone,

My Sacred Heart commission is complete!  I delivered the font and side panels today, and they all seemed to go down well! I put heart and soul into my work, so it is always great to hear good things!  

Let me talk you through the making of the font!

1. The fibreglass mould of the font - a little bit rough and uneven so lots of filing down to do!  Hope I wont get too high on the fumes!

2The Icythus design - has to be a friendly fish!

3.  Using my fabulous find of  metallica tiles to mosaic the fish - difficult to see here, but the tile is a lovely mix of gold and silver.

4.  Starting the mosaic of the base - light in the middle, getting darker towards the edges, flowing water design.

5.  Starting to get a feel of what the finished font might look like - love these colours!

6. Finished cutting and snipping the base design - happy with that!

7. Now the sides - four colours, repeated on the opposite panel.

8. I had to put the font mould at an angle to get the tiles to stick properly!

9.  One more side of the octagon to go!

10. The last bit of cutting now for the edge - the pieces have to be the same size and sit as flat as possible on a very bumpy surface - I like a challenge!

11.  Now the grouting, which brings its all together - and cuts fingers to shreds!

12.  Sealing the font with a special spray.

13.  Ta dah!

13. Monsignor Bernard trying the font for size!

I will get some proper photos taken of the panels and font in situ, once the refurbishment of the church has been finished, and write a final post on it.

Many thanks for following me on this special mosaic journey.  If I can ever make anything for you in the future, do get in touch via my website - www.justmosaics.co.uk

Felicity x

Mosaics for the Sacred Heart Church - Part 3 - wave panels complete!

It's been a busy time for my original mosaic business - and along with all my other projects and orders, I have now all but finished the two side wave panels for the church!
I think it's easier if I show you in pictures what I have been up to!

Starting to snip and stick the tiles in the shapes I want

Getting on well now!

Snipping, sticking and a good coat of looking all done - now for grouting!

It looks scarier than it is - I have gone for a good depth of grey, knowing that it dries lighter.

First wipe - many more to come!!

Done for the moment - more wiping and scrutinising to do - holes to be drilled in the spaces left for them for fixing to the wall - then paint the sides and the back in a lovely mid blue -  wipe and look again and again....!


I am so pleased with them, and, as has often been said, my mosaics look better in real life!

Now onto the font - I have just picked up the fibreglass mould - very exciting - so I've got some thinking and planning to do!
Watch this space..!

Felicity

The latest news from Just Mosaics!

Hello,

Just  a quick up date on what is happening with my church commission - I have finished cutting and sticking to two wave side panels and will grout them next week, and am now waiting for the fibreglass mould of the font, to mosaic inside!  I will post a picture when they are finished.

In the meantime, I have been very busy making my new mosaic, which is proving really popular - if you like,  you can order one by clicking on this link -

http://www.justmosaics.co.uk/mosaics-gallery.php

Daisies in a vase wall hanging - 20cm x 15cm  - £30 incl UKP&P

Here it is up in our kitchen!

This is a small commission I made for a lady in Ireland who wanted a robin in hers, as it was her Dad's favourite bird!


Hope you are all well,
Felicity x

Detail of the mosaic robin - my first!

Mosaics for the Sacred Heart Church - Part 2 - Getting on..!

Hello,

Just thought you might like to see how I am getting on with my church commission  ... I am so enjoying making it!

The two side wave panels are designed, measured and ready to be drawn onto the wood  - let's start!

Cut and ready!

Each panel is divided into four sections with four different shades of tiles for each section - these are for the darkest part at the bottom of the wave.

Drawing the design within the wave onto the wood 

Now the start of cutting, shaping, fitting, sticking, talking to the tiles onto the template, in the lovely shapes of flowing water. 

On to the next section of four different shaded tiles blending in with the first colour combo - gradually getting lighter.

My miraculous find - a tile of gold/silver!  I wanted to put some small glimpses of light and sparkle in the water and look what I found!  Ordered for Monday!


So, all is going well - do leave me a comment and pop back for an update in a while.  My new tile will have arrived by then - very exciting!

Felicity

Mosaics for the Sacred Heart Church - Part 1 - Early days ...

Hello, and welcome to blogger friends, both old and new!

For the next few weeks, I will be writing about my latest commission - making two mosaic panels and creating a mosaic inside the font for the Sacred Heart Church, Westbury on Trym in Bristol! http://www.sacredheartchurch.co.uk

I am very excited about this project, and wanted to share the journey with you in my blog.  If you are new to my work, please take a look at my website to get a feel of what I spend my days doing  - www.justmosaics.co.uk

This commission all started a while ago, when Monsignor Bernard, on the recommendation of a friend, gave me a ring to look into the possibility of mosaics for the church.

We had a fun meeting later on that week, with lots of ideas flying around and possibilities beginning to form.

I went back to my studio, my head buzzing with thoughts, and also gratitude for the opportunity to have my work in such an important place.

Monsignor Bernard wants to improve the area at the front of the church, which includes the font - that's where I come in!

As you can see from the photo, the font area is an alcove - a semi-enclosed space where important work is done.  My immediate thoughts were to make it all feel like a special place, so I came up with the idea of two side panels, either side of the font, tying in design-wise with the mosaic in the font.

The design will reflect flowing water, with gorgeous green and blue tiles blending together from dark shades to light shades - from darkness into light.  I have a wave shape in mind for the side panels, which felicitously fits in with the two stained glass windows to the left of the font - the glass flows vertically at the side of the windows - perfect!

And the font ..... now that's a completely different challenge.  The design will mirror the colours and feel of side panels, but there is more to be done before I can firm up the designs - watch this space!

So, enough to be filling my head with at the moment.  I will start on the side panels on Monday April 8th, as the building work starts in the church and keep you in touch with how I am doing.  I am so looking forward to this commission -  creating an enhancing and inspiring work of art for the Sacred Heart Church for years to come!

Thanks for following me on this journey, keep checking back for updates, and do get in touch if you have any questions .. felicityball@justmosaics.co.uk

Felicity x

Mosaic beach hut fest!

Hello to all my blog friends!

I haven't blogged for a week or two because I have been waiting for some exciting mosaic news, which has been simmering, to share with you - but it's not quite ready yet - sorry!  As soon as it is, I'll let you know!  I can say that it is making something I have never made before, and will mean a lot to me.  Now, zip it, Felicity!

In the mean time, I have been busy making mosaic beach huts as summer really must be on the way... somewhere!  I really enjoy going to town with the bright colours of the huts, contrasting with the muted sand and sky.

If they are your thing, here are the details about ordering..

So, here's the MOSAIC BEACH HUT wall hanging deal!
Three sizes to fit all budgets - all prices incl UKP&P via PayPal using felicityball@justmosaics.co.uk
10cm x 15cm - 2 huts - £28
15cm x 20cm - 2 huts - £39 (3D)
20cm x 30cm - 3 huts - £75 (3D)
I can accommodate most colour combos - pls email me the details.

In the meantime...

HAPPY EASTER!

Felicity x

Buying art on Facebook

Sharing and selling my art on Facebook has been great. Fellow artists and fb friends have been very generous with their likes, comments and shares.  It has made a big difference to my small mosaic business, and I am very grateful - long may it continue!

I saw the 'buying on Facebook' process from the other side last week - I bought a piece for myself - a textile picture called Coastal Bliss from Sharon Port Originals! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sharon-PORT-Originals
I spotted it first on my newsfeed and just kept coming back to it.  Sharon kindly responded to my comment and took a close up photo of it, and I started seriously to consider the possibility of buying it, which was very exciting!

Coastal Bliss

I hummed and harred, as you do, then thought 'yes!' - took the plunge, wrote the email, paid the money and received my lovely picture two days later!
The package came - carefully wrapped - would I like it as much in real life? - would it have been worth the risk? - real opening-parcel-angst!

All was well - I love it!

It uplifts me everyday and was worth every penny and any small doubt I might have naturally had! It is now up in my studio where I can see it from my worktable, and here, now, when at the computer!  It's wonderful to look at, to touch, and I keep noticing more detail - perfect!

So, I guess, this might be some of what my customers go through when they are considering buying one of my mosaics, and now I can empathise - really!
My hope is that my work is much better in real life - it has often been said to me that photos don't do it justice- only you can be the judge of that!


Art is such an individual thing - and when you see something that really catches your eye, it might be worth giving serious consideration to investing in it, if you can.

One thing is for sure, it will enhance - as Coastal Bliss does for me!

Felicity x