Bits 'n Pieces

Sam the Cat

2009-12-22T14:11:00.001-05:00

Sam the Cat was made for a friend's daughter, so he's already off to a good home!

Oh Hai!

2009-11-19T15:31:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am going to make this.

You don't miss the beginning until you get to the end.

2009-10-26T16:47:00.015-04:00

Lily was 4 years old when she came into my life. I can't fathom taking my pet of 4 years to the pound, but that's where she came from. My sister gave her to me for what was supposed to only be a one week stay; one week turned into 9 years. All of those years, I had wondered what she was like as a kitten, what were the things that shaped her into this little creature who grew bolder and braver with age? She aged into a brazen food thief, stealing bacon and pancakes when your head was turned. She was scared of a cockroach but not a chipmunk. I never understood why you needed to be at least 13 years old to touch her. Sorry kids, she really was a nice cat.

In the final weeks of her life, I was desperately trying to make her healthy again and dreading the decision that was facing me. I was beginning to accept that 13 years was what her life was going to be. All the same, I wanted more time with her, I wanted those 4 years that someone else got. I hope I gave her a good life. Lily really was a very good cat.

Goodbye sweet Lily.

The Patron Saint of NYC..

2009-09-01T18:24:00.003-04:00

I'm now 2/3rd's of the way through my triptych of Urban Critters Which Will Never Die project. Guess who comes up next? Heh! Not telling yet. I got this pigeon idea from this quite clever blog and her pet photography project. She took a quite charming picture of a pigeon and he became a natural fit for this icky idea of mine. It's the critters you don't like that will outlive us all on this planet...

Grizzly Bear. Can't Stop Watching This Video...

2009-08-31T00:22:00.002-04:00

I am a fan of fan art!

Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear from Gabe Askew on Vimeo.

My favorite video of the day

2009-08-19T12:12:00.012-04:00

This video is the perfect combination of excellent editing, perfect song combo (song/band that I love) and nothing gory happening! Usually bike videos like this have cracking faces and

bones, terrible things happen! But this one is just about

being awesome at what you love to do and making it

look good. It's a good thing!

Oh yes I did...

2009-08-18T19:01:00.005-04:00

I went and made a cockroach mosaic. And a life size one at that. I purposely chose a background color that is a common shade for bathroom tiles. This was all done to give you the heebie jeebies, so I hope it worked. Know anyone who's left the big city and you'd like the perfect "you know you're going to miss it here!" gift? I think you've just found it. Shiver....

(also, this is part one of my Urban Critters Which Will Never Die triptych)

Summer bugs

2009-06-27T12:47:00.005-04:00

These critters have been floating around my computer for a while now and it's about time they got out in the public. The beetle found a home before the paint even dried so the snail is still looking for a cozy spot to settle into.

Sailboat!

2009-03-02T22:06:00.006-05:00

There are pluses and minuses to getting commissions. The plus is $$$! The minus can be that you're asked to make something probably outside your own interests and that you'd never make on your own. This isn't a terrible burden because chances are you're going to learn something new and refine techniques that will make the next project of your choosing even more awesome. I probably never would have done a sailboat on my own but I had fun with this one. I chose a pretty precise design which forced me to be very precise my glass cutting. Not to say that I didn't still make a huge mess with lots of wasted glass bits, but they were bigger bits and almost just the right size! So I like this one, it was a challenge, I'm a better artist for having done it and it's going to a good home. All my mosaics should be so lucky.

Dragonfly

2009-01-24T18:30:00.003-05:00

Dragonflies are supposed to bring good luck. In lieu of making an ox mosaic, I hope this little critter brings a year of good luck and fortune to anyone who owns it.

You know times are tough...

2008-11-22T14:45:00.002-05:00

When you have to give away the squirrels...

New Koi Fish Photos

2008-09-07T11:14:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to draw everyone's attention to the new photos I posted of my koi fish mosaic.
Click here to see it all in mind blowing 3-D* : Koi Fish

* Not really 3-D but click anyways

Black Backed Kingfisher

2008-08-19T16:22:00.010-04:00

Isn't this a delightful little bird? I feel like this an animal that doesn't know how pretty it is, he seems... humble. He might even blush if you fussed over him. I'm posting my source photo along side my finished work so you can see what I worked from. It's hard to translate such mouthwatering colors into something that can come close to doing it justice.

Another even smaller dragonfly mosaic

2008-05-21T21:50:00.005-04:00

This little guy is only 3 1/2" and I finished this one in a record one day. It's still quite detailed for the size it is even though I always think I'll leave the gaps in there, I just can't do it. So there are little slivers of stained glass tucked neatly into almost every crevice that can hold it. Enjoy.

Just a little dragonfly...

2008-02-22T16:00:00.006-05:00

So my larger project is not off to a very good start but I wanted to make something nonetheless. This is my smallest project so far, it only took a few days from start to finish. I may just stick with this small idea and get a lot more done. Happy winter day. Update: This lucky bug is now in a private collection in New Jersey.

Something else I love as much as mosaics.

2007-12-09T17:04:00.001-05:00

Pandas! I love this video so forgive the non-mosaic post today. Clearly I'm not very busy making my own artwork, but that's no reason to not share other peoples brilliance.

My favorite subway mosaics of New York City

2007-12-09T12:26:00.001-05:00

For all the drudgery that getting around New York City can be, one of the best perks is the wonderful mosaics so many of the subway stations are decorated with. So many stations can be stinky dirty caverns you simply cover you nose, keep your eyes down, and rush to the closest exit. When I have business that takes me off my usual route, sometimes I get lucky and pass through a station that's been gifted with mosaics. It's been a simmering idea of mine to take photographs of some of my favorite works. Since my camera isn't yet up to the task, I've decided to post other people's pictures. Some of these are stations I've never seen before, but the mosaics give an excellent incentive to find something in this neighborhood to visit. For somewhat obvious reasons, my favorite station is the F train stop on Delancey St. Basically take my rainbow trout mosaic (listed below) magnify it, multiply by 1000 and throw in some cherries, and you have an idea of this glittering display. I never mind train delays when I'm stuck here. So enjoy these links and photos, I'll keep adding to it as I gather more pictures.

http://nycsubway.org/perl/artwork (almost all the stations of NY photographed here!)

http://mingfay.com/

http://www.mta.info/mta/aft/permanentart/

Vermilion Flycatcher

2007-10-07T20:36:00.001-04:00

Another little friend from Central/South America, the Vermilion Flycatcher. This little piece is only 7 x 7 inches. The challenge of this project is actually what ostensibly should have made it easy: it's only two colors. It was a challenge to give this little guy dimension while being true to his color scheme. Hopefully I pulled it off. This is why I don't do panda mosaics.

UPDATE---Mosaic Class, Saturday October 6th

2007-07-23T19:04:00.000-04:00

The August class was rescheduled for October. You have another chance to sign up and get mosaicing!

I am very excited to inform you of a mosaic workshop I will be teaching at EtsyLabs in downtown Brooklyn on October 6th. Take a look at the link below and if you've ever thought about getting crafty, sign yourself up and spend the day with me making art. Etsy has a great space so this should be fun afternoon. It would be great to see a familiar face in the class, so I highly encourage all of you to enlist!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6534101

Cut and paste version:

Date: Saturday, October 6th, 2007
Time: 12pm-4pm
Location: Etsy Labs, 325 Gold Street 6th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

Email me if you have any questions. Hope to see you there!

Lady Gouldian Finches

2007-07-18T22:07:00.001-04:00

Another one signed off on. These lovely little birds come from Australia. I can not find any mosaic versions of these creatures, which surprises me as I think they are so perfect for this medium! I'm going to work on improving the photography but I love getting these posted the second they are done!

Mosaic supplies for sale

2007-07-15T15:13:00.000-04:00

these are some things I'm looking to get rid of. I'm either done with the project or I'm just never going to use it. Please email me if you are interested in any of this. River stones, pebbles, glass marbles, alabaster chips, sea glass. Don't leave a comment as I can't reply via email!

Koi Fish

2007-06-20T12:05:00.003-04:00

Update to the update: Well, what do you know, I finally came through with all this talk of eventually getting better pictures. Of course, it helps that the owner of this piece is the wonderful Jennifer (Pienkoski) Goldstein, a gifted photographer and artist herself. This piece is the one that brings the most people to this blog (Hi! Stick around for the birds, they're nice too!). Even though it seems most searches are looking for live koi's, I think Jen can attest that these fishies are pretty low maintenance but just as zen like to have around. If your landlord would disapprove of you digging a koi pond in your third floor walk up, mosaic fish are the way to go.

At long last, a new one. A pair of lovely Japanese Koi fish. The pictures needs edited a bit but I wanted to post this asap! Enjoy. UPDATE: This piece has been sold and is now in a Los Angeles collection

Work in Progress!

2007-05-15T19:40:00.000-04:00

Stay tuned for mosaics in the works! I'm working on a new one now and it's coming along very quickly. Hopefully it's finished in a few more days so check back for updates!

2007-01-23T12:40:00.000-05:00

This is a mosaic of a Resplendent Quetzal bird (thanks RK for that detail). I found it in a book of Birds of the World and it turns out this an extremely rare South American bird. Now I know.

Rainbow trout

2007-01-23T12:32:00.000-05:00

So this is my latest and greatest triumph! It is difficult to photograph as the surface is so sparkly, thus the double photo. It took over a year to complete but it's the one piece that really taught me some technique and I got into some different materials. The surrounding water material is all stained glass rather than the italian glass tile the fish is composed of. I also gilded the edge, not as easy as it looked so I learned! I am happy to be done with it and yet anxious to start another one!