'A New Approach'

This is my entry in the 2016 Hibiscus and Bays Art Awards exhibition, being held at the Estuary Arts Centre, Orewa. Below is a little more information about the piece.

When I first started this mosaic, towards the end of 2014, I thought I would title it ‘A New Exploration’. This does not relate to the flower in the picture so much but to my first exploration into a new way of creating mosaic artwork with round tiles. The design is from a print on canvas, which I chose to use for my first experimentation. However, the close up view of the flower with the layers of petals and the deep colouring do also give a sense of exploration.

After moving home and doing a number of smaller mosaic pieces in between, I finally completed this artwork in time to enter it for the Hibiscus and Bays Art Awards 2016. When I filled in the application form, I put ‘A New Approach’ down for the title, as I had forgotten what I was originally going to call the artwork. Once submitted, I could not change it.

Although there has been a slight change of name, this does not change the fact that this piece was the starting point for a new approach to my mosaic artwork. The use of different sized round mosaic tiles has now become my signature style.

This artwork is made up of around 7,000 handmade tiles. They are colour blended, cut and baked from polymer modelling clay. After gluing all the tiles in place, on the canvas, it has been grouted with coloured acrylic gel medium. It took well over 150 hours to complete. 

My entry has been submitted

Photo coming soon of 'A New Approach' 

My entry has been submitted, for the 2016 Hibiscus and Bays Art Awards, by photograph. Hopefully it will be selected for the exhibition. I will wait until the exhibition has opened before posting the finished photo. It will run from 28 October to 11 December 2016 at the Estuary Arts Centre, Orewa, north of Auckland.

The final tile is in place

Today I stuck the final tile down on my latest mosaic artwork, titled ‘A New Approach’. Just got to grout it now and then it will be ready to photograph and submit for the Hibiscus and Bays Art Awards 2016. 

Work in Progress - September 2016

I have 3 weeks left until the submission deadline of 3 October 2016, for the Hibiscus & Bays Art Awards. Not only do I have to finish making and sticking all the tiles in place, it then needs to be grouted and photographed, as initial selection for the competition is by photograph. Will I get this finished in time? Yes, I have to!

Still a long way to go!

My first dot mosaic in progress

I am really pleased with how my first dot mosaic is taking shape but there is still a long way to go. Unfortunately I did not complete the whole picture in time to enter it in the Members Merit Awards exhibition, at the end of November, which was my original plan. I had no idea how long it would take me, and at the rate it is going, it might just be ready for the exhibition next year.

As this is my first artwork using this 'dot mosaic' technique, I want it to be the best I can do, so it will take however long it needs. I have no idea how long this will be but I am finding it hard to continue at the moment, due to social events and planning the run up to Christmas but more so because I feel some trepidation about what will happen when I eventually come to grout it.

 

After all the hours I will have spent making the tiles and gluing them in place, I would hate to ruin the whole piece by using the wrong grout mix. As I have used an art canvas as the base, I need to make sure that the grout will flex and not crack. To put my fears at rest, I have decided to make a small dot mosaic on a canvas, so I can experiment with the grout mix before I apply it to this piece.

 

I am not likely to get any more studio time in before Christmas now so here is how my artwork, titled 'A New Approach', looks now. Next year I will post more progress photos as the dot mosaic develops.

'A New Approach' - in progress @ 29.11.2014