Sketch for Browns Bay mosaic artwork

This is the sketch I did yesterday, for one of the artworks I intend to create for the NZAG Annual Members Exhibition. In line with the theme of the exhibition ("Our Future"), it will be called "Living in Browns Bay", as this is the future that my husband and I are looking forward to.

Exhibition opportunity means rescheduling priorities

The NZ Art Guild's Annual Members Exhibition is at the end of July, at the Mairangi Arts Centre - the theme of the exhibition is "Our Future". This is a fantastic opportunity to show case my polymer clay mosaic work, at the venue where I am hoping (in the future) to be able to teach some polymer clay workshops.

However, I will have to create some new mosaic artworks, as so far I have only done the six trial pieces experimenting with different mosaic styles. My problem is the limited amount of time. I have applied to have half a panel (rather than a whole one) and intend to do two artworks, in quite different styles for variety. I am going to have to work every spare minute I have to be able to complete these two pieces in time. (It is always better to submit pieces for an exhibition that you have already done - but it never seems to be that way with me!).

In order to make as much creative time available as I can, to meet the exhibition deadline, I will need to re-prioritise my work plan for the next two months. This basically means delaying the opening of my Etsy shop, which I am rescheduling to be sometime in August. The goals I set myself at the beginning of the year, to achieve during 2011, included setting up an online shop - but even if this is not done until August, it will still be done this year. 

Back in New Zealand...and feeling inspired



I have so missed this view, which I see at the end of the passageway when walking from the main shopping street to our apartment. I think it will be the inspiration for my first polymer clay mosaic artwork. Having just returned from a 16 day trip to the UK, I am now eager to get back to my polymer clay – it is nearly half way through the year and I have so much to do, if I am going to achieve all the goals I set myself at the beginning of the year.

This is me reminiscing, eating Yorkshire puddings in Yorkshire. While back in the UK for my step-daughter’s wedding, I had a great time catching up with family and friends. The weather was fantastic for the whole trip, which was a bonus as all the driving about was a little tiring, but it did feel homely coming back to Browns Bay, here in New Zealand.

POLL: Pohutukawa mosaic - different styles

I have finally completed and photographed the exercise that I started last month. Before designing a larger polymer clay mosaic artwork, I have been experimenting with different styles. Based on a representation of the New Zealand Potohutukawa flower, I have created six small mosaics, on 4" (10cm) square block canvases. Please take part in the poll (to the right) and let me know which style you like best. The results of the Poll have been added at the end of this post.

1 - Simple squares

2 - Micro mosaic

3 - Micro and larger shapes

4 - Design cut into squares

5 - Cut out design and squares

6 - Various shaped pieces

This will be my last post for a while, as I am going back to the UK on Friday (for a couple of weeks) to attend a family wedding and to catch up with family and friends. On my return, I will consider the results from this poll, when I start my first larger scale polymer clay mosaic artwork.

Postscript: Results of the Poll - which mosaic style do you like best?

1. 0%
2. 35%
3. 17%
4. 3%
5. 37%
6. 8%

Thank you to everyone who voted.


Completed piece for NZ Art Guild Collaborative Project 2011

Selected portion of my contribution

to the 2011 colaborative project

- Light of my Life

I have completed my part of this collaborative project and posted it off today. Made of large polymer clay 'mosaic' tiles, this is a small portion of it, when it was in progress. I cannot reveal the whole piece until it has been unveiled at the Annual Members Exhibition - Our Future, in July.

Last time at Coatesville Market



Last set-up at Coatesville Market



Close-up of my 'thank you' sign

It is sad that this was my last time at Coatesville Market but I know that it is not the right venue for selling the larger pieces of artwork that I am going to be creating next. Everyone has been really friendly here and made me welcome, so I will have to come back now and then as a visitor.

For anyone reading this who still wants to by my HANGAs, I am intending to open an on-line shop on Esty.com to sell these and other smaller items. I will start work on this when I get back from my trip to the UK, in May, and hope it will be up and running some time in June.

Sketch for trial mosaic style

This is a sketch for one of the trial mosaic styles I am working on, in the exercise referred to in the previous post. However, I have had to suspend work on this while I concentrate on my piece for the NZ Art Guild collaborative project. I want to get this done and posted back before I go on my trip back to the UK at Easter.

I have been busy...

I have not posted for a while but I have been busy. This month, I have been making my own polymer clay mosaic tiles and carrying out a learning exercise. I have used small 4" (10 cm) square canvases as a base for creating a series of small mosaic pieces based on the Pohutukawa flower. There will be six in total, when I have completed this exercise, using different styles of mosaic. I will post some photos when they are all complete.

I am doing this to decide which style of mosaic work to use before I attempt a larger size of mosaic artwork. I have a couple of 12" (30 cm) square canvases that I am intending to work on next - but I am still undecided as to whether to work on board or canvas. The canvas is good because it is all ready made and can be hung straight on the wall, but I am not sure as the size gets larger, if the canvas will start to sag with the weight of the tiles - I will find out when I start one of these larger pieces.

I am also experimenting with different acylic mixtures to grout the tiles as I fear that if I use normal tile grout, it might eat away at the canvas (?). If I stick the tiles on to a wood or MDF base, then I could just use ordinary tile grout. I need to make a decision about which type of base to use soon, before I start to spend time creating larger pieces of artwork.

NZ Art Guild 2011 Collaborative Project – Light of My Life

Last week I received all the instructions and my piece of board for taking part in this project. I am looking for inspiration on the theme ‘Light of My Life’ and still thinking about how my little piece will take shape. One thing that I have decided is that I will make my design out of polymer clay mosaic tiles and stick these to my piece of board. I do not expect any one else will be using polymer clay, so it will stand out as being different – I just want it to look really good, as this is an opportunity for polymer clay to get some publicity and, hopefully, some good press.  

Polymer Clay - one year on

It has now been a year since I first started with polymer clay. I have had a great time experimenting and am in total 'awe' of this versatile creative medium. I still feel overwhelmed at the vast array of techniques and ways of using it - I do not think that a whole lifetime would be long enough to try out and master everything.

Last week I started my new part-time job, three days a week, which means I can now review how I spend my two creative days. I have decided to stop doing Coatesville Market after returning from our trip back to the UK, at the beginning of May. Instead, I want to focus on producing some bigger polymer clay mosaic artworks - making mosaic tiles from polymer clay was my original reason for turning to this new medium. I will look more to exhibitions and galleries to promote my work, with a view to establishing my name as a polymer clay artist, and gaining credability so I can go on to teach polymer clay workshops.

I will continue to sell my HANGAs and other small items like the Art-Brooches at a few selected events but concentrate more on selling these online. After our return from the UK in May, I intend to set up an online shop through Etsy and will also look into the New Zealand version, Felt.