Koru - A New Life

I've completed this very special piece at the end of last year. A good friend/aunt of mine commissioned me to create a unique surprise present for her daughter and her partner who at that time just found out that they were expecting a baby. She and her husband have just given it to her daughter and her partner just a few days ago so I've finally decided to share it with the rest of the world. I was felt very honored and was very excited to take on this wonderful challenge. These were my guidelines "I'd like it to be abstract but also have the joy of creation, the beauty of a new life coming into being..." 
 

Koru - A New Life, stained glass mosaic on board, 11" x 16", 2011   ~SOLD

Because I know the recipients of this mosaic so well, I knew that they really love bright, bold colors, especially yellow (optimism, renewal, hope, enlightenment, joy and happiness) and orange (energy, balance, enthusiasm, warmth, and vibrancy).  At the time of the commission, we didn't yet know the gender of the baby so I thought that these colors would be perfect.  Another inspiration for this piece was the spiral (koru) as the basis for the composition. Koru is a spriral shape that is based on the unfurling of a silver fern; it symbolizes new life, growth, strength and peace - all that come with the creation of a new life.  I've always been fascinated with spirals so I was extra excited about incorporating it into a mosaic design.

Below area  couple process shots which I took while working on this piece:

Here I am in my old Chicago studio carefully scoring the next little piece of glass which I am about to snip into a little circle.

Above is a peek at the mosaic in process.  You can see how I build most of my pieces on top of a rough paper sketch.

I've worked on this piece with it being oriented as the one in the lower right hand corner but once I completed it and turned it in all the possible orientations, I had a hard time deciding which way I liked it best. As a result I've put four different hooks on the back so that the new owners can decide which on their own which way feels best. Plus as they live with it they can keep turning it to change it up =)

Green Mountains

Green Mountains, stained glass mosaic on board (framed), 36" x 36", 2012  ~SOLD

For a long time I've been on a quest to find my perfect landscape. This is one of the reason I love going on new hikes. Will I find the places that I've imagined? Before I got to live in Vermont and in Colorado, I would day dream of wandering through my ideal green hills that roll back into the distance and evolve into magnificent mountain peaks veiled by a perfect, huge bluebird sky. Living in Vermont, I fell in love with the vivid and lively Green Mountains the state is know for. Then when I moved to Colorado, the sky was incomparable to anywhere else. And the high peaks were so striking and impressive that I couldn't take my eyes of them. I combined all of this in this piece and hope it evokes the feelings of love and wonder that I have for our beautiful planet.

Below are a few process shots that show this mosaic coming to life.

Concept sketches and concept colors.

Sketching out the concept on the board.

The mosaic is coming along.

 Ready for gluing and then grouting.

Grouting - my favorite part =)

Polishing the grouted mosaic.

Details of the grouted mosaic.

 A great size comparison of the artwork seen next to the artist.

 Green Mountains seen in a potential living space.