Saturday, October 19, 2013

Mosaic Flower Series

Below is a series of flowers that I've created as stained glass mosaics.  All of the designs were hand drawn by me for this specific project. All of the glass in each mosaic is completely hand cut by me with basic hand tools: the pencil grip glass scoring tool, the running pliers, the flathead tile nippers and the wheeled nippers. Visit my open facebook page "Kasia Mosaics" to see lots more up to date process shots as well as new projects and news about my Online Stained Glass Mosaic Classes which are available for streaming world-wide - hope you take a look and enjoy!

  Sunflower, stained glass mosaic, 11"x11" (12"x12" framed), 2013   ~SOLD

Watch the video below if you are interested in learning more about stained glass mosaics.  It is a preview of my Online Stained Glass Mosaic Flower Class which is ideal for complete beginners as well as intermediate mosaic students. 

        

The Online Class comes with 12+ flower templates that can be used for the class projects.  It covers my mosaic process from start to finish, covering every step of the way.  Everything is documented via video tutorials that are supplemented with additional photos and written notes.  The students in the class are invited to a private facebook group page where they can ask for advice and feedback on their work as well as interact with other students and to share their progress as well as finished projects.

 Above are the rough sketches I created for the mosaics.

Here is a shot of the sunflower mosaic in progress.  Its hard to choose which flower from this series is my favorite, but if I had to choose, it might be the sunflower.  Before choosing the color palette for this flower, I figured I'd do the classic sunflower with the brown center ... somehow when I started looking at my glass, the brown didn't make sense for this one, I liked the look of the less common greener center

Here is a shot of the lotus in progress.  The lotus is a recurring element in my work.  I've been wanting to make a purple one for a long time now so here it is!

Here is a shot of the rose in progress.  I've always really loved roses but if I had to choose which one I love the most, it might be the orange one.

Here is a shot of the Colorado columbine in progress.  Through out the summer on various hikes here in the mountains of Colorado, I have seen these beautiful flowers along the trail and was inspired to create one of my own.

Here is a shot of the zinnia in progress.  Zinnia's are Kyle's favorite flower to plant in the garden.  He is really the one who has brought it to my attention.  Seeing how much he loves these flowers, I just had to include it in my series.  I feel that every part of the flower lends itself perfectly to being recreated with a mosaic pattern.  This flower was particularly fun to create and I plan to revisit it in a variety of colors in the future.

Above you can see part of the grouting process.  I grouted all the flowers at the same time.  Seeing them all come alive at the same time was very rewarding.

Here is an Instagram shot I took of the view from my studio window while finishing up my mosaic flower project.  Part of Kyle's stair garden is seen framing the beautiful view of the trees I get to enjoy everyday.  Though out the summer, we watched the flowers blossom and attract the humming birds - it really was a treat and it inspired this little series.  In September I took this photo thinking about how beautiful the rainy day was and how it made the flowers really stand out.  At that time, I had no idea how much rain we were going to get in Boulder - that was the beginning of the big flood before we had to evacuate from our home.  I had to put my project on hold while we were displaced.  Eventually we got to visit our home for a few hours at a time and I got to come back to glue the flowers on day and then a few days later we came back to grout.  Despite all that we had to deal with as a result of this natural disaster, I had to do my best to complete my project and it felt really good to sneak in a few hours of studio time during the five weeks we've been away from our home.


 Colorado Columbine, stained glass mosaic, 11"x11" (12"x12" framed), 2013 ~SOLD

Red Zinnia, stained glass mosaic, 11"x11" (12"x12" framed), 2013   ~SOLD

 Purple Lotus, stained glass mosaic, 11"x11" (12"x12" framed), 2013 ~SOLD

Orange Rose, stained glass mosaic, 11"x11" (12"x12" framed), 2013 ~SOLD

28 comments:

  1. your work is very beautiful and inspiring, glad you are back home to enjoy your beautiful space

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for the nice comments and for the good wishes!

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  2. You are most talented as an artist to draw these out and then to apply them to mosaic

    realized my previous comment probably showed up the reply as no-comment@blogger

    my email address is msmitoagain at yahoo dot com

    Ramona from Mississippi


    love these and I don't know which one is my favorite either

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    1. Hi Ramona,
      Thank you for visiting my blog! This was a really fun project for me. I also can't decide which is my favorite ... I usually tend between the Zinnia and the Sunflower. I hope to expand my mosaic flower collection in 2014 =) I am actually working on a new flower right now and hope to have it completed by the beginning of next week. I will post about it on this blog once its completed. Meanwhile if you'd like you can visit Kasia Mosaics on Facebook to see some WIP shots of it: https://www.facebook.com/KasiaMosaics
      Happy Holidays,
      Kasia

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  3. Hi Kasia!
    I am in awe of your talent. I have become obsessed with learning your style of mosaics. I like the concept of hand cutting, but man is it time consuming. Oddly though, relaxing. I have ambitiously started a landscape mosaic. I can't afford one of your originals, so I have emulated your style. (I hope you do not mind) I have wanted one over my couch in my living room and just figured I would try and make one. I have recently started working with stained glass and my husband has purchased me all the handy dandy tools. I enjoy the escape and have been crafty and artistic all my life. I cannot wait for it to be finished. I really hope it turns out nice. Thank you so much for your inspiration and you wonderful step by step blogs. It helps newbies like me get the hand of things!

    Judy in Illinois

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    Replies
    1. Hi Judy,
      Thanks for the lovely comment on my work! I hope that by now you have a beautiful mosaic hanging over your couch and that inspires you and your loved ones every day =)
      All the Best,
      Kasia

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  4. I have been doing crafts of different kinds all my life but have never been artistic. Is is possible to do stained glass mosaics and mosaics in general without being artistic? I have patterns that I came across in a book at a craft store and hope it helps. I am going to start traveling with my horses to see the country and am going to take my new craft with me as well as a few old ones. I love your work and only hope mine is half a beautiful as yours. Thanks for sharing and I will send you pics of some of my work as I evolve.

    Shirley in Texas for now, then somewhere in the country...

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    1. Hi Shirley,
      Yes ofcourse it is possible to make mosaics without being too creative. Working on top of patterns is a great way to go if you are unsure of coming up with your own designs. I hope that you've been busy making mosaics, improving your technique and gaining more confidence in your ability.
      All the Best,
      Kasia

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  5. I love your work! Very inspiring! Where do you get the lovely panes of glass that you're cutting into various shapes? Thanks, keep up the good work!

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    1. Hi Shearry,
      I purchase my glass at D&L Art Glass (wholesale warehouse) in Denver, Colorado. But you can purchase stained glass in many glass shops as well as online. Here is a link to a good online supplier: http://www.delphiglass.com/spectrum-glass/streaky-wispy/ The kind of glass that I used for the above flowers is from the Spectrum Glass Company from the 'Streaky and Wispy' family of glass. If you ever want to give mosaics a go and create your own flowers, I do offer an Online Flower Class. You can read more about it here if you're interested: http://www.kasiamosaicsclasses.com/course/online-flower-class/ Thanks for the compliment!

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  6. Good day i love your work it is very beautiful i would like to know how do you get the perfect cut to do the flowers i use tiles that i smash but i would like to use the perfect shapes but i do not know hoe to get the perfect shape from my tiles please give me a view tips
    Thank you

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    Replies
    1. Hi,
      Thanks for the compliments on my work! In regards to the flower petals in the mosaics above, I use a glass scoring tool and running pliers to create the shapes. With the right technique it is actually very doable. But I don't use tile, I work with stained glass which comes in many lovely colors. I do have an Online Flower Class that specifically focuses on teaching this kind of glass cutting and it comes with many project templates and tutorials for the different designs. Check it out via my classes page: http://www.kasiamosaicsclasses.com/course/online-flower-class/ Just copy and paste the link in your browser. The best tip I can give you is to know how to use your glass cutting tools properly. As long as you get a hang or it you can cut many fun shapes. Best of Luck!

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  7. Can you give me some tips on how to cut those petals , especially the lotus ? Do you use a different tool than normally used ?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Brenda,
      The best tip I can give you is to become comfortable with using glass tools and to understand how they work as well as what not to do with them. With a little bit of practice, any beginner can start cutting nice shapes out of glass. I just use the basic tools: a pencil grip glass scoring tool and running pliers. Then I use a flathead tile nipper for any shaping and circle making and the wheeled nipper to make the background shapes. I have many other useful tips that I've included in my Online Flower Class. I go through showing how I use the tools, go through a flower project from start to finish, include additional tutorials on specific petals and I share a set of flower templates for the students. You can read more about the class and watch a preview video here: http://www.kasiamosaicsclasses.com/course/online-flower-class/ Best of Luck!

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  8. What type of wood product do you use for the base of your mosaic art? I want to use a sturdy enough base and not just plywood.

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