Tag Archives: dragonfly

Garden Posts (Part I – Making)

Over the last few months I’ve been busy working on a new mosaic, well three mosaics actually, to cover the plain concrete fence posts on our patio.  I took lots of photographs as it helps to look at the design from a different perspective.   So, I hope this post will show the process I use and give you some idea of the detail involved.

I decided to work the three panels at the same time so the design would flow.  I wasn’t working to any plan, I just knew in my head what I wanted it to look like.

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When it came to making a butterfly, I started experimenting.  I took a piece of plain glass and cut it to shape and then painted the back with several layers of nail varnish.  It worked out beautifully for this and another butterfly, so I used this method again for snails, ladybirds, dragonfly and bees wings.

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This little spider was a regular visitor.

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Even though it was blisteringly hot, our extremely furry dog would sit in the shade and stare at me, willing me to put my cutters down and play football.

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I wanted to include as many garden visitors as possible, even the ones that aren’t always welcome, so snails had to be included!IMG_81576 frog collage resize

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I took a photograph of this moth sitting on a window and followed it’s simple lines in mosaic.IMG_8332 Collage resize

At the very bottom of the panels I used stained glass to make grass and added another snail and a hedgehog.

Next – sunburnt shoulders, cement hands and the installation ……

 

Garden Ball

This terracotta ball has been another project that I started and shelved some time ago.  But with the promise of Spring in the air and little crocuses and tete-a-tete daffodils popping out of the ground, I was once again inspired.  And I’m so glad because it is probably one of my favourite pieces to date.

Citronball N1

Citronball butterfly

Citronball N3

Citronball dragonfly

Citronball N4

Citronball bee

I’m hoping to see lots of butterflies, dragonflies and bees in my garden this year……..

Citronball N2

…… but maybe not so many snails !

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Bad day at the office

Mosaic ball 1

I’ve had to come in from my workshop because I’ve just had an accident.  There I was sitting listening to the radio and cutting the next batch of petals for my mosaic lantern ball when I smacked my hand against the sharp edge of a killer flower.   There followed what looked like a scene from Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Mosaic ball 2

Luckily my Handsome Trusted Assistant (HTA) was there on hand (excuse the pun) with a bottle of superglue and stemmed the flow of blood.   My finger is quite sore and as I don’t want to bend it for the time being I’ve come indoors.  I’m not very good at wasting time so I’m a bit annoyed that I can’t get on with what I wanted to do today.

In contrast HTA is having a great day and is nearing completion on making his first overdrive guitar pedal. He has finished all the electronic gubbings inside and is now putting the finishing touches to the artwork.   He was last seen with an acrylic spray can in his hand and full face mask, making noises Darth Vadar would be proud of.

Pedal

I love the fact that the led lights up in the shark’s eye!  More pictures to follow when it’s all assembled.

Anyway, tomorrow is another day and all being well I’ll be back at my worktop snipping away at another daisy or something.

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EDIT.  As I’m typing this my HTA has just come in to tell me that he has just been stung by something in the garden and it has left a pulsating sting in his arm (which he thinks is quite cool)!   Is it Friday the 13th by any chance and nobody has told me?!?