Mosaic Cacti Planter

 

There's something about joining broken pieces to make a new whole. Giving fresh life to broken pieces by recycling and reinventing. 

And that is exactly what I did with the concrete planter that the gardener mistakenly broke last month. Instead of throwing it, I decided to refurbish it to plant my expanding collection of cacti. But only after giving the broken edge of the planter a new mosaic finish.

Since I had glass beads lying around, I combined them with hand-cut pieces of ceramic tile to make these mosaic flowers. Afterwards, I fixed them in place using adhesive and cement grout.

After the gardener helped replant the cacti, this is what the final piece looks like. Isn't that a lovely makeover? Now I can't wait for those cacti to bloom in summers.

Update: 

Had to share a picture of the mosaic cacti planter with its beautiful blooms.

Project successful :)

The Community Art Project - Part 2

 

Hey, readers! Hope you all enjoyed our community mosaic story that was featured last month. Yes, I am still somewhat in mosaic mode, as we cross the wall showcasing our artwork often and feel happy for our contribution. Moreover, I am also making small mosaic pieces around the house as and when I get time. So I thought of bringing you all a peep behind the scenes, with this write-up about the process of mosaic making.

Mosaics can be made in multiple ways, the most common and obvious one being the direct method, where tesserae pieces that make up the mosaic are stuck directly on to the substrate and grouted. However, since our community artwork was large and the weather was horribly hot and humid, working outdoors was not a good idea. Moreover, there was the scare of the pandemic. So it was decided to mosaic using an indirect method. 

We had a printout of our artwork as the guideline... 

...and we assembled the mirror and tile pieces over a mesh.

Cutting tile and mirrors neatly to size is an art in itself, and the boys did a better job of it.

Indirect methods of mosaic making give you the freedom to innovate as you go along. Like the ponytails I added on one of the kids to bring gender balance to our piece.

Once our mosaic was complete, we lifted the mesh and checked for unattached pieces. Other than posing with the artwork, of course!

On the day of installation, we cut the mosaic to size before adhering it to the wall. 

Finally, we went back the next morning to grout and buff our artwork. Grouting gives the final finished look to a mosaic, other than sealing and waterproofing it.

And this is us with our mosaic kids!

The finished artwork now looks like this, the mirror outlines glistening beautifully in the light. 

For any similar mosaic projects you have in mind, do get in touch or write to us at  creativerumblings@gmail.com. We will help create from scratch a hand-cut piece of mosaic artwork to brighten up your spaces.

Nature Journal 2020: August-September

Since I was in mosaic heaven last month, the August page of the Nature Journal got delayed. Then I decided it would be better to present the two months together as the layout worked nicer that way. So here's bringing you the August-September pages of Nature Journal 2020. 

Hope you enjoy the double spread of natural snippets. As I lose myself in my green wonderland to converse with my many non-human friends. :) 

#naturejournal2020

Hair-Raising Tales: Part 1

Let me declare right at the outset that this post is dedicated to the darling daughter. For this is her special month.

But more importantly, she and her crazy wild hair, have been the inspiration behind each of the hair-related illustrations that I came up with. 

This is one post a lot of women should identify with. Especially since we all are familiar with bad hair days, and how they affect our moods. 

Heck, one can hold bad-hair episodes directly responsible for all our off-colour, grumpy days! :D

Hope you enjoy these illustrations. Do let me know which ones are your favourite.

Update: See Hair-Raising Tales: Part 2 

The Community Art Project - Part 1

 

Life is full of surprises, they say! And when an exciting prospect presents itself in the middle of this pandemic-ridden year, it only gets sweeter. As the lockdown started and all plans came to a grinding standstill, there was a sense of despondency and uncertainty. But who knew that the year would provide us with such a wonderful learning opportunity to pick up a new skill.

Despite the pandemic scare, our local RWA decided to go ahead with a public art project that was to be executed by the community, for the community. The project involved sprucing up an entry wall facing the main gate to our block. But the challenge - it was to be done in mosaic! 

Kanika Singh from Mini Mason Mosaics came on board to be our mentor and guide. A visit to her gorgeous studio, followed by a Zoom consultation and a quick hands-on workshop, and the four teams were raring to try their hands at the new skill of mosaic making.

Snapshots from the hands-on workshop

The public artwork was designed to represent three generations of a family living in our block, along with their pet, and how each of them is enjoying their lives in the community. Each team picked up a particular character silhouette to work on. We brought home the playful kids.

Bringing our mosaic kids to life, little by little

As each team worked from the safety of their own homes due to the pandemic, our community artwork started coming together in bits and pieces. 

Each team with their mosaic at their home

And before long the dazzling pieces were ready to be installed.

Our mentor demonstrating the installation process

Pleasant mornings, with cloudy skies and a gentle breeze, made it seem like a picnic of sorts as all the teams gathered over a weekend to get their mosaic pieces up on the wall.

Prepping the pieces pre-installation

As our piece had a lot of intricate areas (the arms, legs and fingers), it needed many helping hands to get them to stay in place. Reminding me of Jiddu Krishnamurthy's famous words, "It takes a village to raise a child."

It took a village to get the kids up there

When the artwork was finally put up for the public, it was such a gratifying experience to be able to give back to the community, especially in these difficult times. To have been chosen as a medium to spread positivity is indeed fulfilling.

We feel that public art always arouses a sense of wonder, joy and hope in the community at large. Just a glimpse provides nourishment to tired souls, even if briefly. Much needed in these stressful times.

The completed mosaic mural

We feel immensely grateful for the new learning, and the opportunity to connect with some great people. 

Key members of the team

As together we bring a smile on the faces of those who view, enjoy and interact with our art. Hoping to spread joy for years to come! :)

Update: Read Part 2 of this story here.

Capturing Oreo Again

Remember my grand plans of doing a series on the canine inhabitants of our lane (see here). Well, progress has been super slow on that front as I have my fingers in too many pies! At any given point of time, I seem to have half a dozen projects running simultaneously (big eye roll at myself). But well, let me not digress...

In these past few months, all I managed to complete was this full portrait of Oreo (read more about him here). Since the guy loves bread and bones, I added them in. And those little triangles represent the tid-bits that he keeps getting from everyone in the lane.

Don't know if this series will go any further but if I add any new paintings, they'll surely be shared here. Do check back for updates. To commission any pet portraits, write to  creativerumblings@gmail.com.

More Journal Snippets

As an artist, I find myself using journals to express myself very often. A journal is like a diary, only more visual. You are already seeing pages from my Nature Journal every month. So thought of sharing a few pages from my Transition Journal that I finished earlier this month.

The above picture is the front cover, and the picture below features an amalgamation of some individual pages along with the back cover.

In these difficult days when our world is in the grip of the pandemic, maintaining a daily/weekly/fortnightly or even monthly journal is a good way to release some pent up stress, sadness and frustration. Try it, dear readers!