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All posts for the day May 10th, 2006
Tapa design one
I can just see pavers, trays, mirrors and anything circular coming out of this stuff…
Lots of interesting things at ArtStoneBone.
Part of my ethnic heritage is Tongan. Tapa or ngatu designs are something I have an interest in. This site gives a great summary of various ngatu elements. I started thinking about these with respect to the mirror I am doing in class as I am not 100% happy with my current design.
The manulua pattern may be the key to solving the problem I have with the outside border.
Laura K Aiken is the mosaic artist who has created this sign. I really like the subtle way she has done the background. Very classy use of earth tones and I like the triangles.
" Seek the strongest color effect possible.. the content is of no importance." Matisse
"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way–things I had no words for." Georgia O'Keeffe
This has some really good practical advice. And photos. Got to have photos!
The Latin Spanish cultures already have a healthy sense of whimsy and fun evident in literature and particularly in the magical reality genre. In the mosaic world the artist who truly embodies this is Gaudi. Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell…these places, these flights of imagination have inspired artists and those who appreciate art everywhere.
I find Gaudi completely and totally inspiring. These two photos are of mosaics at the Parc Guell in Barcelona.
Well, I toodled off to the first class not knowing quite what to expect.
After all, even during high school I had never stepped into an art room.
The website had suggested that Ro Koch-Laurie would be taking the class. Instead we had Sandy. This was no disappointment as she was obviously passionate about mosaic.
She issued us with a piece of fibrocement board, a piece of rectangular mirror for those who wanted it and told us to design our mirror or wallhanging.
Yikes!!!!
There were lots of books floating around for inspiration and examples of what the last class had done.
But what do you design when you have a clean piece of board in front of you?
I didn't want to do anything that involved tracing something off a book and I wanted to do something that reflects my interest in Polynesian stuff so I started drawing the kind of swirls and curves you tend to see on Maori wood carvings with room for a border around that. I'm well aware that this is a learning exercise but I want to do a good job of whatever I do. Hmmm.
Colour was the next issue. What colour tiles would be available? Many of the colours I like weren't available and trying to imagine a design in colour with the colour restrictions there and trying to get it right…hmmm. Couldn't find a colour wheel in the place so that made it a bit harder too.
So I dove into the shard box and played around with a few different colours, started cutting up a few odds and ends and played with layout. Still was stuck as to what to do with the outer border.
The most important thing was that time flew by and I had a ball. I could positively feel that right brain getting a workout.
