Daisy Table

Thank you to all the people who noticed, and said nice things about, the mosaic table which was in one of the last photos I posted. I originally blogged about it here but I thought I'd write about its construction in a little more detail, for those of you who might be interested.

So,
I found a sweet little wrought iron table at the local St Vincent De Paul charity shop which was just the right size and shape to mosaic.
I created a big orange daisy design,
inspired by my seventies kitchen,
and worked outside for three full days,
mosaicing late into the evening
by candlelight
in the hush of my garden.
Bliss.

I made the mosaic out of wall tiles, mirrors and broken china. You can see all three materials in this close up:

(If I was to make it again, I'd build up the mirror and the china so that the centre of the table has a more even surface.)

Unfortunately, the next stage of making the table, grouting the tiles, was less than blissful. In my inexperience, I used too much acrylic paint to colour the grout and, when I put it on to the tiles, the grout filled with air bubbles and wouldn't dry properly. Sadly, grout takes minutes to apply but it takes ages to remove. I cried (literally) when I realised the enormity of the mistake I'd made...and I've been chipping the grout out, on and off, for the last three years.

Not surprisingly, I lost my momentum and the table has sat untouched for a long time. However, after some prompting by friends, and a pep~talk by a terrific mosaic artist called Chris, I decided to have another go at finishing the table in February. I used commercially coloured grout this time, applied it successfully ~ to my relief, and ended up with this:

Here's another close up
(showing just how deliciously smooth the new grout is) :

I am very, very happy to have finally finished it
and I'm also happy to report that I've rediscovered my enthusiasm for mosaicing. I've been gaining inspiration from Helen Baird and her book The Complete Practical Guide To Mosaics, Emma Biggs and Tessa Hunkin's fabulous text Mosaic Workshop and the wonderful work of Kaffe Fassett. I have also started preparing to mosaic my kitchen splashback
...and this time I'm booking into a mosaic studio so I can get immediate advice as I'm working.
Wish me luck!

Daisies and Mosaics

I live in an open plan unit, built in the seventies, that I am slowly redecorating.

When I first bought my place the kitchen was tiled with orange daisy tiles. They were pretty loud but kind of endearing (in a retro, floral sort of way) so I decided to use their motif and colours in décor I made. You can see one of the daisy tiles next to this mosaic pot.



Here’s a daisy throw I painted for my sofa:




a funky flower mosaic table under construction:



and some other mosaics…






I made the bird bath at a weekend workshop at Fremantle Arts Centre. Information about their fabulous courses can be found here.

I’m planning on going to Workshed Mosaics, where they have a great big studio, and making my own splashback for the kitchen. I'd like to incorporate some of the original tiles. I’m also thinking of using a white on white sort of colour~way, sparkly mirror tiles, shapes that reflect the flower in the mosaic table…
It'll be time consuming (and really enjoyable) to make.