Thursday, October 23, 2014

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Dove Dish

Created for the Australasian Bird Fair in Sydney, October 25-26, 2014

Another wedding present commission -- 'Little Fishies' birdbath.

The 6 little ceramic fish featured in this piece were created by Mark Capon from Kangaroo Island.

Friday, October 4, 2013

Lobster Pot -- September 2013

Max wouldn't let me sell this one -- lives on the table down by the dam where the yabbies live!

Friday, August 30, 2013

Two Ducks Dish -- for CollABORATion exhibition 2013 (SOLD)

A friend who knows my mosaicking predilection gave me these two ducks -- one with a broken wing and head snapped off.  This is my first with pieces emerging from the surface.

'Earthquake 1989' - created for CollABORATion group exhibition September 2013

So called because the central plate was given to me cracked and glued with 'Earthquake '89' written on the back. Intriguing! Since I live in the Hunter Valley, it obviously came from the local area and was damaged in the Newcastle earthquake. One imagines it bouncing off a sideboard and because it was so loved, it was repaired and the cause of the damage noted.  So now it sits forever (?) preserved in an artwork ... until the next earthquake.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

'Scarlet Strike - 'Created for an upcoming group exhibition called 'CollABORATion' (SOLD)

 


Bron's Surprise!

Special commission for a birthday surprise. Colours had to be purple and green so father & son scoured the op shops for pieces I could use and voila! They delivered an fabulous square plate that became the fractured centrepiece, a purple mug that yielded a handle (which they requested... 'must have a handle!') and some grape & green plates for the rest. A pure 'pique assiette' piece. Pique assiette is French for 'plate scrounger' and is used to describe the art of using broken plates for mosaics.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

'Apologies to Anne Chandler 1' (SOLD)

Because they were so perfect for the centrepiece of a birdbath, I purchased 4 boxed dinner plates - designed by Anne Chandler - at a funky northern Sydney beaches shop.  I very rarely purchase anything new for my pieces but these called out to me from the shop window. My apologies to Anne Chandler! There will, of course, be three more created in the series ... watch this space.

 

Sunday, April 14, 2013

'Gold Floral' Bird Bath -- SOLD


 

'Blaxland Dreaming' - a commission April 2013

 
Gregory Blaxland - he of the pioneering crossing of the Blue Mtns with Wentworth and Lawson in 1813 - also contributed to the early development of the vine industry in Australia.  He later established a farm near Broke in the Hunter Valley vineyards and the current owners commissioned me to create a mosaic using all the pieces of broken dinnerware, bottles etc dug up during their time there. It was an honour and a delight to work with pieces that Blaxland may well have eaten from.

UPDATE:  July 28, 2013 
Made this small oval bowl as an extra gift for them -- from some of the leftover pieces.


 




Tuesday, March 19, 2013

The last of the SMASH! exhibition commissions!



Retro birdbath as a thank you for Marg

A friend with a second hand shop often hands me a box of broken or chipped things for mosaicking. I made her this small birdbath as a thank you.
In progress ...
And finished ...



Saturday, February 16, 2013

Birchley's commission Feb 2013




Birthday birdbath using precious old plates Feb 2013


I was given three very old and precious plates with birds on them to smash and arrange in this birdbath commissioned for a friend's birthday.  Breaking the centrepiece plate was SCARY! I turned it upside down and hammered away but the bloomin' thing wouldn't break!!  Finally it broke in three pieces.  Gingerly turning each piece over, I was delighted to find it had broken with each image intact and centred within each piece -- oh happy days!!
Then I broke the other two plates to extract the images to arrange around the edge. 

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Jaz's 'Serenity' birdbath

 
 Jaz wanted predominantly turquoise then we added a little touch of yellow sunshine right at the end. She lives in an inner city highrise apartment so it will be interesting to see if passing birds visit her balcony birdbath.

'The Cricket Match' -- Wedgewood plate resurrected!


This Wedgewood plate - numbered and titled 'The Cricket Match' -- had fallen off a sideboard and broken into neat pieces. It now forms a beautiful centrepiece of a newly created birdbath of rich greens, subdued browns and highlighted warm red.
The owner of the plate has a private cricket ground in a small country town in the Hunter Valley.  I hope eventually to add a photo of 'The Cricket Match' in situ in its new home with cricket match in progress nearby.  Watch this space! 






Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Sailing 4 - SMASH! exhibition 2012

49 cm square

This piece on display & for sale at Ogishi Glass Gallery - http://www.ogishi.com.au/ - in the Hunter Valley vineyards.