RSPB Mosaics – progress so far
Here’s the first few mosaics for the RSPB signage. I’m using the double-indirect method so they’re currently just on brown paper. The hawker (dragonfly to you and me) has been reversed ready for a test cast into a small concrete slab. Apologies for the awful photos – forgot my camera today so these are from my phone…
Hyde Indoor Market artwork unveiled!
Following six months of consultations, workshops, meetings, fabrication and lots of sanding, the Hyde Indoor Market artwork was unveiled on Saturday 6th April. As I’ve mentioned previously, the artwork consists of 3D letters which spell out the words ‘Hyde Indoor Market’, with each letter representing something different sold within the market.
In terms of fabrication the letters presented a variety of challenges as they all required different processes to complete them – these included mosaics, mould-making and casting, decoupage, illustration, knitting and painting to name but a few. Detailed images of each letter can be seen here on the Woodend Artists flickr page but I’ve included a select few below.
RSPB Mosaics
Myself and Richard Dawson have been commissioned by the RSPB to create some way markers for Dovestone Reservoir in the Peak District. Each way marker will contain a small circular mosaic that depicts flora and fauna found in the area. I’m currently working on the drawings for the artwork but in the meantime here’s a mosaic of the RSPB logo which I did just to get me in the mood!
Hyde Park Community Orchard Mosaics
Toad
I’ve only just got round to photographing (and uploading) some of the finished mosaic elements from the Hyde Park Community Orchard public artwork. The insects, birds and animals shown here are just a few of the mosaics created for the seating, wildlife discovery trail and pathway to the Orchard, all contained within an apple pip shape that formed a connecting element throughout the artwork.
Wasp
Swift
Red Admiral Butterfly
Nuthatch
Greenfinch
Honey Bee
Mosaic lettering – timelapse
I should have posted this ages ago but have only just worked out how to embed video in to my blog!
This shows the first stage of making the outdoor classroom mosaic floor. The method being used to create the mosaic is the double-indirect method, whereby the tiles are stuck onto brown paper and then reversed ready for installation. The fill-in and background colours are added once the detail has been reversed. To give you an idea of how long the mosaics took to create, the word ‘Merryweather Damson’ which is being created in this time-lapse took about 1 day to complete…
Hyde Park Community Orchard Artwork – installation
Just before the build fortnight on the RHS Tatton show garden, I had 10 days in the rain (plus one dry day) installing artwork in the Hyde Park Community Orchard. Not ideal weather for installing a mosaic which is mounted on paper but we soldiered on and (almost) got everything finished.
First job was a dry fit of the classroom floor mosaic to check it all fitted together onto the 3m concrete base. The mosaic was separated into 27 sections, so it took a bit of work to make sure it all went together as it should.
Laying out the mosaic and cast stone ‘apple pip’ inserts for the Wildlife Discovery Trail sculptures…
Then the rain started…
We got the mosaic wording in on a dry Sunday with the help of Des…
But at one point we had two gazebos and three tarpaulins over the mosaic and they still weren’t enough to keep the rain out.
Richard Dawson was also installing his oak benches and banquet table at the same time. These were the holes for the foundations of the banquet table to sit in. There’s about a foot of water in them here… another couple of hours and they were full.
Still smiling… or is that grimacing?
Next Hyde Park Community Orchard post – the finished artwork!
RHS Tatton – Silver Medal!
Following two weeks of hard slog in the rain at the RHS Tatton Flower Show, we have been awarded a silver medal for our show garden ‘A Year in the Life of the DreamScheme’. The culmination of 12 months of work and preparation, the garden shows the young peoples’ journey through Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter using colour, texture, planting and artwork to recreate the seasons.
Myself and Peter Castle worked with young people from New Charter estates to interpret their ideas and designs and turn them into a show garden. Using a circular format as the starting point, we designed each section to represent one season looking at overall effect, impact, the relationship between the seasons and plant associations. Our final plant list included over 100 different types of plants totalling almost 1000 individual specimens.
Once on site, the hard physicial work began, with the hard landscaping and building happening first, followed by laying out and lots (trust me – lots) of digging, then planting. The finishing touches included placing all the artwork made by the young people (mosaic slabs, withy sculptures, Colin the mosaic corgi etc), checking over plants and trees and dressing the garden.
Achieving a silver medal for a first attempt at a show garden is a massive achievement, so we are all incredibly pleased. New Charter received a bronze medal for their first show garden in 2010, so the pressure was on to gain an equivalent or better rating!
Next year, we thought we’d give the silver gilt medal a miss and just go straight for gold..!
Hyde Park Community Orchard mosaics – the next stage
All the mosaic fruits for the outdoor classroom mosaic floor are completed to the first brown paper stage. Here are the parts I’ve been doing…
Next week, we’ll be laying it out and, once we’ve reversed the completed parts (so they’re back to front), we’ll be starting on the fill-in colours using unglazed procelain tiles.
Hyde Park Community Orchard – mosaics design
Here’s the final design for the mosaic flooring of the outdoor classroom in Hyde Park Community Orchard. At three metres diameter, its a fairly substantial undertaking but will look fantastic once completed. The design is inspired by artwork produced in creative workshops we facilitated with local schools and groups. Ann (from Green Monster Arts) and I have just started the making…
Mosaic lettering test panels – Hyde Park
As part of the Hyde Park Community Orchard artwork, we’re creating a 3m diameter circular mosaic. This will form the central part of the outdoor classroom and is a substantial part of the commission. Part of the design is a circle of text that includes all the names of the fruit trees planted in the orchard.
I’ve created some test panels of text to see if the style/font I want to use is achievable and that it isn’t going to be too time-consuming to create almost 200 letters from mosaics. As the lettering on this outer ring of text is only 50mm high, there’s not a lot of room for error but the most fiddly bit proved to be filling in the background colour.
The second panel is the test piece for a central ring of text that reads ‘Hyde Park Community Orchard’. This will be done in the same font but is slightly bigger with 80mm high lettering.
Flickr Photos
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