In my earlier years of making mosaics, I would often start a project before I had it fully developed in the design phase. I was much more impulsive, yes, but there was also an enthusiasm. Impulsive: not so good; enthusiasm: very good. Funny how that works. At this stage in my mosaic-making, I pay much more attention to the design phase. I still have enthusiasm, but it’s not as free and exciting. A trade-off?
All my not well-thought out projects have taught me over the years the value of the design phase. This piece, In The Beginning, was one of those projects. I’ve blogged about others—Past Life being the star of the not thought-out projects. The violet gold that I used on this was the same violet gold that I scraped off of what became Piercing The Veil. When I started this, I think I only had the shape where the violet gold is. As was my thinking at the time: I’ll figure it out as I go.
In The Beginning (2012) 19” x 22” | 48cm x 56cm. Mosaic gold in violet, red, orange, acid green, shades of yellow, vitreous, contorno.
I got stuck on it and set it aside for a while because I did not figure it out as I went. Some time later, I managed to work off of the initial shape. I was shocked, as I was finishing it with the black vitreous, at the male-female symbolism. Where did that come from!?! This was completely subconscious and certainly not a result of intentional design. I admit to feeling a bit embarrassed.
In The Beginning, detail
This was the first time I used vitreous, cut and laid on its side, en masse, and I found it very effective.