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Happy weekend!
Fx
Here in the UK it is jolly chilly - rather pleased with this photo I took this morning of the bush outside our front door - seems to sum up how cold it is!
In the studio this week, I have finished my Flora Mosaica Collection for the Jane Reeves Gallery. You will see I have changed the name, because 'Spring Flowers" would not have been quite true...! My husband came up with the name - you would never guess he studied classics in his youth, would you?!
So here they are in all their glory ..
Red geraniums, daffodils, snowdrops, tulips ...
.... cosmos. buttercups and daisies, sunflower and agapanthus.
Everyone has their favourite, for all sorts of reasons - it is amazing how evocative flowers can be. Variety is indeed the spice of life! I think the two most popular mosaics though are the snowdrops and the buttercups and daisies. Maybe it is because they are depicted in a more natural setting, and not in a jug, vase, bunch - mmmmmm, something to think about for future projects maybe.
On Monday, my lovely photographer Hannah is coming round to photograph them for greetings cards, which I will be selling in sets of 8 cards very soon. And on Wednesday, I deliver them to Jane for her to take down to her new gallery in Padstow - how exciting, and a little bit scary too. I hope you have been keeping up with her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/janereevesgallery.co.uk?fref=ts to see the amazing work she will have there - so varied and interesting.
You know at the end of every post I say how I love to hear from you (very true), well, a blogger friend of mine pointed out that it isn't clear exactly HOW to leave a comment - sorry about that! I use Google's Blogger for my blog - it's great and easy to use, but you do have to have a Google + account to leave me a comment. Please don't be put off - it's really easy to set up in minutes - you don't have to say anything about yourself if you don't want to, just register, and then, lovely blogger friends, I can hear from you, which would be great!! Leave me a comment when you've done it, and I'll choose someone randomly to send a set of greetings cards to :-)
With my Flora Mosaica Collection now finished, I am now able to take orders again, so if you would like me to make you a mosaic, do give me a shout - Why not have a little browse through my website? - www.felicityballmosaics.com
Thank you for reading my weekly blog - and I would love to hear which is YOUR favourite flower and why.
It's been all about mosaic flowers in my studio this week. I am deep into a commission for the Jane Reeves Gallery - https://www.facebook.com/janereevesgallery.co.uk?fref=ts - which will be opening in Padstow, Cornwall in February.
I was asked to make eight big (30cm x 20cm) spring flower mosaics, some of which I had already designed and made, and some will be exclusive to the gallery - these four are finished!
Which flower mosaic is your favourite ...?
I did a little poll on my Facebook page - www.facebook.com/justmosaics.co.uk - to see which one my followers liked best. I had an amazing response which was very heartening. The snowdrops came out on top, but it made me realise how varied, and a bit unpredictable people's tastes are. That's rather refreshing, don't you think? As an artist, I certainly don't want to get stuck in a rut, and this spurs me on to keep creating new mosaics.
Next week, I will be making three completely new ones, and a slightly different take on my sunflower mosaic, which I am very excited about. It's a challenge, and strangely tiring, but amazing to create something original. I worry about a lot of things, but I don't worry about the creative side of my work - I just seem to know what to do, which still feels incredible to me, and I am very grateful for it.
Also, I am running a mosaic flower workshop on 28th Feb 2015 here in my studio in Bristol. That's an amazing privilege too, as people delight in getting into that creative zone. They find themselves relaxing, forgetting, and creating something they never thought they could. Have a look at this short film below - I still have a few places left ...
I hope you are all keeping warm and safe in this unpredictable weather, blogger friends. I love to hear from you as always, and look forward to catching up again next week.
Hello blogger friends and a big welcome to my weekly blog!
As you can imagine, I spend a lot of time in my studio snipping - my mosaics take a long time to make, as I cut each tile individually! So, the view from my worktable is very important to me. Over the past year I have been collecting small works of art for my windowsill from some of my favourite makers, to keep my creative juices flowing and inspire me. I'd like to share them with you.
This piece of fused glass (yes, it is glass - amazing!) is by Jane Reeves - www.janereevesglass.co.uk . I love the calmness and serenity of it, and, I love to walk by the sea, so I imagine this is me! I call it my 'mindfulness' piece.
I bought this blue tit hanging from Dawn Maciocia - www.dawnmaciocia.com last year. It is so vibrant and uplifting, and so cleverly and carefully constructed when you examine it close up - made from torn paper, which Dawn makes herself, and it includes small pieces of text about blue tits.
Valeriane Leblond's tiny Welsh chapel hangs from my shelves, and is utterly charming - beautiful colours and textures in such a small piece! - www.valeriane-leblond.eu
This star by Therese Urbanska (Teska) is a new Christmas addition to my little collection, but I love it so much, it is going to stay up all year round! The detail and depth of colour is beautiful, and she has created a 3D effect with layers of paper - lovely! www.teska.co.uk
And finally (for the moment!), I have a small flower by Shirley Vauvelle - www.shirleyvauvelle.co.uk - I love its simplicity and the palette of muted colours. The base is a cork, the top of which has a fragment of an old map on it - suggesting journeys made and to be made ... maybe ... (Edit : Shirley tells me that the base is in fact driftwood - lovely!)
Needless to say, this little collection gives me a lot of pleasure, as I spend my days trying to make original mosaics which give pleasure to others. Do take a look at the artists' websites and see all their other lovely work. I have my eye on a few other treasures too, so watch this space!
Many thanks for reading my blog, and if you would like to, why not subscribe to it by email - it will pop into your inbox on a Saturday and then you can read it when you have a mo..?
First of all, thank you for reading and following my blog!
I have great plans for it for the new year - exclusives, giveaways, news etc - so look out for a post every Friday afternoon, or over the weekend if you are an email subscriber.
I always love to hear from you, so DO leave me a message anytime - I always read it, reply and appreciate you taking the time.
My blog is a massive part of my artistic life - keeping in contact with you all and sharing things I hope you will be interested in.
