Lightweight Mosaic !

In June 2014, I delivered in Normandy a mosaic commissioned by long time friend. 

Mariam's eyes, 21 x 39" (53 x 119 cm) , made of stones, ceramics and glasses tiles, weighs 65 lb (31 kg) and bringing her to France with me was a challenging task. 

You see, mosaics last for one reason : They are built of heavy, fireproof materials : stone, glasses, ceramics, embedded in heavier concrete based materials supported by fibers reinforced concrete panels...

The weight of the actual tiles that compose a mosaic is between 35 and 45 % of the total weight of the completed mosaic. In the case of Mariam's eyes, the weight of the tiles was 22 lb. (10 kg)

When I took her to France with me, I carried 43 lb (20 kg) of concrete in my bag, and paid a hefty price for it. 

While I was making Mariam's eyes, I also made Miriam's. 

I made Miriam on a fiberglass mesh. She was an experiment. I wanted to test the feasibility to prefab a mosaic on a very light support, to possibly transport such piece without all the concrete involved.

Mission accomplished, I had to deal with a few technical problems and hungry rodents, but when completed, ready to be mounted, Miriam weighed 22 lb.

Such piece, however, is fragile and  I now had to figure out how to safely ship it and mount it in a foreign country. 

Which I'll address very soon in the next episode of this newsletter ! (Subscribe to it, Share it !)

Miriam's Eyes (to the Right) is Mariam's Twin Sister and is available for sale.

Beautify your life with one of classy mosaic piece from mosaicblues. Purchase an existing mosaic or commission a portrait, a decorative panel, a kitchen backsplash, a shower... 

Together we will design the perfect piece fitted to your home's or business' unique style. 

Or if you simply would like to discuss the wonderful art of modern and ancient mosaics, please contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com or by phone at (334) 798 1639.

And if you enjoyed this post, please

SUBSCRIBE to my

NEWSLETTER

Alexandro Botticelli

Alexandro Botticelli c. 1445 – May 17, 1510), was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. He belonged to the Florentine School under the patronage of Lorenzo de Medici, 

Among his best known works are The Birth of Venus and Primavera.

I had always loved Botticelli's Venus. One of my very first mosaics was inspired by her.

And well, I am going to do it again... This time the inspiration will be Primavera.

This is a "semi-secret" project, a portrait in the style of Botticelli, a present for someone who does not need to be aware of it. I won't be able to show the actual design, or the completed piece before she gets it. I will however, be able to post some of the work in process pictures. As I will be working with the reverse method, nobody should be able to figure out whose portrait it is...


If you are interested in my purchasing one of my existing mosaics, would like to discuss a special project or simply discuss the wonderful art of mosaics, please contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com or by phone at (334) 798 1639.

You may also

SUBSCRIBE to my

NEWSLETTER

 

L'installation de Mariam

On June 22, 2014, Finally, after a little more than 50 hours on the bench, Mariam was ready to fly to her new home in Normandy...

Delta Airlines charged me $200.00 for this extra piece of luggage and Mariam and I boarded the plane.

We arrived in France on Wednesday, June 25th. On Friday, I went to Londinieres, home of Alain and Marie Jacquot who had commissioned this piece.

Suspense ! 

Marie opens the box ! 

Marie and Alain discover Mariam for the first time !

And share it with their daughters.

Mariam was fitted with my special V-shaped installation system, and it took Alain and I less than 1/2 an hour to install her. 

Mariam is installed on a deck used for  "L'apero" and outside dinners. She was officially inaugurated on Saturday June 29, at a wonderful party organized by the hosts to celebrate their 60th birthdays.

A few days later, Marie sent me a picture of Mariam in the Sunset.

As you can see, the color of some of the tesserae matches the background color of the wall. This is a very interesting effect that makes this piece even more attractive. It is not always possible to  do this, for tiles do not come with infinite variety of colors, but it worked for Mariam..

Miriam, Mariam's twin sister, is now available.

Miriam, Sunset light

Miriam, Overcast sky.

If you are interested in her, in my other works or to simply discuss the wonderful art of mosaics, please contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com or by phone at (334) 798 1639.

You may also

SUBSCRIBE to my

NEWSLETTER

New Projects, June 2014

So these were my new babies at the end of June 2014, before I flew to France to install Mariam

One new Boddhisatva

This one had been on the backburner for about 18 month. As I completed Miriam, I decided he needed attention again! I have realized 2 of these pieces several years ago, they are now displayed in a home in Atlanta, and I am interested in seeing how my  technique will render this time ! 

2 Michi or Do projects, one reverse method - stone, one direct method on mesh, glass. I have not even laid the first tessera of any of these 2, but they should come up faster than the others, as they are of smaller size.

Michi or Do is a Chinese symbol for the Way, or Tao. It is the "do" in Judo, Kendo, Aikido... Judo is the way of flexibility, Kendo the way of the sword, Aikido the way of Gentle Energy...

And Red Scarf has been waiting a long time to get started, for I did not have the reds I needed. I brought them back from France last Summer, and will bring some more this year (with yellows, blues, greens etc...), so I could get to work

Red Scarf on the bench...

Model for Red Scarf mosaic.

Turns out, now that I am back from France with a few orders, things might happen a little differently, I may have to let these down a little to progress on my new projects. I will soon tell you more about them.

 

If you are interested in purchasing one of my existing mosaics, would like to discuss a special project or simply discuss the wonderful art of mosaics, please contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com or by phone at (334) 798 1639.

You may also

SUBSCRIBE to my

NEWSLETTER

Les 3 Sisters - Bilingual Edition !

On June 18, 2014, I completed Mariam and Miriam mosaics by applying a final coat of wax.

June 18 is a very special day for French people.

In May 1940 the German troops went around the famous and impregnable Maginot Line, invading with Tanks and Dive bombing Stukas from the North through the Netherlands and Belgium, when our brilliant Military commanders were expecting them to come from the East.

The French government begged for the invasion to stop and signed a shameful armistice, the French armed forces were disbanded and soldiers requested to surrender their weapons and themselves to German Authorities.

A little known general of the French Infantry escaped to England. On June 18, 1940, he broadcasted on the BBC Radio what is now known as the "Appel du 18 Juin" asking all French men and women to join him to fight the Nazis.

His name was Charles de Gaulle, in my opinion one of the last heroes of French History.

But...

What has this to do with mosaics ? Are you asking.

Nothing !

I just could not resist speaking about this little known part of the history of France. When I was a kid we were told about this again and again, so we would remember. Now, I am not sure this story is told any more. So I tell it.  Lots of movies and legends tell us about the Davids who against all odds take down the Goliaths of the world. When it really happens, it is worth telling !

Back to mosaics, to celebrate June 18, I am pleased to bring to you The 3 Sisters :

And pour vos yeux etonnes, la version francaise : Les trois soeurs

Unless something very unexpected happens one day, these 3 pieces will never be together again. Mariam is flying to France with me on June 24, On June 20, I took Veiled Black and White to the Wiregrass Museum of Art where she will participate to the B14 Biennial show. Miriam is staying with me in Headland and is presently available.

If you are interested in her, in my other works or to simply discuss the wonderful art of mosaics, please contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com or by phone at (334) 798 1639.

You may also

SUBSCRIBE to my

NEWSLETTER

 

Twin Sisters

Today is a great day. I have the great honor and privilege to introduce, for the first time on stage together, the soon to be famous Twin Sisters : Mariam and Mariam Mesh.

On this picture, Mariam (on the left) is close to ready for delivery (she will be flying to France at the end of the month). She has been framed, I only have to left  to grout the gap between the frame and the piece itself, and some waxing and buffing. 

As for Mariam Mesh (on the right), she needs a second round of grout before I send her to Eddy to be framed.

I grout each piece 3 times. It may sound a little extreme, but it is the best way to achieve a very good finish. I actually spend quite a few hours finishing each piece after flipping them ! 

This evening, I did the last round of grouting on Mariam, (edges only) and the second round on Mariam Mesh. Tomorrow will be cleanup day for my beauties ! 

Mariam Mesh will be available for sale in July, if you are interested, please contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com or by phone at (334) 798 1639.

You are also very welcome to contact me to discuss any aspect of the inspired  Art of Mosaics.

You can also 

SUBSCRIBE to my

NEWSLETTER

Evolution

Design evolves, Techniques evolves

When I laid the tesserae of my first pairs of mosaic eyes in 2011, I was inspired by a picture seen in a French photo magazine before 1992.

Was this the picture of a real Tuareg lady ? I don't know, the fabrics look really flashy and brand new, I doubt they spent any time beaten up by the desert sun and wind. But I had loved the combination of colors, the Green eyes, the Blue veil and Red scarf, and the warm ochre of the sandy background. 

This gave birth to Green Eyes

Green Eyes is made of porcelains, travertines, granites and glasses, and her dimensions are 13 x 25" (32 x 65 cm).

She flew to Dubai last December and I have heard that she has since moved to Pakistan.

The, last winter, a French friend of mine asked me if I could make for her a mosaic in the like of Green eyes !  So I went back to work. This time, I would use different, slightly richer materials.

I decided I would build two mosaics, mirror image of each other. One I would call Mariam's Eyes, and her twin sister, which I sometimes call Mariam Mesh, for she is built on a Fiber Glass Mesh (more about this later).

By the beginning of May, Mariam was ready to be framed.

You can see here how my technique has evolved. I am trying to render colors in a non traditional way - somehow in the same way a picture is printed.

By the end of May, Mariam's sister is ready to be flipped, although the process of her flipping will differ from the usual one.

Please remember that this is the back of Mariam Mesh, before it is glued to her support.  In the end, it will be the mirror image of Mariam, but you are now seeing her back which is why she looks so much like the above Mariam...

If you are interested in my Mariam mosaic - available in July - or would like to learn more about mosaic, please contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com, or by phone at (334) 798 1639. I have other mosaic eyes available, I take  commissions of mosaic eyes, and other mosaics. 

You can also 

SUBSCRIBE to my

NEWSLETTER

 

 

Vandalism - Part Une

On Tuesday, May 20, at 5:21 pm, I completed laying the tesserae of Mariam Mesh. 

Mariam Mesh is an experimental piece. I am trying 2 new techniques with her. 

• She is built on a fiberglass Mesh. (I will detail the hows and whys in a future post)
• I am using a different glue on part of her - a flour based "Colla de Farina". With the hope to speed up the cleaning of the mosaic. 

Remember that I work mostly Reverse Method. I build my mosaics upside down, mounted on a model with a commercial water soluble glue. Then come several operations before I can separate the actual mosaic from the model. I have described this on several videos on my Mosaicblues Youtube Channel.

Once removed the model, there is still quite some time left to clean up the glue.
This  is why I decided to try this flour based glue, hoping it would be easier and faster to clean up thatn my regular glue...

On Wednesday morning, after feeding my chickens (you can hear them in most of my mosaics videos), I went to the shop to check on Mariam. And THIS is what I found :

Vandalized, most of the tesserae of Mariam's face and part of her eyes where laying shattered on the rest of the mosaic, or beside it...

I was worried, wondering who could have done this. Then I realized that only these tesserae glued with the flour glue had been shattered, something odd was at work there... No human would have been able to know the difference.

And then I remembered a young dead rat on the ground of the chicken pen. Rats don't usually die in the open. ( I know things about rats)

It did not take long to connect the dots. The rodent(s) had feasted on the flour glue. Unfortunately for this one, small shards of glass embedded in the glue must have caused his death by internal bleeding.

I have now finished the repairs (6 hours of work), and am covering the mosaic with heavy tiles when I get out of the shop. I am not sure whether I will keep using the "Cola di Farina" or not. This will depend upon the ease of cleaning it up once I flip the mosaic. 

This incident is a good illustration of how even minor changes in the way we do things can sometimes have unsuspected consequences. 

We should probably not trust corporations or governments when they tell us new technologies such as GMOs or fracking are absolutely safe...

Just saying ...

Please allow me to introduce Mariam's Eyes.

I must confess. I am a big fan of the Rolling Stones. I saw them on stage 3 times. How do the Grandfathers of Rock'n'Roll relate to Mosaics ? They don't, yet...

I was just trying to find a good title for this post and here came Sympathy for the Devil's "Please allow me to introduce myself..."

I'm a man of wealth and taste...

Funny how little things come up by association ! 

Comes to think of it, I should ask Mick Jagger to do my promotion for me ! 


Anyway, please allow me to introduce Mariam's Eyes twin Mosaics.

Mariam's Eyes are made after one previous work of mine : Green Eyes, who flew to Dubai last winter. 

Green eyes was the first one of my Mosaic Eyes portraits.  2 years later Mariam's Eyes are bigger, and differently centered. I am also using different materials. 

I am actually making 2 mosaics on the same design. One is the mirror image of the other. Twin sisters ! 

One of these mosaics is a commission for a dear French friend of mine.

Mariam's Eyes will be flying to France in June, and her sister will be available for purchase in July 2014. 

If you are interested my work, would like to acquire an existing piece or commission one, or would simply like to learn more about mosaic, please contact me by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com, or by phone at (334) 798 1639.

You can also 

SUBSCRIBE to my

NEWSLETTER

Attention les Yeux !

"Attention les Yeux" - is French for "Protect your Eyes".

You'll use this expression to warn people that they are going to see something so beautiful and remarkable that their eyes might be hurt by such sight !

As I finally completed my Fall Foliage mosaic, my work benches are now available for new projects. I will create 2 Mariam's Eyes mosaics. One to be delivered in France next June, and the mirror image of it which I will build using an experimental method. More about this later. 

Veiled Black and White is 40 % complete

Sean's Eyes are waiting for a frame and grout.

Lots of EYES can be SEEN at Mosaicblues.

I dreamed of a Show dedicated to  mosaic eyes, I would call it "Attention les Yeux".

If you have contacts who could help make this possible, of would like to help yourself, please contact me at (334) 798 1639 or by email at frederic.lecut@gmail.com.