"The King's Music" by Paula MacLeod

 

http://www.durhamsymphony.org/fundraisers/

 

The 2011 Durham Symphony Painted Violin Fundraiser is in full swing. Stephen Ray Miller, Eric McCray and myself created new works of art on decommissioned violins. You can see pictures of the three voilins online (link above) or in person at High Strung Violins and Guitars 1116 Broad Street, Durham, NC (919) 286-3801 through the month of September and at Encore Boutique 3401 University Dr, Durham, NC (919) 403-0495 for the month of October.

The final drawing will be held at the Durham Symphony’s Holiday Pops Concert on December 2, 2011. You do not need to be present to win.

Purchase your raffle tickets at High Strung Music or Encore Boutique or online at the above link.

The Mosiac Husband is here to report that installing a mosaic is HARD!! I helped Paula install the Eye d'Neau comminsion this past weekend and I need to stick to my cushy computer job. Here are some pics for your entertainment

 

 

 

 

The Mosaic Husband

I do know that I'm very happy to be blogging about my most recent commission, Eye d'Neau. This project is a sidewalk mosaic inset (or emblemata for all of you mosaic officiantos, see http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/185560/emblema) that measures 5 feet diameter. My clients had a very specific idea in mind and from our initial discussions, I created a couple of sketches and we selected one they liked best. The inspiration for this design, a woman's eye with a question mark in the pupil, is the name and logo of my client's band, Eye d'Neau.

 

I am using the same technique to create this mosaic as I used with the kitchen project, see http://flowersoup.com/workszoom/267990. (Assembled in my studio on fiberglass mesh and then installed onsite.) I'm also using vitreous glass tile from Trend, as I did with the kitchen. The completed mosaic will have an outline of bricks set around it, much like a classic emblemata. The brick mason, Tom from Masonry Concepts, has been working on a herringbone brick sidewalk and will do the brick outline around the mosaic. I will be onsite for the installation of the mosaic.

 

More updates to come!

 

The Independent Animal Rescue is a local non-profit dedicated to helping foster, spay and neuter local rescued cats and dogs. This year "The Good Life", a collaborative piece by Paula, Emily Weinstien and Kathryn DeMarco and many other wonderful pieces helped the IAR to raise $20,000!!

I want to post about a wonderful backslpash project Paula completed. I actually don't think that a backsplash truly describes this project. It is an image of a tree that is anchored behind the stove and runs up to the ceiling around the stove vent. Then the piece trails from there all around the kitchen in what would be a more traditional backsplash. It was a total of 40 square feet of work. She constructed the piece in her home studio using mesh panels and put it together like one big jigsaw puzzle. This piece took her about 150 hours to complete including the installation. She even had to get me to help at some points. This was the largest project that she has done to date and hopes that this will lead to even larger projects. Of course, she says "I will NEVER tackle a project like this by myself again!!"  Anyhow, just take a look at the pictures and you will be able to see the effort in this project.

These are pictures taken by a great photographer and friend Diane Amato.











Here is on of the piece in progress

Hello Mosaic Enthusiasts,

I ran across this blog about a new mosaic magazine called Mosaic Art Now. Please take some time to check it out.

http://www.kitchenandresidentialdesign.com/2009/07/give-me-more-mosaic-art-now.html

Also, here is a link to Mosaic Art Now

This is an interesting video about The Scrap Exchange. Paula sells her work in this store and me and my son have spent many enjoyable hours making costumes and transporting ourselves off to far away lands. If you get chance it's worth a visit.

Julie Sweedler hosted my artwork in 2004 at the Women's Health Information Center at the Women's Hospital at UNC where she was the director. Since then, Julie and I have stayed in touch and I have enjoyed our friendship. This summer Julie accepted a 2-yr position as the Education Director at Bokamoso Private Hospital in Gaborone, Botswana. We will all miss her, but she has started a blog to chronicle her experience and stay in touch. I think it will be an interesting blog and invite you to follow along.

http://julieingabs.blogspot.com/

Jackie Roop,  a fiber artist from the east coast of Canada, has asked to do a rendition of "Vertigo".

 
Jackie's medium is traditional rughooking. She has been doing this for many years and thought Paula's piece would make an interesting and challenging subject. This blog will follow Jackie through her process. So far she has printed the image onto Belgian linen which is her preferred foundation to work on and has already started the first two quadrants .


 
There are several steps to get to this point such as printing the image, tracing the image onto trace-a- pat paper, drawing the picture onto the linen, and then tweaking the lines by adding in elements such as highlights shadows, etc. She is assembling wool colors and textures to be used. That will require a wool hunt for the appropriate values to be used.  Here is the mapping of the image that she will use for color values.


We are excited and honored that Jackie wants to use our image. When she has completed the work she will submit it for inclusion in Rug Hooking Magazine. We wish her luck on her submission.

You can also find her work in Hooked Rugs Today IV: Expect the Unexpected by Amy Oxford (Author) and Bruce Waters (Photographer)

Here are a few more of Jackie's pieces for you to enjoy.