Jepson Hall Mosaic

Earlier this year we were commissioned to create a portrait of Jepson Hall, one of the buildings on the beautiful University of Richmond campus, as a retirement gift. 

{Click on any of the images to enlarge.}

View fullsize

The biggest challenge with this piece was working the detail of the building into the relatively small space of the mosaic. In the end, Johannah decided to let the grout serve as the white stone elements. This meant working with three different grout colors altogether, which in turn meant lots of taping off between colors!

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

In this angled image, you can see that the building was created from flat, unglazed porcelain while the sky in the background and landscape in the foreground were created from shiny glass. Below, the finish piece in the reclaimed walnut frame made by Kyle.

View fullsize

More custom coat racks

Time for another round-up of some of our recent favorite custom mosaic coat racks! If you'd like to see more examples, check out other blog posts here, here, and here.

{Click on any of the images to enlarge.}

View fullsize

This client approached us about using doorknobs in place of our usual hand-forged hooks. She provided the doorknobs, as well as fabric, paint, and wallpaper samples from the two rooms where her coat racks would hang. We made the frames a bit wider to accommodate the knobs. The wider profile really shows off the gorgeous reclaimed walnut!

View fullsize

View fullsize

A six-hook custom coat rack in blue and green in progress.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Sometimes clients just have a particular color in mind, but usually they have some other ideas as well. For the coat rack on the left, the client requested a plus symbol, handmade by Kyle, to be incorporated into the mosaic. For the piece on the right, that client wanted a re-creation of an earlier, smaller coat rack in a larger size.

View fullsize

The special request for this six-hook mosaic coat rack was to give the piece a masculine feel for a single man.

To order your own custom mosaic coat rack, stop by our shop or send us an email!

Microscopic mosaic series

This series of mosaics inspired by microscopic images was part of a group show we organized with a few artist friends. In honor of the spring timing of the show and the natural themes and materials in much of the group's work, the title of the show is GROWTH. In addition to our work, this show features the work of furniture maker and designer Christina Boy, ceramic artist Maria Stone, muralist Emily Herr, and textile artist Emily Nicolaides.

{Click any of the images below to enlarge.}

View fullsize

View fullsize

While brainstorming ideas for mosaics for this show, I first thought I'd return to familiar themes such as maps or aerial views. But as I sat with the idea of "growth," jotting down words that came to mind in a sketchbook, I was struck by the idea of cellular imagery. I've long thought microscopic patterns would make for interesting mosaics.

This first piece I created for this series is based on osteons, the structural element of compact bone. Compact or cortical bone forms the outer layer of most of our bones. If each of these mosaics represents an element of the larger theme of "growth," Bone Cells represents the element of "support." In order to have the strength and courage to grow, we all need to be supported.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Next up is Mitosis, or cell division. Specifically, I based this piece on imagery of metaphase, the middle part of the process when the chromosomes are paired and aligned but not yet separated. Mitosis represents the element of "change." This is the heart of growth, that moment when we teeter on the line between our old selves and our new selves.

View fullsize

View fullsize

The last piece in the series is based on the rods and cones, photoreceptors in our retinas that give us, respectively, night and color vision. Rods & Cones represents the element of "vision" in the greater theme of "growth." We need vision to imagine a new way forward and motivate us to grow. While I created this piece last in the series, perhaps it belongs at the beginning of the story.

View fullsize

View fullsize

I originally thought I would leave these pieces ungrouted, but Mitosis and Rods & Cones seemed to need a little more contrast. So I grouted each of these pieces in two shades of gray, and I think it made all the difference!

View fullsize

Finished series ready for their frames! Each small piece measures 6"Hx6"W. The materials are unglazed porcelain and found reclaimed vitreous glass.