Making a Mosaic Coat Rack

In a post on social media a few months ago, we commented that there are a lot of steps to making a mosaic coat rack. So we thought it would be fun to expand on that and share each and every step along the way!

{Click on any of the images to enlarge.}

Kyle starts it off by creating molding from reclaimed wood. We use a few different varieties, with walnut and heart pine showing up most often. Kyle gives the frame an oil finish, creates a backer for the mosaic (also from reclaimed material), and passes it on to Johannah.

Johannah's first step is to seal the backer and mark the outline of the frame to make sure the mosaic stays within the frame boundaries.

Next it's time to select and sort the mosaic material. Johannah likes to combine new and reclaimed material in a way that highlights the reclaimed material.

Once the material is sorted, we finally get to the  mosaic!

After the mosaic has had at least a day to dry, we glue it into the frame.

Once it's glued in the frame, Johannah grouts the mosaic. After the grout is dry, it goes back to Kyle to install his hand-forged hooks, then we stamp the back with the Phoenix Handcraft logo and Johannah signs and dates each piece. Kyle attaches hanging hardware, and at long last, it's ready to go!

GROWTH group show

This group show has been such a phenomenal experience! We worked with four other artists to create the work for this show, then installed it in a gallery at Crossroads Art Center. Though we didn't design any of the work collaboratively, it all flows together beautifully. The colors, the styling, the mood... right down to patterns and texture.

{Click on any of the images to enlarge.}

We called our show GROWTH in honor of the new spring and the natural themes and materials in much of the group's work. The show features the work of six artists:

GROWTH will be up at Crossroads for two more weeks. All the work in the show is for sale. If you are local to Richmond and haven't had a chance to stop by, you have until May 8. This show is best experienced in person, so stop by if you can! Crossroads is open 10-6 M-Sat and 12-4 on Sundays. If you go, let us know what you think!

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.}

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!

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.