Oh boy oh boy this was an exciting project … because I have an excuse to visit my friend's bar and sample his incredible selection of beer! Hollywood Gardens is a bar that has been the cornerstone of this Rochester community for many years. Recently it exchanged hands from father to son. Frank is now in charge and is really made the space his own. An avid beer lover, music connoisseur and all round great guy, who loves being with people, this is sure to be an incredible space. He is a friend originating from our mutual love of bike riding. When he asked me to work on these signs for him I was happy to be part of his creation of the bar, but I secretly was excited to get to come up and visit to sample his beer!

Frank asked for two signs. The first will be his new logo; it will go behind the bar. Hollywood Gardens has 12 beers on tap plus there is a hall with a wall lined with coolers, called the "Beer Cave." It is filled with a huge selection of over 300 bottled beers! This hallway needed a new sign too. Frank wanted something warmer than the neon sign that currently gives directions to the "Beer Cave." Frank had already designed a logo for behind the bar so I just needed to blow that up to size. Then I had to create, mostly following the old sign, a new beer cave sign. I liked the old sign and its basic design. The directions have to be clear and easy to understand. I am going to put a few either cut lengthwise beer bottles on the sign or a mosaic of beer bottles as a central point.

One of the cool to this job is that Lee and I are working on creating a frame that will back light the sign.  I have wanted to have a design to make framed mosaics to offer as an option for potential customers. Lee has be researching LED light strips, framing options and how to support the mosaic artwork. Hopefully, by the end  of this project will have a template that will be easy to reproduce!

More, more, more good stuff!

We are creating an amazing  frame and lighting for the signs. They are going to be amazing. Back lite with energy saving LEDs, a diffuser to spread the light, a beautiful piece of art, framed by an oak frame hung behind one of the best bars I know!

http://happybike.smugmug.com/Art/Mosaics/Framed-Mosaics/12017484_hgkkY#862566720_Hvb9v

7-16-10

Little lag in information, but I have been busy working on multiple mosaics!

The sign with the Hollywood logo is 36" by 30" and is laid out as you can see above behind the plexi-glass. The biggest challenge with this particular mosaic is the thin lines running through the circle. I spent a great deal of time with tweezers and LITTLE pink pieces of glass creating the lines and cross hatching. Filling the space in between with the brown glass was micro glass work also!

Here is it while during this process…

The rest of the sign went together quickly and I am really happy with the results!

The Beer Cave sign was basically laid out, but colors and any "extras" were still up in the air. Frank is great to work with; I run everything by him but he mostly wants to allow me to make the decisions.  He wanted a fun sign but I wanted it to be clear  and not too crowded. Frank provided the lengthwise cut beer bottles for the beer cave sign. He went to some local places in the Beaver area and finally found a man who took the project on as more of a challenge than any thing else! Cutting a bottle this way is extremely difficult because the glass wants to fracture and break. Frank delivered them ceremoniously in Philly cream cheese boxes! We collaborated back and forth on color and placement. I really like a blue background and the arrow in red.

Because I have never lit a mosaic up with LEDs in a "box" frame, I was not sure how I would like them to be grouted. The choices are liquid acrylic or traditional grout. To try out both ways, I made up some sample pieces to show as examples of what the diferences would be between the two method. I will post them once they are done.

Here is the beer cave sign as it stands today…

The Hollywood signs are all mosaiced up and awaiting their frames.

4-22-10

While I was traveling these last two weeks I have been trying to do some work. Not an easy task with so many distractions happening but I was able to keep up with emails and do some drawing for projects that are in the process. I  have made a few tire mosaics , they seem to be a popular item and are a unique and fun expression of cycling.  Well I received a request from Steve for for his sister's wedding present. The couple are Mt Bikers. What a great idea. He had a pretty clear idea of what he wanted " two riders, side by side, riding into a sunrise" OK I can do that. One of the fun parts of drawing up this piece is I was traveling by rail with my sister and father down the coast of England to Cornwall. My sister is a fantastic artist and it was fun to bounce ideas off of her.

Here's what we came up with

4-25-10

Back home and ready to start. Plexi glas was cut today and will be installed in the frame tomorrow.  I use Lexan a high grade  acrylic that has a uv protection on it. One of the stumbling block I have with these Bicycle tire mosaic is I have been using the rims and tires from old mirrors made by Ikea. They do not make them anymore so I have to find them on Ebay or any other resale site. The only part of the mirror I need is the rim. It is made from  hard rubber with W shape to it. I have not been able to find it anywhere! So any order that I get is dependent on me finding these mirrors! Right now I have two and Steve's order  used one and I have another one that will become the cruiser with the streamers. Gotta find another to have on hand!

Ok so a big lag in information on this particular mosaic. I had a major disaster putting this one together. One of the appeals to these tire mosaics is the transparent effect that pouring the liquid acrylic as the grout.To adhere the glass  to the plexiglas I have been using E6000 a great adhesive but has very toxic fumes. I have wanted to find something wasn't so strong. I tried a new glue, I should have tried it on a small piece first! The edges of the  glue dried but the center was sealed and would not dry the glue was still opaque I was not sure if it would dry for a long time or ever. I decided to start over.Taking the almost finished mosaic apart removing ALL the glass pieces and cleaning  off all the glue. It was a dark day in the studio! Lee came home that evening having discovered a new bar, House of 1000 Beer that carried my favorite beer, Stone's Sublimely Self Rightous Ale. Mmm that made the day much better. A few days later and I was able to recreat the mosaic and now it is ready for liquid acryic! Always something to learn!

Steve gave it to his Sister and new Brother-n-law at the wedding. Here they are after receiving it …

4-26-10

Camilla and I met on a bike ride near my house. She is an amazing cyclist and we had a great ride. Sitting and chatting afterwards she told me that she and her husband were real "do it yourselfers." They were fixing up their home project by project. Their current one was the kitchen. We talked about how my art might be included and would touch base about it later. Through emails and Facebook we discussed ideas back and forth, but they were potentially moving.

Plans changed and about a month ago they decided to have a mosaic behind the stove. I needed to see the spot and get an idea of the setting and what they might want in terms of design. They have a great house snuggled up next to the park. Their back yard has prefect view into the woods. Both of them love the outdoors and animals.

We measured up the spot and looked at some of the mosaics that I had already done. A plan began to hatch… woods, owls, a path and flowers. We got a bit stuck on color for the flowers but that will come.

Here is the sketch that I proposed:

I still have to add flowers that is today’s job. The nice thing about flowers is they come in so many shapes and sizes. I also have to create the shape of the piece so that mosaic looks good both with a stove that has a back piece or if they decide to get a flat topped stove it will still look good. I tried to do that with the tress that come down around the top of the stove and the trail leading to one side.

This mosaic has a lot going on in a small space and I want it to have lots of detail. I am going to have to find a mesh that is smaller to adhere the glass to.

5-10-10

I am always learning and this time is no different. In this mosaic the pieces are going to be small so I am trying a new mesh backing that I have not used before so I plan on trying it at home first. I will make a mosaic to put behind our oven on the same mesh and it is about the same size. So it is a double mosaic:)  I love birds so I have included a heron and a goldfinch, there is a tree and a pond. the nice thing about this mosaic is it can emerge as I make it!

Took a trip out to Camilla and Jason's house today to do a final "measure up." With the help of two great little helpers we go the size on the mesh so I can start creating in glass. Laid it out  right next to the one for our house when I came home.  I will start cutting glass tomorrow. A trip on Wednesday to Youghiogheny Glass for more glass.

3-31-10
I love beer. So sometimes I may ramble about it. 
If you know me you know I love hoppy beer. However the last two beers I have had are outside my usual realm. I have had the great pleasure of belonging to a beer tasting club at a local bar – OTB. http://www.otbbicyclecafe.com/ We have had two meetings thus far. At the second one,Matt from Philadelphia Brewing Co came to visit:) We tried a variety of their beers, and they were pretty good.  Then he pulled out a sample bottle (only one) of a seasonal beer called Kilty Pleasure which is a Scotch ale, and I liked it a lot! He mentioned that he only had one 1/4 keg in the warehouse of it left so immediately I raised my hand and asked to buy it! We were the happy owners of a really smooth scottish ale for the next month. Very nice indeed, and I can't wait for it to return again.

I returned the barrel today and to my great surprise Matt gave me a gift of their new beer, Fleur de Lehigh. They call it an unfiltered golden ale… well like I said hops make me happy but this was a winner.  The brewery describe it as, "unfiltered, golden ale blooms upon the palate with a vibrant, floral character and accentuates any seasonable feast. Fleur de Lehigh is brewed with chamomile, rhubarb, ginger, rose hips, and lemon grass; then fermented with our Belgian yeast strain to provide a uniquely full flavored yet highly drinkable spring/summer brew."

I would drink it again and yes drink it happily. Thank you Matt!

3-29-10
Pinball has definitely become a central theme in my life over the last few years. My husband was a closet pinball addict and it surfaced when a friend of ours (Karl), brought a Cyclone to live in the basement of Dirt Rag. He was hooked and began collecting and refurbishing machines. His first two machines were Black Belt and Rollergames in around 1997.  Since then he has owned many machines which he has fixed up and then sold. Once in a while I will help with repainting of some of the playfields but it is mostly his hobby.

There are a few games that have become a permanent part of our household. One is Attack From Mars and the other is Medieval Madness. Both of these machines were built by Williams/Bally and they were both designed by Brian Eddy and Lyman Sheats. I really enjoy these two machines although they are both basically the same game. The artwork on these two games is certainly unique and fun. The art on both were done by John Youssi, and Greg Freres. I really love the particular art on the Medieval Madness so I decided to try and create a table using it as a theme.

What I really wanted to do was make a wooden frame and install a plexiglass insert with a light behind it to hang on the wall.  I looked into it for a while but…well, I guess I really wanted to make this design and I'm not really all that patient.   I did however have this table which I had picked up at Construction Junction. It is a nice square coffee table that had been serving time in our "computer room". 

Now onto the design, there is so much going on in this machine, so much to choose from. I didn't want it to become too cluttered so I had to choose things that really captured the feel of the game. We have had this machine for about 5 years now, but while I was designing the mosaic and scrutinizing the art, I found little gems that I had never really been aware of. I never noticed that the sword the King of Payne is holding has a golden dragon twisted around it, He had to be included! Trolls are one of the "toys" in the game. They are plastic heads which pop up and taunt you as you try and hit them. One of the trolls has bird poop on its head So he was definitely a shoe in.

Over the years a running joke in Williams games is having a cow in it. It is a called an "easter egg" , so of course I had to add a cow.

Lee suggested it hang over the tower and I loved the idea. One cow, one troll, the king, and of course, the big red dragon!

Two weeks of trial and error and it is finally a piece of art that I am proud of.

More pictures of the process,
http://happybike.smugmug.com/Art/Art/5132821_wbLG6#816570610_Z9×9y 

Here is a great source of information on the Medieval Madness IPDB.

Patrick, my dad, wanted a piece of art for his front window, and it was a perfect space for a mosaic!  He wanted either a scene with birds or a coral reef. I love both. Growing up we went on many bird walks and I also went to a Oglebay Nature camp where we would get up at dawn and go on a bird walks before breakfast! Many special memories are of the ocean too, vacationing as a child every other year we would go to a scuba diving resort on Andros Island in the Bahamas, Small Hope Bay. The decision in the end was to do a mosaic that Patricia (my mom)  would love. She loves birds and the ocean but Patrick thought she really would have wanted to have an ocean scene.

The window is a pretty large space by the front door  (33×58). We decided to make a mosaic that would fit into the already existing frame rather than trying to install a new window. The piece will be glass adhered to plexiglass  a special type that is is a stronger version of a polycarbonate. Then we will install it with quarter round molding to hold it in place.

These are the first sketches…

Here is the basic layout…

1-01-10

The lay out is almost done. I have locate a large piece of "Lexan" now. Lexan is abrand name for a high density polycarbonate (plastic sheeting similar to Plexiglass) This type of plastic sheeting has UV protection to proctect the piece for  years to come:) What a fiasco, I think I finally found some at Lowe's "special order" so it will be a few days before I can start cutting glass:( I did receive a very generous gift of glass from Jeff Kuchma, he had been given it from an stained glass artist friend It was not doing anything in his workshop and he wanted it put to good use so he gave it to me plus some very fun tools:) There are some really fun colors that will be great for the coral and some of the fish!

Here is where I am today with the project..

1-8-09

I have been working on plexiglass for the last week! It is cut and sized to the window. So the underwater creation is underway.

I wrastled with the grouper for awhile and the Rock Beauty (black and yellow fish) that was swimming toward you looked psycho so he got nixed.  I recalled last night at 3am what the sand on the ocean floor looked like, I hope I can recreate it. I'm thinking there needs to be some sea urchins too, humm… anyone else have any thoughts/ideas?

1-27-10

Here is where the mosaic is now…

All ready to install!

We installed the window weeks ago and I am sorry I haven't put up the final installation!

The window is pretty big so transporting was a big concern.  Without the grout the window was still flexible, I was really afraid that the glass would poop off when we lifted it up. This is the space it was going into…

Here it is being put in by Lee…

I mixed up the grout with a blue tint and had just enough to cover the whole piece, I was VERY close to not having enough. Lesson learned!!!

I wanted to share this mural that I did a few months ago. Johnathan and Beth have created a wonderful home that is truly gorgeous! They have an old log house that they decided to renovate. They wanted to make their renovation as sustainable as possible and have an environmentally friendly home. They used everything from geothermal heating and cooling to recycled newspaper insulation. Every little detail and beautiful aspect of the old farmhouse was included in their “new home”. They of course included many modern amenities. In the basement is a home theater along with game room. When designing the basement they went with dyed plaster, because they were hoping to avoid having to repaint it again and again over the years. So when they had their plasterer put the dyed plaster is put on the walls, at the point where the two rooms come together, the plaster was two different colors and there was a very obvious line : ( . Arlene (a dear friend of mine ) suggested to them that I could paint a mural for them! Since I am not usually in the business of painting murals (although I paint regularly) and I have never painted on un-primed plaster before, I was a bit skeptical when they asked me. I came up with a several different ideas from very organic to simply geometric.

Alison's Fireplace
 Alison found me through a mutual friend Judy Herilla (Karmoxie.com),  an amazing women who developed my website. Alison has a great place here in Pittsburgh that she has been "fixing up". She has done much of the work herself, stripping wood work, refinishing floors, a very impressive lady! In her house there are fireplaces that were closed off, painted and repainted Alison stripped and finished her upstairs fireplace and had a vision for the living room. She contacted me and we began to design a piece of art for her mantel and hearth. Alison has a great collection of art in her house.