Polymer Mosaic Mirror

I've been working on a myriad of fun projects. This one in
particular is a polymer mosaic hanging mirror. It was made
as a gift. The persons' names are actually on two of the
tiles but have been blurred out for this post to not spoil the
surprise should they visit. You can click to enlarge.



The finished piece measures 14" in diameter. The finished
clay pieces were adhered with Weldbond glue.
Most of the clay pieces have been painted with PearlEx
powdered pigments. I have also incorporated bits of
ephemera, glass beads and assorted commercial glass and
ceramic tile.


Here are some close-ups. Your embellishments should
be able to take the heat. Glass and metal are good.


Small glass seed beads in Diamond glaze are used to fill
space left over.

You can attach smaller Polymer elements with liquid Polymer
prior to baking. Here you can see the commercial tile
incorporated and also the brighter handpainted while
tiles.

I also wanted you to see this piece its beginning stage (below)
so you could see the polymer tiles before they were
embellished and baked.

Working in the round was a real challenge. I first had this
idea for a sun/mandala and then decided to incorporate a
mirror. I decided to use a vinyl record album as the base.
First I textured the album with AcrylPro tile adhesive so I
could insure the tiles would have an acceptable surface. I
then spray painted both sides with a matte silver spray paint.

The few colored tiles you see were hand painted on baked
white polymer clay. Your hand painted color will always be
more lively on the white clay than on a colored or metallic
clay. You can click on picture to enlarge.

At this stage, the clay has been rolled to about 1/8" thickness,
stamped or textured and I'm cutting pieces and trying to
decide their placement until all spots are filled. Once I have
the design in place I remove all the tile pieces and then begin
the process of painting and embellishing. The tiles are then
baked following the recommended time on the clay package.
I've used Premo and SculpeyII for this project. I also use a
thermometer in my toaster oven to determine the real
temperature. I have found that temperatures are not as true
as the dial. (I don't use my toaster oven for food once I've
used it for clay)

If you haven't seen my first polymer mosaic you can see
it posted here and here.

Thank-you for your visits and kind words!

Thought for today:
"Take care that the face that looks out from the mirror in the
morning is a pleasant face. You may not see it again during
the day, but others will"

My other blogspot: "The Way I See It"

Escape

8 x 8 mixed media polymer mosaic

My completed polymer clay mosaic, ready to hang. My previous post shows the pieces I had created for completing this project. It took me a bit longer than I had hoped, but more importantly I enjoyed the process. It was an escape, a detour if you will, from my usual creative path. There is a kind of mindfulness that takes place when trying to decide what pieces will go where. It was a relaxing and meditative process until... you find that you have an area that needs a tile which has yet to be created. I need to stockpile tiles. Incorporated in the final piece are commercial glass/stone tiles and beads.

This was my first mosaic.

Thought for today: "Hiding places there are innumerable, escape is only one, but possibilities of escape, again, are as many as hiding places. "- Franz Kafka

Perhaps we all need to find an escape, a diversion from our normal routine, a change of pace.

Thank you for your kind words and visits. Do stop by "The Way I See It" my other blogspot.

Polymer Mosaic-In Progress

Work in progress here... thought you might be interested in seeing this one unfold.

I have worked with polymer clay intermittently over the years and had forgotten all the great wonderful things you can do with this medium. This past Sunday, I was instantly re-inspired. I had the opportunity to spend 8 glorious hours with Laurie Mika, an extremely talented polymer clay mosaic artist. If you are interested in polymer/ mixed media and you ever get a chance to take one of Laurie's classes, do it. Check out her current events/ workshops and book.

Here are some images of the clay tiles I created. I stamped into the polymer clay using rubber stamps, found objects etc. applied gold leaf paper, pearl ex powders, acrylic paint, small bits and pieces of ephemera, jewelry parts, buttons, beads...you get the idea.


You can click on the following images for a closer look.





Next step will be to arrange these tile pieces onto this
8 x 8 metallic gold painted frame and to incorporate
other glass and ceramic tiles to create a one-of-a-kind mosaic.
I will also create a collage for the center.

Stay tuned... with any luck and time on my side.
I'll have this done tomorrow.

Thought for today:
"Remember that the best relationship is the one where
your love for each other is greater than your need for
each other"

Have a wonderful week, I'm glad you stopped by and as always
I'm grateful for your kind words.

My other blog locale is here: "The Way I See It"