Project by Rebecca DeVere from Kirkland, Wash.
One day, Rebecca's favorite china plate broke into bits! She put the pieces in a bag and refused to let go of it, though she had no idea what she would do with it. Fate intervened when Rebecca was hanging out in a friend's antique shop and a passing bus created a vibration that caused an entire shelf of china to fall and shatter. Meanwhile, Rebecca's paintings were becoming more and more fractured looking--almost like painted mosaics. So she simply made the leap and combined the two techniques. She turns broken bits of china into mosaic paintings. Her mosaic style is similar to the old murals of Pompeii, and she enjoys using modern imagery with this ancient technique and style--like Seattle's influence in this mosaic painting that features a "cuppa joe."
Materials:
8.5" x 11" primed plywood
12" square art glass: black, light blue, grey, mirror, brown, blue
oil glass cutter
glass nippers
clear latex silicone caulk
white sanded grout
sponges
glass cutter
pencil
black permanent marker
grout
gloves
safety goggles
Steps:
1. Sand and prime plywood. This will become the "canvas" for the mosaic painting. Transfer sketch from sketchbook to wood using pencil and permanent marker.
2. Cut large piece of black glass cut into manageable tile pieces. Also use oil cutter to cut blue, light blue, brown, mirror, colored glass into small tiles. Best to separate the colored glass into color-matched piles.
3. Make outline of coffee cup from black glass.
4. Cut lettering for "cuppa joe" from black glass.
5. Cut brown circle for the coffee color. Also begin with shadows of "cuppa joe" section using grey glass.
6. Cut and fill in main body of cup with blue glass.
7. Cut and fill in shadow of background with light blue glass. Optional: Use an ancient mosaic technique called "haloing." Do so by placing down two rows of blue background tile around the entire "cuppa joe" scene. Then apply all remaining background tiles in straight rows that line up both vertically and horizontally. Glue all pieces in place.
8. Let mosaic dry for 24 hours.
9. Mix grout and allow to slake (or set up). Apply grout to entire tiled piece. Clean off remaining grout and haze.
Website: www.RebeccaDeVere.com
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