Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France, New Orleans, LA

While in New Orleans, I toured the historic St. Louis Cathedral.

The original cathedral was completed around 1726, but was one of the buildings burned to the ground in 1788.  Construction on a new church began five years later and was completed on April 25, 1793 making the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France the oldest cathedral still in service in the United States.  

This statue in New Orleans depicts Saint Joan holding her banner high - The Order of the Thistle is outside the cathedral and one of many tributes to Joan of Arc located throughout the city.
Another scultpure of Saint Joan inside the cathedral again with her banner and her shield.  What woman does not identify with the self sacrifice of Saint Joan?  Her devotion,  self sacrifice and faith are eternal symbols of the feminine spirit.  

To me cathedrals are not only spiritual and holy places of worship, but museums featuring some of the most remarkable art collections and craftsmanship.  The frescos, gold leaf, stained glass, mosaics, cabinetry, and sculpture are of the highest quality.  It reminds me of the skill of artists past that devoted a lifetime to mastering their trades passed to them generation, after generation.  A lost art and tradition.  

In 1825 Francisco Zapari, an Italian painter, was employed at a fee of $1855 to decorate the interior of the church and its three altars.  He is the only artist I have been able to identify who is given credit for his contribution to the cathedral.

Candles flickering reflecting the prayers of the faithful.

This miniature mosaic in vivid Mediterranean colors was remarkable and caught my eye as I dabble humbly in mosaics myself.  I have a sincere appreciation for the skill involved to create this tiny detailed mosaic that measured 5x8 inches.
You can see the entire ceiling at the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France website.  When traveling to New Orleans, please carve out an hour to visit the cathedral located in Jackson Square by the waterfront.

Cleo Mussi - Mosaic Artist Extraordinaire

I adore Cleo Mussi, the most fantastic mosaic artist I have ever seen and that is saying alot due to visiting Barcelona, Spain and seeing the Gaudi mosaic work there.



I love her sense of color combinations the stark white in her work that contrasts so well with the bright hues of her creations. Whimsical, detailed, complicated yet seeming simplistic in style all appeal to my eye. I find her work fascinating and could gaze at it for hours.

Wonderful collage pieces combining cups, shakers, porcelain figurines into a wonderful sculpture with presence.

Visit Cleo's website - at mussimosaics.co.uk - to see more of her wonderful work.

My favorite pieces are the faces she creates - usually whites and ivory glass with brightly colored frames.

Another photo of Cleo - surrounded by her work.

Now the eye candy - be prepared to be swept way with Cleo's brilliance.....

Aren't her creations magical? Please visit Cleo's website - she's marvelous!

Time With Mary - 2nd Installment

I continue to work with the Mary statuary piece I am covering in vintage glass mosaic pieces.  After pondering the base of the statue I opted for Italian porcelain roses at her feet.  Loving Italian design and colors after visiting Florence a couple of years ago, the influence continues to be a part of my art.  
Blue irridescent glass pieces from a tea set from Bohemia cover her gown.  I love this color of blue it reminds me of the Mediterranean.

A closer view of the porcelain flowers from Italy at her feet.  The border at the bottom of the statue are from a vintage ironstone platter from England.  The color of blue matches the blue of her gown perfectly.  I debated for months over the color of the base of the statue.  I had considered black with a celestial theme or bright red for contrast.
I settled on the porcelain flowers to accompany the snake in emerald green at her feet.
I plan to cover the remainder of the base with pieces from the vintage ironstone platter.  I had hoped to have the statue completed for the Gypsy Festival this weekend, but I just can't rush through this piece - it's very near and dear to my heart and I enjoy the time I spend with Mary.

Traveling Guitar Mosaic

I have been BIZZY lately, trying to complete some of the ongoing projects I always seem to have in the works.  I love souvenir state plates, the fun images, the vintage colors, and the gold filigree just rocks me.

I have been picking them up here and there for a couple of years knowing that a use would "come to me" and it did in the form of a mosaic guitar.

I really hate to break up those plates, but what else are you gonna do with them?  Put them in a cabinet where no one sees them or turn them into art to be enjoyed?
Believe it or not the guitar was the most difficult part of this project.  I wanted a vintage, looks like it had been used type of guitar for the plates.  You know -  a well traveled guitar.  I found it after months of searching at a garage sale in Blue Springs - by chance.

I was meeting with an antique's dealer that had vintage ladies watches for me to look through and after I made my selections I just happened by a garage sale and thought what the heck - just one more stop.  The guitar was sitting by the garage door, with just the right amount of wear I had been looking for - perfect!
I had the plates - souvenirs of an era when America took to the roads and songs like "King of the Road" were a hit.  My family took these road trips every Summer for two weeks in a car with a pull behind pop-up camper.  We listened to 8 track tapes of Merle Haggard, Charlie Pride, Tammy Wynette and the like while we drove along stopping at all of the tourist destinations.  My Mom collected state souvenir charms for a charm bracelet.  They were really cool enameled charms in the shape of the state or had an attraction listed on the front.  I wonder if she still has it?  I'll have to ask her to get it out so I can photograph it for you.
The guitar is a mosaic of days gone by when families traveled the open road, camping at night in KOA campgrounds, roasting marshmallows, and swatting mosquitos.  The kids would run through the campground free at last from hours sitting in the back seat of a car playing "Eye Spy".  We travelled with six people in the car.  Luckily cars were alot bigger in the late sixties and we have enough room without squabbling about who was touching who in the back seat.  You know, "Get on your own side", "Stop touching me" until Mom would put a quick stop to it with threats of pulling the car over.  Ahhh, the good ole days.
This guitar made of well traveled pieces of glass brought home in the trunk of a car to hang on a wall - a trophy of an adventure survived on the open road.  

My Relationship With Mary

I have been working on this piece of statuary for over a year now. I am in no hurry to finish my mosaic statue of Saint Mary. I enjoy the time I spend with her. I suppose I will miss the quiet moments as I add each tiny piece of vintage glass. It's peaceful and it gives me a sense of well being as I cut the glass pieces to fit together and glue them in place.

I went to great lengths searching for just the right color of blue glass for her gown. I knew the exact shade I wanted and I finally found the glass in the form of a tea set from occupied Japan. I knew it was perfect when I found it on a dusty shelf in an antique shop. It was apparent that it had been sitting there for a long time and was covered in grime to prove it. I like to think that it was just waiting all those years for me to find it and give it a second life as the gown for Saint Mary. The pearlescent blue glass was the perfect compliment to the veil that is composed of fragments of gold filigree trim from souvenir plates and vintage china. I used large pieces so that the reflection of light would showcase their intricate patterns.I plan to leave her face, hands and feet unadorned as it will give them importance once the entire statue is grouted. They seem perfect the way they are in their simplicity.
I still haven't found the glass pieces for the base of the statue. It needs to blend with the glass used in the rest of the statue so that the piece is unified as a whole. Again, I am in no hurry to finish the mosaic statue as I treasure my time with Mary.

The snake coiled at her feet is done in emerald green, and gold metallic pieces. I will insert a amber glass bead for the eye once I begin the grouting process.

I keep considering adding vintage porcelain flowers from Italian pottery to the base, but I want the piece to endure being moved over the years and the flowers are sure to be broken due to their delicate composition. The idea still intrigues me and I may add a few anyway. It would give the base a "garden" appearance. Possibly roses.....



While spending time with Mary, I often think of the women I have been blessed to know - my Great Grandmother Alice, her sister Aunt Nora, my Grandmother Pearl, Grandma Hannah Mae, Aunt Jessie - my own mother and countless women that have touched my life over the years. Now I am blessed once again with the women that visit Gardenology. They are unaware of how they touch my life in significant ways with their kindness, understanding, playfulness, and the gift of their friendship they share.

It is heartwarming when women come into the shop and go to such lengths to find the perfect gift for a friend that needs cheering up due to illness, the loss of a pet, a death in the family, or in celebration of a birthday, or other happy event.

It is so important to them to find something personal and special for their friend. How fortunate to be reminded daily by these women who are so wise. They understand how to comfort, heal, bring joy, soothe, laugh, and live a meaningful life.

While I add the cut glass pieces for Mary, my heart is full.

Mosaic Lips Stepping Stone

I had concrete left over from a leaf casting workshop and decided to make a mosaic lips stepping stone. I formed the lips with the help of my son, Chris who tweaked them a bit and once it was dry it was ready for mosaic.

Marcy did the mosaic work and I grouted it. A wonderful collaboration. We had so much fun doing it that we decided to do a series of mouths for the shoppe. I'll share them as they are finished.

We are thinking of adding braces, a grill, a tongue, maybe even a piercing or two. You never know where our imagination will take us.>

Mosaic Stepping Stone Workshop

Recently, I taught my first mosaic stepping stone workshop at GardenologyKC. I have completed many mosaic lamps, frames, and stepping stones but had always had my Mosaic Artist extraordinaire, Marcy teach the classes.

With Marcy gone to Italy, and so many of you wanting to take the mosaic stepping stone workshop I decided to just dive in and teach one myself.

It was so much fun! I loved it and I had the most wonderfully talented group of girls for my first workshop. I'll let you be the judge when you see their completed stepping stones in this blog.
This is Logan and I apologize that this photo does not do her mosaic stepping stone justice. Sorry, Logan. Logan took a piece of floral china that had belonged to her Aunt, broke it into pieces and rearranged the plate in the center of her stepping stone as a focal point. She then added the buttery yellow pottery pieces to frame the plate. It was beautiful and reflected Logan's personality perfectly. She was pleased to be adding a tribute to her Aunt to her garden.

This is Jessica, Logan's daughter. They used the workshop as something they could do and share with one another.

Both of these women know their own mind, something that they share. Their approach to mosaicing their stepping stone was very different from one another. Logan thought about it a little while and then started putting her pieces in place on the stone.

Jessica, was very thoughtful, asked a few questions and then methodically began constructing her stepping stone carefully, one piece at a time. Her stepping stone was very complicated and I knew it would be difficult cutting and fitting the pieces but she seemed so self assured that I did nothing but encourage her. Her stepping stone was a beautiful mosaic piece for a first time mosaic project. Her love of puzzles was evident as she worked quietly.

The end result was a powerful statement piece with only two colors, buttery yellow and a bold red. The Buddha silhouette was clever, creative and completely different than the stepping stone that her mother put together which was very feminine with a lacy, nostalgic feel about it. Maybe a reflection of her Aunt.

This is Sandy's mosaic stepping stone in progress. Very strong with bold colors. Sandy does not shy away from color. Sunny yellow, blue, red, with Carpe Diem and Art Heals tiles, colorful flat backed marbles and bottle caps. It had a Jamaican feel about it. It reminded me of Summer. The blue flat back glass drops curving down the center seemed to represent the flow of life. It seems like a very happy stepping stone.

I say these women are strong indenpendent gals because they created three entirely different stepping stones from one another. Often when you take a workshop, your work can be influenced by the person working next to you. Not in this case. Even though they were encouraging one another their stones were one of a kind and reflected their personalities so well.

They all admitted to not having any idea what their stone would look like before they started putting it together in the workshop. It often works that way. You just have to jump in there and start, your creative nature will kick in and you will always surprise yourself.

Art is so personal and you can't help but allow your soul to become part of your creations.>

Mosaic Birdbaths

Summer Mosaics

Over the Summer, we had alot of mosaic workshops taught by Marcy Lally. They were alot of fun and we love to get photos from our workshop participants of the mosaics they have completed on their own.

Terri Henderson drove over three hours to participate in our mosaic birdbath workshop and this is her birdbath in progress. I loved the "tea theme" and all of the roses!

Another participant, Susan Simmons from Leavenworth made this memorial birdbath in honor of her mother. It was my favorite birdbath as it meant so much to all of us. I soldered the photo of her mother for the birdbath. When Susan arrived for the workshop I was so surprised at how much she looks like her Mom. It was such a pleasure to be a part of this project.

After careful placement of the elements -

Time to "smoosh" the grout in!

This is one of the birdbaths that Terri Henderson made on her own.

Another one of Terri's Birdbaths.

I wish I had a finished photo of this birdbath because it was beautiful. It was a turqouise and brown swirl design. It had a great earthy quailty to it.