Featured Commissions
Memories reflected....
the table before the Moroccan make-over!
The backstory to this commission is written by Ana who asked me to revamp her precious table which held so many special memories. Here is her story as told on Facebook Chat 10 Looks 3 page.
"this may turn out to be a substantial post, because there are so many little plot lines to talk about. but essentially it is a story of kindness, creativity, friendship (made through this group), a bit of humor and something I always love to encounter - serendipity.
short version: the group’s (unofficial) ms. congeniality prize in 2017 went to the beautiful Clare Green from Queensland who helped a chatter from Victoria (i think?) “resurrect” a smashed nana’s bowl, into a lovely ceramic & glass artwork. there were tears of joy across Australia when the item was received. 🙂 Clare was even called out to the stage and got a special mention by Leigh and Annabelle during the Brisbane show in may.
in 2018, i reckon Clare gets to keep the ms. congeniality title as she has again- created a beauuuutiful artwork, and gave a broken sentimental item another lease on life.
long version: in 2003, in my mid 20's, i got a great, and much wanted, job opportunity to work in Dubai. i moved with one backpack over there and had to furnish a new apartment from scratch. my parents who were living in another overseas place, put me in touch with their friend who was already living in Dubai, and this lovely lady gave me a lot of hand me down stuff just to help get me settled and started: linen, pots and pans, glassware, and a coffee table with ceramic tabletop which she had kept on her balcony a table which was so worn by the sun and dessert sand, that i couldn’t even tell which color it actually originally was at the same time, my dad came to visit with aim to help get me set up, as I was working long hours and didn't have time to buy furniture , etc. i remember basically saying to him, here is the money, please buy me a fridge, TV, hi fi (back in the day. My dad also found a hardware store and sanded back the little table and gave it a coat of paint. it came to life and i kept it indoors. and, at that point in time, to me, this table and its revamp came to symbolize love and family support, and its been like that ever since whenever i had a look at it.
Later, when i moved again, to Sydney Australia this time, in 2005, i took the little table with me. the legs easily came off with an Allen key, and i was careful to pack it. since then, the table has moved 7 different dwellings and between 2 Australian cities, and each time gave me so much joy as it reminded me of dad and also my good time spent in Dubai, where i grew professionally and personally, and made some of the best friends i will ever have.
Sadly, in one of the later moves, the ceramic table top broke! i just didn’t wrap it carefully enough, and leaned it against an uneven surface and it smashed. the tiles were all there , but cracked badly. i didn’t know how to fix it. these trades are long gone, people just buy new these days. once, i was walking in eastern Sydney suburbs, and spotted a shop selling tiles for gardens and bathrooms. i popped in to ask if they could help point me in the right direction, but they didn’t even seem to understand what i was talking about. internet and even yellow pages yielded little results. so, this little table has been sitting in a corner of a bedroom, with a tablecloth covering its cracks, for over 6 years. in the meantime, I have had a baby, and i was always thinking how handy it would be to have another table as it’s functional in terms of the timber frame, but was scared to use it due to any sharp bits falling out and injuring the little girl.
Then, in 2017, i saw the post in this group about the ceramic bowl, and i touched based with Clare. we corresponded for months, and although we live only 30 minutes apart, for the first 10 months of 2018, there just never seemed to have been a good time to bring the table over- she was busy, i was busy, she was away, i was away.... we even sat one row behind each other at the show in may! but never managed to fix a date. anyhow finally in November we tee- ed it up. Clare said she doesn’t work with ceramics really, mostly with glass, but glass is more contemporary. ceramic is boring - said this beautiful, colorful women (hehe Clare- you are always wearing colors!). i trusted her right away. we agreed on a generic theme (to keep it looking Moroccan or middle eastern due to my historic connection with the region) but i left it in Clare's hands for design.
I told Clare this table was initially done up by my dad, who now suffers from Parkinson disease, and is treated by medication which takes away his personality. my lovely, loving, dashing, loyal and dedicated dad, is just someone who is now in the grip of this sneaky, tricky disease, and who just - is, without any recollections of key family events, let alone a little table from Dubai, probably still unbeknownst to him, how much it really did facilitate my life and that I still have it, after all these years and travels.
Clare did up my table in record time, and when I collected it earlier in the week, we had a Prosecco to cheer it, in the middle of the day, but as customary in our European heritages. 😉
But have a look at the artwork here, chatters. the creativity, and the care (and time) taken. check out the details like my initial and initial of my little girl (s for sasha). Clare claims there is also a “where’s wally” tile- I've yet to find it! 😉
when Sasha saw it, at 3.5 years of age- even she said- what a beautiful table
mummy, where you got it?
so this is a shout out, to @clare green and her empathy, creativity and talent, to friendships and great timing, and to yet again, being the magician which helps us to keep those memories for that little bit longer. 😉
"this may turn out to be a substantial post, because there are so many little plot lines to talk about. but essentially it is a story of kindness, creativity, friendship (made through this group), a bit of humor and something I always love to encounter - serendipity.
short version: the group’s (unofficial) ms. congeniality prize in 2017 went to the beautiful Clare Green from Queensland who helped a chatter from Victoria (i think?) “resurrect” a smashed nana’s bowl, into a lovely ceramic & glass artwork. there were tears of joy across Australia when the item was received. 🙂 Clare was even called out to the stage and got a special mention by Leigh and Annabelle during the Brisbane show in may.
in 2018, i reckon Clare gets to keep the ms. congeniality title as she has again- created a beauuuutiful artwork, and gave a broken sentimental item another lease on life.
long version: in 2003, in my mid 20's, i got a great, and much wanted, job opportunity to work in Dubai. i moved with one backpack over there and had to furnish a new apartment from scratch. my parents who were living in another overseas place, put me in touch with their friend who was already living in Dubai, and this lovely lady gave me a lot of hand me down stuff just to help get me settled and started: linen, pots and pans, glassware, and a coffee table with ceramic tabletop which she had kept on her balcony a table which was so worn by the sun and dessert sand, that i couldn’t even tell which color it actually originally was at the same time, my dad came to visit with aim to help get me set up, as I was working long hours and didn't have time to buy furniture , etc. i remember basically saying to him, here is the money, please buy me a fridge, TV, hi fi (back in the day. My dad also found a hardware store and sanded back the little table and gave it a coat of paint. it came to life and i kept it indoors. and, at that point in time, to me, this table and its revamp came to symbolize love and family support, and its been like that ever since whenever i had a look at it.
Later, when i moved again, to Sydney Australia this time, in 2005, i took the little table with me. the legs easily came off with an Allen key, and i was careful to pack it. since then, the table has moved 7 different dwellings and between 2 Australian cities, and each time gave me so much joy as it reminded me of dad and also my good time spent in Dubai, where i grew professionally and personally, and made some of the best friends i will ever have.
Sadly, in one of the later moves, the ceramic table top broke! i just didn’t wrap it carefully enough, and leaned it against an uneven surface and it smashed. the tiles were all there , but cracked badly. i didn’t know how to fix it. these trades are long gone, people just buy new these days. once, i was walking in eastern Sydney suburbs, and spotted a shop selling tiles for gardens and bathrooms. i popped in to ask if they could help point me in the right direction, but they didn’t even seem to understand what i was talking about. internet and even yellow pages yielded little results. so, this little table has been sitting in a corner of a bedroom, with a tablecloth covering its cracks, for over 6 years. in the meantime, I have had a baby, and i was always thinking how handy it would be to have another table as it’s functional in terms of the timber frame, but was scared to use it due to any sharp bits falling out and injuring the little girl.
Then, in 2017, i saw the post in this group about the ceramic bowl, and i touched based with Clare. we corresponded for months, and although we live only 30 minutes apart, for the first 10 months of 2018, there just never seemed to have been a good time to bring the table over- she was busy, i was busy, she was away, i was away.... we even sat one row behind each other at the show in may! but never managed to fix a date. anyhow finally in November we tee- ed it up. Clare said she doesn’t work with ceramics really, mostly with glass, but glass is more contemporary. ceramic is boring - said this beautiful, colorful women (hehe Clare- you are always wearing colors!). i trusted her right away. we agreed on a generic theme (to keep it looking Moroccan or middle eastern due to my historic connection with the region) but i left it in Clare's hands for design.
I told Clare this table was initially done up by my dad, who now suffers from Parkinson disease, and is treated by medication which takes away his personality. my lovely, loving, dashing, loyal and dedicated dad, is just someone who is now in the grip of this sneaky, tricky disease, and who just - is, without any recollections of key family events, let alone a little table from Dubai, probably still unbeknownst to him, how much it really did facilitate my life and that I still have it, after all these years and travels.
Clare did up my table in record time, and when I collected it earlier in the week, we had a Prosecco to cheer it, in the middle of the day, but as customary in our European heritages. 😉
But have a look at the artwork here, chatters. the creativity, and the care (and time) taken. check out the details like my initial and initial of my little girl (s for sasha). Clare claims there is also a “where’s wally” tile- I've yet to find it! 😉
when Sasha saw it, at 3.5 years of age- even she said- what a beautiful table
mummy, where you got it?
so this is a shout out, to @clare green and her empathy, creativity and talent, to friendships and great timing, and to yet again, being the magician which helps us to keep those memories for that little bit longer. 😉
It's always an honour when someone asks me to create a special mosaic art piece. Even more so when there is a personal meaning behind it. I received a lovely testimonial from Alex and his family so I am sharing it here with you...
"I went to Clare in November last year with an idea for a gift I had for my wife for Christmas. But this wasn't to be any ordinary or normal gift. It was to be a surprise, and to signify a moment in time and by its creation be itself timeless.
It was a very big idea and a very significant request so close to the holidays. Clare relented, but became interested in our story and the symbolism and the creative process began.
In a matter of weeks a masterpiece was created, and my wife was surprised with an eternally beautiful and relevant artwork. If it wasn't for Clare's passion for her art, her understanding of how to bring an idea to life, and her connection to our story, we would be without the image that for us, sums a a very personal family experience."
"I went to Clare in November last year with an idea for a gift I had for my wife for Christmas. But this wasn't to be any ordinary or normal gift. It was to be a surprise, and to signify a moment in time and by its creation be itself timeless.
It was a very big idea and a very significant request so close to the holidays. Clare relented, but became interested in our story and the symbolism and the creative process began.
In a matter of weeks a masterpiece was created, and my wife was surprised with an eternally beautiful and relevant artwork. If it wasn't for Clare's passion for her art, her understanding of how to bring an idea to life, and her connection to our story, we would be without the image that for us, sums a a very personal family experience."
The New Beginning
Positano, Amalfi Coast - Italy
When someone asks me about mosaics, and what I love creating the most - that is a hard question to answer. If you ask me where I love to be besides here, it has to be Italy in a heartbeat. So being asked to create a special mosaic of Positano was wonderful.
It's new home will be with a lady who celebrated a birthday milestone and had said Positano was one of her favourite places to visit.
Creating the feel rather than a direct 'duplication' was where I headed. The flowers and beauty of the houses, the steep slope on which they perch and the majesty and drama of the church.
John Steinbeck author of such classics as "Of Mice And Men, The Grapes of Wrath" said it best,
"Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn't quite real when you are there
and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone"
John Steinbeck 1953
It's new home will be with a lady who celebrated a birthday milestone and had said Positano was one of her favourite places to visit.
Creating the feel rather than a direct 'duplication' was where I headed. The flowers and beauty of the houses, the steep slope on which they perch and the majesty and drama of the church.
John Steinbeck author of such classics as "Of Mice And Men, The Grapes of Wrath" said it best,
"Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn't quite real when you are there
and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone"
John Steinbeck 1953
60's Mayhem Party and Garden Bowl
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Abstract for me is the most challenging - getting the colours right, the balance right - making it interesting and capturing the theme - hopefully I did just that!
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