U's Firetruck Mosaic

U's Firetruck, stained glass mosaic on board, 16.25" x 24.25", 2012

Here is my latest mosaic - a welcome-into-the-world gift I created for my soon-to-be nephew =) I wasn't quiet sure what image to make and then I remembered that when Kyle (my boyfriend and U's uncle) was a child he wanted to be a fire truck (not a fireman) when he'd grow up. I figured that since they share a gene pool, the little boy might also grow up to be a fan of firetrucks and therefore enjoy this mosaic.

concept sketch in process

For this project, I  tried a new approach by doing a full color sketch for this before starting the mosaic. With all those colored pencils I felt like I traveled back in time to my childhood ... which I hoped would help me achieve the childlike quality I wanted for this piece.

colored pencil concept sketch

snapshot of the mosaic in process

Here is a glimpse of the mosaic gluing process. To the left you can see the completed but not finished mosaic still taped on the face before the gluing begins. Next you can see a piece of the custom built substrate. Next the taped mosaic is flipped over for gluing. Below to the left you can see the back of the substrate. Next the mosaic is flipped over for gluing (the glue is spread on the mosaic as well as the substrate - not seen in photo). Finally both are joined together and smoothed with my working hands =) This is left to dry over night.  Then the tape is removed from the face, the excess glue is cleaned off and the grout and sealer are applied.