The Dallas Divide, stained glass mosaic, 16" x 48", 2014
available for saleIn September 2012, Kyle and I were planning a trip to the San Juan Mountains here in Colorado. Due to the epic flood, being displaced from home for nearly six weeks and all that comes with natural disaster, we had to cancel our plans ... This mosaic is my way of visiting the mountains I dreamed of seeing this fall but couldn't. Below are a few process shot of the making of "The Dallas Divide".
The beginning ... spontaneously working on a very rough sketch.
The aspens are done; some are created with larger shapes of glass while others are made with individual little, aspen leaf shapes. Now onto the pines, then the mountains and the sky!
Here is a good size comparison of the little, hand carved aspen leaves next to my hand.
Here is one of three sections of pines I added to the composition. All the little trees are created with the three hand tools seen in the bottom right of the photo.
Here you can see one of my freehand cut mountains created with the same three tools I used to create all the other shapes in my mosaic. I carefully scored and carved my Rocky Mountains while hoping that my beautiful glass wouldn't CRACK! My initial plan was to make them of many, many little rocks I'd cut out by hand to depict the very, rocky peaks we have here in Colorado. Anyone who's climbed some of the big mountains here, knows exactly what I'm talking about - it is pretty mind blowing to experience in person! But the beauty of the glass I chose for this project altered my plans. I decided to show the overall impression that all those rocks make together to create the illusion of one solid mountain rather than focusing on the many, many parts that make a whole. Here I am using the other half sheet of this awesome glass to start the process of creating the mountains on the left side. The blue Colorado sky is coming alive! Before sectioning off the taped mosaic for gluing. Here I am holding up one of the sections before gluing it down. The the glass tesserae are held together on the face with clear tape - that's why I can hold them up this way =) Last but not least, actually my favorite part, is the grouting. Here I am grouting my mosaics in a sanded charcoal grout.
