Online mosaic exhibition…just for you!

Photo’s can never do mosaics justice…its all about texture, touch and reflectivity and its hard to capture these elements in pictures. Nonetheless, here’s a snapshot (pardon the pun!) into my first solo exhibition which ran for two weeks and finished on December 11th.

My ‘real’ visitors book is full of wonderful comments, a testament to the fact that contemporary mosaic art has the tendency to ‘wow’ people. Now, I know that you can’t touch the pieces, move past them and see the light dance off the tiles…but do feel free treat the comments section of this post as a virtual visitors book!

So…please come in…its warm inside and you are welcome 🙂

Looking in through the windows…
 Lots of mosaic balls twirling round and casting light on the surrounding walls…

Moontree (a commission) on an easel in front of a display of mosaic tiles – sweetie shop style!

 Some new pieces, made with soft glass and iridescent nuggets…

My student wall – all first mosaics (yup, truly!) made this year by people on my evening course.

 Silvia’s starling…
 Colleen’s ‘Fire and Ice’ mirror
 Caroline’s tulip (spot the real gold tiles)
 Andy’s ‘Escape the Whirl’.
 One of my new pieces, ‘Baby, I love you’ (now sold)
Another new one – ‘Four Seasons’ (now sold )
New piece, ‘Foxy Footwear Fascination Strikes Again’.
There is a story behind this piece that was displayed below during the exhibition. Read on and then wait for an added twist!
Have you ever seen an odd shoe strewn on a pavement or doorstep and wondered  why?
Have you left your shoes by the back door and returned to find one or both missing?
Have you found leather items buried in your garden?
Then you have been struck by  Foxy Footwear Fascination!

Foxes in Furzedown have been stealing leather shoes and other items for some time (we have actually caught them red-pawed!).Last year, this international news story hit the media and made me smile. This piece is a humorous portrayal of this foxy phenomenon.

BERLIN | Fri Jun 12, 2009 11:58am EDT
BERLIN (Reuters) – A fox has been unmasked as the mystery thief of more than 100 shoes in the small western German town of Foehren, authorities said Friday.
A forest worker stumbled upon shoes strewn near the fox’s den and found a trove of footwear down the hole which had recently been stolen overnight from outside locals’ front doors.
“There was everything from ladies’ shoes to trainers,” said a local police spokesman. “We’ve found between 110 and 120 so far. It seems a vixen stole them for her cubs to play with.”
Although many were missing laces, the shoes were in good condition and their owners were delighted to reclaim them, he said, adding that no reprisals were planned against the culprit.

The twist? The day I opened the exhibition, laying by the wall right outside the gallery was this:
I promise, I did not plant it! A clear example of art imitating life and life imitating art…
As well as wall art (more below) I had lots of smaller things for sale…stones…
… and a range of mosaic jewelry with special meaning…
 In the middle of the heart brooch display, a poem…

My Heart is a Mosaic

My heart is a mosaic
It is made of many parts, some hidden (even from myself).

My heart is a mosaic
In it I carry the community of the people who have touched my life

My heart is a mosaic
It has been broken and though I try, I cannot get it back to how it used to be. So I am slowly putting the broken pieces together…imagine my  surprise when I see that my re-shaped broken heart is  more  beautiful than before.

My heart is a mosaic
Many passions and parts of my being unfolding, as I dare to live connected to my centre.

My heart is a mosaic
It is made by all my experiences.  I can add new pieces all the time to make up who I am and how I live.

My heart is a mosaic…

And here is another look at the beautiful “Patchwork of Hope” made by children, young people, parents and volunteers from the Klevis Kola Foundation (KKF). Over the period of the exhibition we raised over £100 for the work of KKF and many people learned about the wonderful work they do.

Some more new pieces that were on display…

Magical Tree (now sold)
 Flower Fields (now sold)

Sally Dunnet’s beautiful glass fused decorations in the windows…

And another new piece, ‘Dance of the Dragonflies’
Curly Tree (still for sale)
Wall of Bark (lots sold, some still left)

Each piece of bark had mosaic gold mirror on it (some teeny tinypieces) along the bark textures. Beside the pieces,  a bit of prose about the meaning and process…

The Meaning of Bark


“I look at the bark running up the tree in front of me – and it is art.”
25th September 2009, Elvedene Forest, from my diary


Many years ago, a wise, old friend told me a story about bark. He said that if you cut a thin circle of bark around the whole circumference of a living tree trunk, you will kill the tree because the life and sap of the tree is carried in the bark – in the outermost edge of the tree trunk – not in the centre.

We are often sold the message, said my friend, that  we need to get ourselves to the centre of things – the inner circle, the in-crowd, the epicentre of power, influence and decision making. We panic if we are not, feeling that we will miss out. But in fact, many (most?) of us live ‘on the edge’ in different ways, at difference times of our lives. And even if we don’t, there is a reality that life on the margins (socially, psychologically, physically, financially) has deep, rich veins of life and creativity.

Since then, bark has held both symbolic and artistic fascination. Recently, mosaic teacher and mentor, Sonia King, has started a ‘bark’ project, gathering amazing pictures of bark from Facebook friends around the world – see it here.  This work is my exploration of the art, texture and beauty of bark through the mosaic medium.

I sold lots of beautiful mosaic spheres in lots of colours…these ones looking rather a lot like the snowballs that were being thrown outside the gallery in the first week!

 ‘Bubbles’ mirror which I could have sold 10 times over!
 ‘Shimmering Sun’ (a favourite, and still available!)
‘Loving You’ (which evoked several ‘what is it?’ discussions!)

I ran a small mosaic taster session in the gallery on the last day – great fun and wonderful pieces made in 2 1/2 hours.

 Everyone left with a bag of grout after a grouting demo..!
My beautiful six foot peacock, who wowed many…
As did Mr Owl with his halogen light bulb eyes (no, they eyes don’t light up -but one day…!)

And lastly, the star of the show, my newest large piece, ‘You Catch My Tears’. The writing that was displayed underneath will be familiar to regular readers of this blog, but I will finish this online exhibition with a re-post of the poem.  Before I do that, I want to say thank you to all who helped, came along (over 300 visitors!), offered support and encouragement in real-time or long distance. I can’t quite believe I have done it – but I have and it exceeded all my expectations. I am exhausted but happy!

You Catch My Tears and Keep Them in  a Bottle

Again she cries alone
Tears fall like diamonds
Into the nothingness
Her heart lost, unknown

She cannot see
The veil that surrounds her
Tears of others also bent over, sobbing
Connecting the broken-ones in their alone-ness

And the great Other…

Catching
every
precious
drop

Nothing is lost or forgotten.

17 Responses to “Online mosaic exhibition…just for you!”

Read below or add a comment...

  1. Amelia says:

    wow – so much to absorb!!! Looks wonderful as it did in reality. Can't believe the coincidence about the shoe! Crazy!

    Looking forward to catching up and having time! 🙂

    Amelia.x

  2. Rachel says:

    So sad I missed it Concetta, it looks amazing. I had a horrid few weeks and couldn't come. That shoe is bizarre, a sign, but of what I'm not sure!!

    x

  3. Dana Barbieri says:

    Stunning. I love it all. I am so impressed. You are my inspiration lady. Will you be selling anything online? Love those hearts and the poem. and the student work.. and, and, and…
    xo,
    dana

  4. Anonymous says:

    Connie – LOVELY LOVELY LOVELY!!!
    – Nina –

  5. Malcolm Skipp says:

    So pleased I could see some of the virtual exhibition, since the snow prevented me from coming to see the real thing. Well done Concetta.

    Malcolm Skipp

  6. rachel fell says:

    Really enjoyed this online, so inspiring and connecting, thank you making it online too for the likes of me who has had flu and sadly couldn't make it in person to your exhibition. Can't wait to do your class even more now. x

  7. Anonymous says:

    A great show Concetta and full marks for making a virtual visit possible.
    Lovely work!
    JOB

  8. get stuff done says:

    oh its just magical! totally fabulously brilliant. I love the patchwork nature of it, and the shimmering glistening shininess. wonderful poems and love the bark concept…

  9. Nicky Tudor says:

    I am in awe of what you have achieved here – although I shouldn't be surprised! Fabulous work all round. I look forward to seeing where this leads you and your followers. Any chance of West Dean next year? Not that you need any tuition!

  10. Caroline Holden says:

    Well done Concetta. I've spoken to lots of people who've enjoyed the exhibition. Really glad you've sold so many pieces too. Have a good rest and re-charge over Christmas…

    Caroline

  11. Tooting Squared says:

    Aw, it was a beautiful show. What a talented lady you are!
    xxx

  12. jacqueline says:

    WOW sweet Concetta, it looks amazing!! I am super impressed and you are truly inspiring! I love all of your creations!! Thanks so much for sharing and have a lovely merry happy day! Love to you!

  13. Kate England says:

    Concetta, first GIGANTIC congratulations!!!!!! Then lots of admiration! There's so much beauty here that it's hard to know where to begin! The peacock? The bark project? The adorable story of foxes and shoes and the RED shoe on THE day!? Your fun workshop? The big success? The feeling I get from your new pieces… I can't put words to it, but I can feel something new happening with your art, and I love it!

    Thank you for creating this virtual exhibition for us who can't stop by to the "real" on!

    x

  14. Concetta says:

    Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you…. am touched by such wonderful comments. Yes, Dana, stuff is for sale!

  15. Jo says:

    Oh my, Concetta! The exhibition looked amazing and such truly beautiful creations too – I'm lost for words! I'm so thrilled that they were all so warmly received and created such an impact on all those who visited. I was sooooo looking forward to coming along too, but have been too poorly and unable to venture far. So thank you so very much for sharing such wonders here.
    Congratulations and well done… all the hardwork was soooo worth it!
    Huge hugs
    xxxxx

  16. traceycartledge says:

    Your blog is really inspiring = the work on here is fabulous. Thanks.

  17. Concetta says:

    Dear Tracey
    thanks so much for your comments – it means a lot to me to get this feedback and I really appreciate you visiting my blog 🙂