I’m a curator of bling and, perhaps, a bling hoarder. Whenever I find cast-off items like broken jewelry, vintage metal buttons, uniquely twisted pieces of metal, or beads and art glass, I organize them into homogenous bins. I say homogenous, but I cannot always explain why each element is part of a certain group. They may simply be “Earth Tones” or they may be “Copper” or “Pet Bling.” But suddenly, I will look at a bin and I know: THIS represents [inspiration of the day]!
I had gathered quite a bit “Flower Bling” in warm colors and metals, so naturally, I started thinking ‘garden.’ Then I remembered that I also had natural looking sea glass in grays, browns, and greens that a friend had brought me from Italy. But, to use so many flowers, I had to create hillsides to encompass them all! Thus, I created a multi-layered landscape, with a more structured garden in the forefront and wild flowers and plants in the background hillside. Since gardens are enjoyed both day and night, I created a sky that transitioned from night to day; from cool to warm. I found the finished product to be so calming that I called it “Garden Nirvana.” I used the ‘tapestry method’ for this mosaic but it was my first one without the fringe you see on more traditional tapestry mosaics. I was very pleased with the result and this piece represents my move to this altered style.
