In 2011 I saw a mosaic in a faculty show at Southern Oregon University (SOU) by John Sollinger (Solly) called ‘Old Growth’ that made a huge and lasting impression on me and opened up a whole new chapter in my life. Solly teaches biology at SOU and is also a prize-winning mosaic artist who has won prizes and teaches workshops here and elsdewhere. His work is innovative, unique and absolutely beautiful and made me want to learn this skill which goes way back in the history of Art and now is undergoing a renaissance.
There are other gifted mosaicists in the Rogue Valley, and one in Talent, Karen Rycheck, offered a workshop at her studio in the summer of 2012. I took it and loved it instantly and my very first piece is hanging in my kitchen.That had never happened before. In January 2013 Karen started a class in her studio in Talent which I joined immediately and attend regularl. My delight in making mosaic has deepened as I develop my own style. Birds figure prominently as subjects, of course, and I have gotten away from the rectangle and make freeform cutouts. Soon I will photograph them and get them into my gallery. Meanwhile here are several examples.
About two years ago, Jack Harbaugh joined the class, and his love for the art form and speed of learning are similar to mine. I bought a ring saw a year ago and invited him to use it whenever he wanted, which he does. But my studio, which may be the world’s smallest, soon got too small for two media and two artists, so I had it enlarged (future blog). I am now making a cluster of desert denizens for Lolly’s back garden and next will be diving Brown Pelicans for Heath.
In 2017 Karen won a grant to make a mural for the side of the raised performance platform on the north wall of Talent City Hall. Her design was 32′ long and 3½’ tall, and she enlisted an army of volunteers from around the valley and beyond to cut glass and create the flowers, bees and birds. Now, 18 months later, it is finished. It is called Talent: Bee City USA and is stunning. On June 22, 2019 it was dedicted with a party and it was a joyous aoccasion, with guitar music, lemonade and cookies and short speeches by Talent Mayor Darby Striker, Karen and others. The crowd was delighted when Karen took off the tarps and reveled the mosaic. There was great coverage from the local TV stations and the two regional newspapers, with reports in both appearing the next day.
As the mosaic grew, during the year-and-a-half process of designing, cutting, and glueing onto mesh, I did not photograph it, altho we saw it weekly. I only photographed the installation and the dedication. Jack made a video of them. I wished we had had the foresight to film the whole process, but at least we got good coverage of the dedication ceremony. Here are some of the moments.
Mounting the piece
The dedication
Three of Karen’s original students were in the audience, Audrey Cenedella, me, andCarolBerger, and we felt it a ‘must’ to have our portrait with Karen in her costumeCarol Berger
I was not a major contributor to the creative process,but I did make a small section of blue flowers last summer. It was when the Morosovs visited me last summer and Lilly, age 9, and very into arts and crafts, got her first try at mosaics with some of the blue flowers.
In a dismal period in U.S. history it was a bright reminder of how good life can be.