Mosaic Monday: Cats, Chickens, Chatoyancy

I learned a new word recently ... My friend Katrina Doran used it this last month when she was installing a residential commission she did for Joyce, one of her dear friends and local patron of the arts.


Chatoyancy: the condition or quality of changing in color or luster depending on the angle of light, especially of a gemstone that reflects a single shaft of light when cut in cabochon form.

Is that a great word or what?

Mosaic Field Trip ...
So a couple of weeks ago I played hooky on a Monday and watched Katrina work as she installed a lovely mosaic back splash she did of a calico and chicken. It was a perfect spring day and I even got to help a little bit with Joyce's chicken coop mosaic project. Joyce's home is just lovely and everywhere you turn there is an original mosaic by somebody famous in the mosaic community.  She has taken on a personal project of covering her chicken coop and I was eager to help as I have my own plan to cover one of my art sheds in tile later this summer.  I tease her that I plan to learn from her mistakes. So far however she seems to know exactly what she is doing, so I guess I may have to learn from my own mistakes.

Pics below show Katrina Doran's mosaic kitchen installation, and also the chicken coop fun outdoors. So one long Monday... two different mosaic projects, and I got to be a fly on the wall so to speak.

© 2012 Katrina Doran
Back splash

Prep work: trimming substrate edge for snug fit

Drilling into place: Katrina is giving a diagram to her client showing screw locations so if the piece ever needs to be moved it can be.

Grouting

Outside the chickens watched on as Joyce, Judy, Katrina and I worked a little on the coop. It was a long mosaic filled day.

Fancy Chicken Coop
Flowers mosaics are by : Tricia Van Buskirk, Katrina Doran and Joyce Ward.