Carolyn Wagner, Poof!
12 x 12
unglazed porcelain, smalti, vitreous, stained glass, tempered glass, mirrored glass, coral
©2010
12 x 12
unglazed porcelain, smalti, vitreous, stained glass, tempered glass, mirrored glass, coral
©2010
I have finally finished Poof!, my entry for Ciel Gallery's upcoming exhibition, Mosaic Vision, http://cielcharlotte.com/section/164080_Upcoming_Exhibitions.html . I re-worked this piece too many times to count, ripping up tile, trying to fine-tune various aspects. My inspiration came from some coral pieces that I've had lying/laying (shameful that I'll never get that one right) around my studio for a few years. They have always reminded me of dandelions, so I decided to finally attempt to articulate the image I've had in my head. The finished piece does convey what was in my head, but I'm unsure whether the photo above translates the subtleties of my mosaic. And just in case I haven't conveyed what I intended to...
What we have here is a monochromatic image of a child blowing a dandelion. I purposefully played with the andamento on the child's profile and cheek, and used a more linear opus for the black background. I just happened to have some tempered glass that had shattered in kindof an upward pattern, which I felt could be "breathy". I debated about colored grout for the breath to set it apart from the background, but decided one's breath has no color. So, neither does the breath in my mosaic. The white seed specks blown loose by the breath transform into gold. "W hy?" you may ask. Because they can.
Below is an accompanying poem that does give additional insight into the image. I apologize for my tone in this post, it is purely one of frustration, nothing else. At some point, I'll try to get a better photo with more detail after cleanup and post in the gallery section of this site. So, do you think an artwork is unsuccessful if you have to go into great detail to "explain" it?
What we have here is a monochromatic image of a child blowing a dandelion. I purposefully played with the andamento on the child's profile and cheek, and used a more linear opus for the black background. I just happened to have some tempered glass that had shattered in kindof an upward pattern, which I felt could be "breathy". I debated about colored grout for the breath to set it apart from the background, but decided one's breath has no color. So, neither does the breath in my mosaic. The white seed specks blown loose by the breath transform into gold. "W hy?" you may ask. Because they can.
Below is an accompanying poem that does give additional insight into the image. I apologize for my tone in this post, it is purely one of frustration, nothing else. At some point, I'll try to get a better photo with more detail after cleanup and post in the gallery section of this site. So, do you think an artwork is unsuccessful if you have to go into great detail to "explain" it?
Poof!
Make a wish
And then watch it float away
Will it be forgotten?
Or come true today?
Will it navigate life’s currents
Appearances more random,
Illuminated rarely
Then vanish like a phantom?
Ooh, it’s come in for a landing
To try to take ahold.
Better grab it now
For in my mind it’s gold.
Carolyn Wagner
©2009
Make a wish
And then watch it float away
Will it be forgotten?
Or come true today?
Will it navigate life’s currents
Appearances more random,
Illuminated rarely
Then vanish like a phantom?
Ooh, it’s come in for a landing
To try to take ahold.
Better grab it now
For in my mind it’s gold.
Carolyn Wagner
©2009
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