Fireplace: Three Birds

Here is an introduction and preview of a mosaic we are doing for Mr and Mrs. "A" (for whom we built a kitchen last year.) The artwork features three gamebirds: a pheasant, a chukar and a quail. The mosaic surrounds the fireplace and will be crowned with a really unusual reclaimed oak mantle and hand carved cherry frame-and-panel upper section.

Here are some in-progress pictures of the project. For materials we used vitreous glass 1x1 tiles and broke/cut them into thirds. We also used some really beautiful watery white art glass from Beehive Glass, which became the background.

The process started with a drawing and some dimensions and specs. I am always amazed at the kinds of things that can spring from a scratchy drawing on a little skinny piece of paper. Wonderful things large and small that make life beautiful. In this present case a medium-sized thing is in the process of springing from this tiny little drawing:

Next we built forms to hold the glass square as we were laying it down. Then we made full sized drawings in reverse in order to glue the pieces to. And then the work began...