Object: Elephant
Eye Sold
Materials: Marble
and Smalti on Cement Board
Dimensions: 15.75 "
x 22"
Method: Direct
with mortar
The
inspiration for this piece was a PBS Nature documentary
called "Unforgettable Elephants". In it, the
photographer Martyn Colbeck shot video footage and still
shots of a family of African elephants over the span of
15 years. I found this program not only moving and insightful,
but it inspired me to capture in stone the beauty I
saw in these gentle animals.
The
various textures of a mature elephant's skin was fascinating
to me. I wanted to focus on this aspect, describing rough
and smooth surfaces in a somewhat abstract composition.
The overall impact though was still clearly to be elephant...
almost too large for one frame.
Various
colors of white, tan, gold, brown and black marble were
used. The source tiles' size variety made the contrast
between the rough pieces of the trunk and the smooth, flat
ear possible. The brow and forehead is where both kinds
of surface meet, where the bone draws the skin taut.
The
flow pattern of the tiles was also used to help emphasize
the surface shape as well as its texture.
To
add a touch of sparkle, I decided to
use the beauty of Smalti glass to define the eye. A cover
of long black lashes hoods his gaze.
Selected for the "Mosaic
Arts International Exhibition 2010"
SAMA's Annual International Juried Exhibition
On
display in 2010: March 1 - July 30:
The
Smith Museum of Stained Glass at Navy Pier (Chicago, Illinois)
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