Lily Pond Mosaic Project Wrap-Up

Booker T. Frog finally has a permanent home! The week of April 27, Karen Rycheck and I did the installation of the project that was initiated back last summer! It was an exciting adventure that had us working remotely on design, together in studios in Bend and Hillsboro, and apart in our respective Hillsboro and Talent studios.  In addition to designing and fabricating the mosaic lily pond, we had the fun challenge of creating a sculptural rock pedestal for the bronze frog to sit on. The planter bed that the whole thing is sited in has a 10 degree slope, so the challenge continued in preparing the pedestal with the proper slope so we'd end up with a level platform for Mr. Frog. To help us achieve this, and to make sure we could install the bronze frog securely into the substrate, we engaged the services of Tim Gabriel, metal artist extraordinaire! He prepared the sculpture with brass threaded rods for installation, and led the install on the concrete pad. We couldn't have done it without him!

We also engaged the talents of our glass artist colleague JoAnn Wellner in the project. We had her create a fused glass dragonfly to include in our mosaic, and also she made us some fused glass eyes for the tadpoles and turtle. They are tiny little bits, but essential to giving proper character to our little critters that are "swimming" in the "pond."

Overall, this project turned out great! We are pleased, the library staff are ecstatic, and we had immediate positive feedback from library patrons who make a steady stream through the entry plaza. It was especially rewarding to us, as artists who like to incorporate educational elements into our public work, when we heard a mom explain to her child, "See the tadpoles? They are baby frogs. When they  grow up, they become just like this big frog sitting on the rock!" Just what Karen hoped for when she designed the cute little tadpoles into the mosaic!

What's Happening Now

I'm currently working on a commission for the McMinnville Public Library with my friend and colleague Karen Rycheck. She wrote a terrific blogpost on our progress, so I'm simply going to post a link to it! After I get a little more work done on my half, I'll post about the progress.Click to read Karen's blog.

Sturgeon is accepted into MAI

I got word today the the Astoria Sturgeon Mosaic was accepted into the Mosaic Art International 2014 juried exhibition! The show and annual SAMA conference will be in Houston this May. I am attending, and will be excited to see this work represented in the show. Here is a paragraph from the acceptance letter: Dear LYNN ADAMO, We are very pleased to inform you that your work, Sturgeon Mosaic , has been selected to be included in the Mosaic Arts International 2014 exhibition at The Williams Tower Gallery, Houston, TX.  We received over 300 entries from artists in 12 countries. The jurors carefully considered every piece and discussed the submissions at length. The jury selected 40 artists for inclusion in the MAI exhibition to be held from April 24 – May 30, 2014.

Artist Reception for Dynamic Continuum

Dynamic Continuum is complete

One week ago today, I wrapped up the piece in bubble wrap and Bob and I carefully moved the work from the studio to our truck. We placed it on thick foam pads and drove it to Tualatin. For the first 15 minutes of the trip, I was a basket case, worried that something would happen to it while driving. After watching it through the cab window, I was finally satisfied it was not going to move in the truck bed, and we arrived at the library safely. We were greeted by Mark Brody, my friend and colleague who I hired to lead the installation. My client Becky Savino, of the City of Tualatin, and Brett, the facilities manager, were also on hand. My friend and photographer, Loren Nelson arrived shortly after we did to document the process.

Almost done

One more day left to finish up this project, and then pack it up for transport to the library  on Friday. Here are a few shots of some of the elements on the sides.

Tualatin Centennial Project: Two weeks to go!

I've made considerable progress on this project, which is essential, as installation is scheduled for December 19! This project is a unique challenge, in that many areas of the design have to evolve even as I'm doing the final creation of the work. It's exciting even if a little scary at times! Unlike other types of work I do, the Work-in-Progress photos don't often look good enough to show to the public. Unfinished and out of context, they don't work to give a good impression of what I'm aiming for. I was pleased that the shots I took yesterday are interesting and I like them well enough to post a few.

Tualatin Centennial Library Project: update

Here are some images from this project in progress. It's difficult for me to photograph this as it's being worked on, flat on the table, and without good photographic equipment and lighting conditions.  The glare is problematic, so one must look past that when viewing these work-in-progress photos.

Tualatin Library Centennial Project

I was awarded a commission to create a work of art to commemorate 100 years of Tualatin being incorporated as a city this past June. The ideas percolated all summer and into fall while I was working on the Astoria sturgeon mosaic, and while I was in Italy. Upon my return I had to jump in and move forward on it, as it is due to be complete and on the wall in the library on December 13! I'm calling this work "Dynamic Continuum" and it is inspired by many elements from the history of the area that became Tualatin. I discovered Tualatin has a rich history going back to the Atfalati native peoples, through the settlers who came over the Oregon Trail and established farms, homesteads, and industry. Sawmills, brick factories and quarries were early businesses that took advantage of the local natural resources. Ferries and steamboats went into use to transport goods and people, and on it goes through the years to the vibrant community it is today.

My task in the coming month is to take many elements inspired by this history and create a mixed media, bas-relief wall sculpture in honor of this history.

Here's the first installment of the blog that will follow the progress of this project.

Sturgeon Mosaic Installation

I packed up the Subaru on Monday, October 21 and we drove over to Astoria to prepare for the big day.

Tuesday morning dawned clear and sunny. We couldn't have imagined  more perfect weather for the installation. Gorgeous, dry day in Astoria in late October? Wow!

My installer for the project was Brad Laidlaw, of Campbell's Custom Tile. When I arrived, he was prepping the surface for installation. He needed to float some thinset to get the level up to the perfect setting height.

The stainless steel band was not 100% perfect, so I had to pull out a few tesserae and cut some new pieces to better fit the space. On one other edge, Brad used a diamond blade cutter to trim some excess, so it would all fit. Then, we were ready to set!

Next week they will install the big stone pavers that will complete the paving around the mosaic.

I was hoping to go back on Thursday morning to get some shots of the mosaic with one night cure on the grout. But when we arrived, the mosaic was covered with the tarp, and they were using big trucks to shoot in topsoil in areas near the mosaic pavilion. There was also a huge crane truck that was being used to move pre-cast concrete blocks into place. So, we'll have to wait till after Thanksgiving to visit the garden when it's complete!

Week 10: Fabrication Complete!

We did it! On Sunday, September 15, Karen and I put the finishing touches on fabrication. I am amazed that I hit the deadline that I'd originally set out for this project. I'm not completely done though. This week I'll clean the surface, mark and label the template and each section before stacking it up to store before taking it to Astoria. Installation is now going to wait until after I return from my trip to Italy, as the concrete pad for the mosaic has not been poured yet.Here are pics from the last week, including some professional ones by Rick Paulson, who is doing a project for the Hillsboro Arts and Culture Council, photographing Hillsboro artists in their studios.

Catching up on weeks 8 and 9

I'm a bit behind on the blog posts, but I allowed myself to slide because Karen Rycheck wrote two terrific blog posts of her own reporting on the progress made while she was working with me! Links to those here:mosaic-sturgeon-will-be-brightening-up-astoria/ mosaic-sturgeon-will-be-brightening-up-astoria-part-2/ On Thursday of week 8, we had a visit from Suenn Ho, the urban designer and designer of the Garden of Surging Waves. She was very pleased with how I've interpreted the concept of the sturgeon mosaic. Needless to say, I'm happy that she is positive about the work! One tweak we all agreed would be good was a slight revision to the sturgeons' eyes. They had been rendered very simply— with no pupils to speak of. We played around with some dark green tesserae and agreed that some "eye surgery" was in order. That afternoon Karen did the "removal surgery", and I followed with the "pupil transplant." The surgery was a success!