A Real Gentleman

This is a picture of Lilli Ann and Marvin Rosenberg with me in Melbourne at the AIMC in 2004.

It was one of those special moments meeting people who had worked all their lives in Public Art and offering inspiration to us new "kids". I heard Marvin had recently passed away and was reminded of the short but great time I spent with him at the conference.

The mug shots

Here's a shot of us under the pump with 3 days to go and then with the work finished.

It was hot up there on that scaffold but no different to what I'm used to in Cairns.

Penang Experience

Well experiences come and go and the recent collaboration in Penang at Hotel Penaga has left me much richer for the experience.
Helen Bodycomb(Aust), George Fishman(USA), Glenn Romanis(Aust) and myself got together for a month to work on a collaborative piece called "The shyness of trees" for patrons Angela and Hijjas Kasturi.
The shyness phenomena relates to the space that intersects adjacent trees in a rainforest canopy. The defined growth that is the edge of one tree allowing light to filter below.
After a week of setting up studio, tooling and sorting materials and then defining our concept and 'look', we sought to construct the work with a clear sensibility to the buildings that house the work. We were looking for a graphic that was 'soft' and complimentary to the old world charm and asian aesthetic that is prevalent in Penang.
It is a interesting situation when you put 4 artists together and ask them to make one work. Perhaps I felt I was working in the United Nations in a way as we waded through the imagery, concepts, symbolisms and literal understandings, to make sure we were all clear on all points. There were many redefining moments which we took in our stride and pushed forward.
Hot, humid, dusty, noisy and sometimes wet conditions were present and we had a sense of urgency to complete as departure dates loomed near. This work was viewed with curiosity from the local audiences that saw it take shape. The story of the tree clearing is represented within the work referencing when Capt. Light shot coins from his cannon into the coastal forests centuries ago. We added a 'Portal' that mirrors a facing door as a consideration of another time or place, or even a macro look at detail within the canopy. Light is represented in prismatic lines that stream across the work and the Penaga leaf becomes part of the water course that is cut into the old granite ship ballasts that pave the floor. This sweeps and meanders to where it connects with the wallwork. The point where water meets air.
I look forward to seeing the finishing touches-lighting, painting and the like - to see the finished product.
Undoubtedly, this work was about the journey for me. The opportunity to experience wonderful Penang which is soon(I believe), to resume its popularity as a premier tourist destination due to its vast cultural diveristy and oh so AWESOME food. It is a work that I know has some of my blood sweat and tears - but plenty of laughter and Gin to boot. I will eagerly await the audience critique on the work to see how our attempts at a creative work of art are viewed.

Gaining Momentum and Reflection

The start of the year in Cairns is an intense time as the tropical heat can be hard to endure making those affected by it somewhat poached in 4 months of steamy humidity. Often business is slow and cash flows dry up waiting for people to pick up the ball and start working at their business.

I often use this time to review my past performance and sort out my usually jumbled computer in preparation for the year ahead.

I often get people telling me that I must be an extremely "patient" guy. I tell them "no, I just know how to perservere.."

This photo from the archive is of George and Nancy Fishman and myself sitting on Sonia (First Lady of Mosaics) King's lap at the poster exhibition of the AIMC in Melbourne 2004. I remember this time well as I was pretty excited to be amongst my peers in the mosaic world. It was quite incredible being able to show them my work and get some positive feedback considering that I worked in isolation, and at that time, had only just discovered what smalti was.

Now, looking back at this new kid on the block, I find myself happy to realize that I have persevered in the field and have enjoyed many successes in the realm of mosaic. I have since travelled to America to spend time with George and many others of the great fraternity of the mosaic world.

And I still have so many ideas to complete. Life is short....go hard!

Mr.Mosaic and Mr Havachat

You've got to hand it to Brett Campbell. I think he has almost single handedly captured the web in the marketing of mosaics. I can even remember when he told me in Sydney " Guess what...no one has registered the domain 'Mosaics.com' ". Well he did and the rest is history.

We met years ago in Melbourne at an AIMC and have been friends ever since. How could you not like someone that threw in a Bank managers position to be an artist?

So on another trip I managed to hunt him down on the home turf around Montville and we visited some of his murals that exhibit that signature style of his. One more for the collection...hey Bretty boy?

Spilimbergo and Aperol Spritzers

My last trip to Europe(my first also) saw us make a beeline for the north and visit the beautiful town of Spilimbergo. It was a great chance to visit the Scuola Mosaicisti Del Friuli and catch up with my friend Carolina Zanelli. Here is a photo of Carolina in her studio holding one of her favourite works in stone and also one of her holding her new product "Zanoleum"(Pat. Pending).

Carolina is a walking encyclopedia on her area and we visited the ancient town of Acquilea where the mosaics appear like mushrooms. They are literally everywhere. In Spilimbergo streets you will see the old Facchina style alongside great modern installations from the school.

There's something fishy about this...

The guy with the mo is my friend George Fishman. I met him in Melbourne and many years later went to Miami to visit him and his wife Nancy. Arriving with the usual bottle of Bombay Blue Sapphire gin, I was able to allay the jetlag over a prawn gumbo and the usual mosaic talk. George has a keen interest in anamorphics and has done some great work in this area. His murals are extremely well known and George has been a key figure in the American mosaic development over the past years. Here is one section of a mural he's done. I think it has a real painterly feel to it.

The Smalti Queen.

In my travels, I always make the attempt to visit the people who work in my field. Working in isolation is often a lonely experience and therefore I am keen to attend various gatherings of peers in the form of conferences/ symposiums and the like.

It was at an International conference in Melbourne, that I met Anna Minardo. She was the one who introduced me to smalti and her work in stone and smalti is some of the best I've ever seen. Her website www.passion4mosaic.com is a great place to look at the beautiful colours and get other info.

Over the years we have become good friends and these photos were taken in her studio and shop located in Melbourne. I love capturing mosaic artists in their work space. I think that it is because these studios are usually the most interesting art spaces due to the tooling, process stages and the amazing colour that is built using thousands of small pieces.

Ciao!

European Vacation

So now I can finally say " Yes I have been to Barcelona!", and "Yes, I have see all the Gaudi..."
It was all worth it even if it did cost a small fortune. I was surprized that a lot of what I thought were mosaics were actually painted effects. Now there's a thought...should be a lot quicker.
Anyway, the two months were full of mosaics that kept popping up like mushrooms.
For the record, my favourite place in Barcelona was the food market halfway down the Ramblos. Colour mixed with fishy smells and people everywhere.
It was easy to see why Senor Guell was sent broke by Gaudi, I think it was all worth it when you see how many people from all parts of the world come to visit these buildings. Wish today's developers had the guts to go wild.

Blunt Edge of Portraiture

This is my latest portrait for the annual Blunt Edge of Portraiture. It is of well known Cairns artist Ed Koumans and is made with stone, smalti and porcelain. I chose to leave the background to give the work a different depth. The work received the People's Choice Award on opening night. Cheers.

Titillate

I'm back...had the pedal to the metal lately - been having the usual problems with saying "No" to all those customers. Anyway...I do aim to please and it's always refreshing when a new Upholstery Contemporary Arts Show comes along and forces you to work weekends to wow the punters with something new made in the name of Art. This mosaic of the great titillatress Marilyn was made using 60 colours of vitreous glass. Took some people quite a while to see the image but here in a smaller format it is a lot easier. Enjoy. ps Although several people have indicated interest - it is still for sale. If you want....contact me!

One of Kim's Works

This is a great fountain done by Kim Emerson. She works predominantly in ceramic for her outdoor public art projects. A great, weel thought out piece.

Proof's in the Pudding

There I was on a beautiful sunny day in Escondido, California admiring the wonderful work of Niki De Saint Phalle - thinking I'm glad I put this on the itinery. Helen Bodycomb and myself were lucky to be escorted there by local mosaicist Kim Emerson who's great work is all over Southern California. We also spent a magic day in Mexico with Aida Valencia who is a great mosaicist with a true sense of Carnivale. Aida's circus clown figures are very popular and a lot of fun. Aida took us for a great lunch in Rosarita(i think) and we listened to Mariachi's, ate lobster and drank the biggest Margharita's I've ever seen. As a result I ended up leaving my phone over there, which has since been sent back.
To visit Mexico and see the low-fired colourful tiles was something of an epiphany for me. For someone who has been laying the product in countless home and see so much of it at once, I wish someone would import more of it. Bring back Mexican terracotta!

Telescopium Telescopium

Oops....I forgot to include a pic of what the Mangrove whelk looks like in the environment, so here it is. By the way, when cooked for a few minutes in boiling water, they taste a bit like a muddy abalone. And there's one of me working upsidedown with my trusty piping bag.

Going to America

It's time for the American Mosaic Symposium(SAMA), and Helen Bodycomb and I are heading there to take part. I've never been to the States before so I'm pretty keyed up. It's gonna be a blast - Miami, Chicago, San Diego and most probably Tijuana. We've spent 6 months working towards this and are looking forward to extending the network of fellow mosaicists. There's a trip to Gianni Versace's house (I'd imagine lots of classical mosaic with gold), the nouveau work of the hotels, the Chicago school of Mosaic, throw in a bit of Frank Loyld Wright there and last but not least, Niki de Saint Phalle's fantastic monumental sculpture garden in Escondida, California - Queen Califa's Magic Circle. There's something like 300 million people over there and I'm gonna try talk to everyone of them! We will be spending some time with the great mosaicist, George Fishman who has a great website that is worth checking out www.georgefishmanmosaics.com

Public Art

It's been hot and steamy up here in Far North Queensland for the past few months. The monsoon season is not my ideal working environment, but time waits for no one and there is much to be done. Having recently been awarded another public art commission, I have been hard at it, working to complete 'Telescopus' before travelling to Miami USA to attend SAMA - the Society of American Mosaic Artists, with fellow mosaicist/collaborator, Helen Bodycomb of Melbourne. Telescopus is a 3D sculpture of a mangrove whelk which is a conical mollusc common on the mudflats surrounding Cairns. It is made from vitreous glass tiles forming a representative colourfield of banding, together with hand knapped Chillagoe marble that references East and West Cape linkage through Indigenous food sources and the marble deposits of Chillagoe.
Working on large projects can do your head in, after laying 50,000 tesserae and most of them individually, I certainly feel worn out. The hardest bits were the upsidedown areas as I would often discover I had been laying on the odd shard of glass(ouch!), and the glue residue that seemed to coat my body for the last month.
Anyway, 500 hours later it is almost complete and soon will be installed on the Cairns Esplanade to add to that beautiful area. I dedicate the work to my wife Louise who is a marine biologist, she inspires me, helped me on the project and puts up with my long absences when I am working those long hours in the studio.

Portraits

Comes a time when you get roped in to a portrait show....we just had one recently called "The Blunt Edge of Portraiture", as opposed to the cutting edge. Archibalds aside, this was a fun exhibition where 38 local Cairn's artists got together to produce portraits of other artists( names where drawn out of a hat) in any medium, A3 was the set size( lot's of people disregarded this) and an exhibition /party was held at The Pink Phoenix Gallery where 250+ people turned up to view the work. Prizes were the order of the night and Kristin Tennyson took out the Blunt Edge Award for her portrait of myself. Steve Lopes from Artist Profile Magazine chose her from the works for depicting a portrait with "guts and determination" and demonstrating a high level of energy.
I suppose I will have to post that pic soon, at the moment it isn't on this computer so you'll have to wait. For now you'll have to be content with the portrait I did of George Wagner(my great friend the line painter) and another one from my collection "Old Man" from an Italian student from the Friuli School in Spilimbergo. They are both men of Dutch ancestry and I was inspired!

Pool for an Emperor

Here's the latest pool created by the great team at Shardworks for an Emperor at Edge Hill. Mosaics were all constructed in the studio over a month and installation took place over a week in the most trying tropical conditions of the Cairns HOT season. Have a great xmas and a happy new year to everyone. Stay tuned for the next post which will outline a large sculptural work to be situated as public art.

Tileshop Archaeology

There I was, running late for my plane on the way back from a Sydney trip........when something caught my eye. I managed to stop and photograph the relics of a demolished tile shop that had some great artifacts from early Bisazza years. The green gold with random broken edges, early retro ceramic pattern work from Japan, it was all there. Enjoy.

Hidden Treasures.

I don't often do a lot of smalti work, but here's a little piece called "Blue grail" that I did for the Cairns Regional Gallery's 'Hidden Treasures' show. I saw a blue rose for the first time in Melbourne a while ago and was captivated by it. Human's quest to alter genetics has always fascinated me and it is often an underlying theme within my arts practice. I actually did this work as a study for a much larger commission of a red rose. Hope you like.
By the way.... you can order your own rose in any colour as a commission if you like.

'Pixel Skull'

Ceramic and phosphorescent glass tile on toughened glass.
2100x1370mm.
Death happens. You get that.
Our society is good at ignoring death, but more than a reminder of own mortality, it has become a symbol that has pervaded our popular culture to the point of fascination. We use the imagery to desesitise the very nature of death. I have drawn on this aspect as my inspiration for this work.
Using this image heralds a new beginning in my work, in which I seek to push the medium of mosaic. Not only am I continuing with the traditions of this historic craft, but I am also exploring the full range of modern products available, raising the contemporary nature of this artform.
The phosphorescent glass tiles are new to the market and their use adds a dimension never previously available. Not only does the image stand alone as a 2 D work during the daytime, it also provides an added dimension in the dark.

Recent Work

Neon Skull 2007

Ceramic and phosphorescent glass tile on toughened glass

(PLUS a gold cap)

Size: 2130 x 1360mm.

Statement.

Death happens. You get that.

It's been a long time.

My web mistress recently castigated me for not keeping up to date with my blog so this is an attempt at catching up.
Just got back from Sydney where I viewed the Mosaic Now touring show at the Mosman Regional Gallery. Great to see these works again after a year and good to see them in the one room this time. If you can make it go and see this show as it really is an intriguing show. Captivating works from Italian and Australian mosaicists and there are some works still for sale.
I am still working on the Mario show after the launch at the Cairns Centre for Contemporary Art.
Hopefully I will have the series complete by the end of the year. Thank you to all the people who said they got a kick out of it, I really had a lot of fun doing it. For those of you that didn't see it, the website will have it up as soon as my webmistress gets back from Vietnam.
The Upholstery Contemporary Arts held another great show on friday 8th June, called the Death Show, this was visited by approx. 650 people on the night. Check out the website to view this event and the works on display. But remember that this site is by the same webmistress who is on holiday so give it a bit of time.
If you are interested in some more dialogue, be aware that I respond to questions and all you need to do is prompt me.
Later
dom
ps.Pic is title peice " It's all good" 440x550mm glass tile on marineply.

Another year done

Hi all who look at this,
It's been a while (again) since I posted anything on da blog so here's an update.....
The steamy Cairns weather is back and another year is almost kaput. It has been a weird year for me in the world of mosaic. The highs and lows of trying to survive as a fulltime artist have been most informative. Yep, that's 4 years with Shardworks now and I'm still there for 2007.
The "Mosaic Now", exhibition was the highpoint. This exhibition is still to visit Wangaratta( Exhibitions Gallery 16th dec - 21st Jan 2007, National Wool Museum Geelong 15th Apr -23rd May and the Mosman Art Gallery and Community Centre,Sydney jun2nd - Jul 8th 2007.
It is a must see show with a collection of works by some of Australia's leading mosaicists and student's of the Spilimbergo Mosaic School of Italy.
Next year will see more regular updates on the site and a heap of new categories. I'm on my way to Melbourne on the 14th dec, so hope you have a great xmas and new year...
ps.Pic is " Urban Circus" 600x600 handcut ceramic on marineply.

Mandalas

Back again....haven't had much spare time to rave lately, been under the weather and just generally going hard. Latest thing was a installation at the Community Centres and Family Support Network Assoc. Queensland (mouthful) Common Ground Conference.
So how does this relate to mosaics?
Well they wanted something to reinforce the conference values along a creative participatory line so I decided to take a leaf out of Amanda King's book and do a Rangoli manadala. Rangoli is the Tibetan practice of sand painting mandalas that symbolise key chosen elements.
Anyway, it was a big success, everyone that could kneel on the ground got in and together we created a 12m2 mandala reflecting a little bit of everyone that took part. Pictures will be posted on the website soon.

"When I grow up...I wanna be...."

Last Friday night saw the opening of "when I grow up...I wanna be.." at the Cairns Regional Gallery. We ( my friends and I) all enjoyed a balmy tropical night on the deck at Perotta's with some ale's and yummy food and several trips to the windows where the work is on display. My thanks to all who attended and thanks to the Gallery staff who helped me get things together.
So if you are in Cairns, go along and see it.....but don't worry if you're not as I'm going to be putting the whole exhibition up on the website soon.
bye4now domski
ps.Here's a preview, Portrait of Indigo, 1200x2100mm glasstile and smalti on marine ply.

Had a visitor this week. Janet Keen from NZ who I met at the Australian Symposium in Sydney last year. I had to think whether it was this April gone or last year. Yep... time is racing by.
Visits from fellow mosaicists are a rare treat up here. I was lucky enough to have David Jack visit earlier this year ( a real treat) and the opportunity to show him the studio. So if you are coming to cairns and are interested in getting together give us a call and I'll set aside some time to have a rave. The photo is left to right, Simon Poole, Dom, David Jack and Melissa Robertson enjoying a beer on a friday afternoon.

Last 2 weeks

The last few weeks have seen a steady increase in the temperature. Summer is not far away and I'm not really looking forward to the heat. Since the Upholstery exhibition I have been busy developing some new work which will be available from the gallery section soon. What is it???
You'll just have to wait and see...
Last week another landmark site in Cairns was bulldozed to make way for the new...I don't mind as I was able to salvage the beautiful blue Japanese mosaics that were on the shopfront. They are from the 50's - 60's and have the richest glaze. I am going to add them to my salvage collection of tiles and one day turn them into another.........shopfront???

Getting Started

Just do it! Been dragging my feet lately, all this change around me. Had a scary moment when my landlord sold the studio off. Bit of a shake up if you know what I mean....
Anyway that's all sorted and the new landlord is an ok guy even if the rent is going up.
So this blog is about pickin up the pace and building something new...
Active minds breed creativity but ya gotta get up and
Just do it!

Welcome to My Forum

This is a forum where i can keep you up to date on whats happening with Shardworks. Please feel free to make comments.
Stay Tuned!
Cheers
Dom