Gemini Moon Mosaics

My Latest Etsy Find!

2008-05-01T08:36:00.003-05:00

As a mixed media artist, nothing makes me happier than a a huge stash of jewelry, bits, pieces, beads and random goodies. I have hit the jack pot and I owe it all to SeagoddessVintage. She was looking to detash, and I was lucky enough to come across a listing in her Etsy shop. When I convo'd her to see if she had more available, she did not hesitate to look through her collection and find a bunch of things for me. I was more than happy to take it off her hands!

After sorting through this lot twice, I am still finding pieces that I have not seen yet. There is enough stuff here to keep me busy for a long time.

Thank you Seagoddesvintage!

A Milestone!!!!

2008-04-06T12:26:00.004-05:00

I have hit 100 sales on Etsy!!!

Above are the pieces that sold just last night to bring my total number of sales since May of 2006 up to 100. Thank you to all of my customers, friends and family who have supported me. :o)

To celebrate my 100th sale, I would like to offer free shipping on all Collage Art Magnet sets. This offer is good until Wednesday, April 16th. Just type "100" in the message to seller box at check out. And be sure to stop by my Etsy shop for new designs and pieces for spring.

One Million Peace Signs

2008-04-02T22:39:00.005-05:00

Besides spending my online time on Etsy, I have recently developed an ever worsening addiction to Flickr.com. I spend hours per week just looking at photos, uploading photos, commenting on photos and finding more groups to join. It is so much fun and I have met so many amazing artists!

The peace sign you see to the right was a recent custom order. After uploading it to my Flickr, I was contacted with an invite to post the picture to a group called "One Million Peace Signs". When checking out the group I was so moved with what I found. It is such a positive and wonderful project and it involves people from all over the world joining together in the name of peace.

Their goal is to collect 1 million photos of peace signs in one place. The group has over 2000 members so far, and that number is growing everyday. They even feature the uploaded pictures on their blog or web site. As of today they have "6,535 photos from 2,385 members in 92 days" My peace sign was on their blog on March 22nd.

Anyone on Flickr can join and upload their pictures. Just go to their main group page to read more about them and click to join!

A Collage of Color

2008-03-14T23:08:00.002-05:00

As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life. ~John Lubbock

In the CT Area?

2008-03-10T13:58:00.004-05:00

This unique craft show is presented by The Connecticut Etsy Street Team. For more information go to the Craftastic website.

I will be there with some of my smaller pieces like Mini Mosaic Mirrors, Collage Art magnets and more! If you are in the CT area, stop by and say hi!

Daisies After Midnight

2008-02-19T19:57:00.002-05:00

Yes, another piece in browns and rusts!

Just listed today, Daisies After Midnight is a mosaic art panel done on a 12" x 16" panel. The design of this piece reminds me very much of a series of oil paintings I did. It is fascintaing to me that my expressions in tile are so similar to my expressions in paint.

Courduroy Hodgepodge

2008-02-06T15:55:00.001-05:00

Courduroy Hodgepodge
Originally uploaded by geminimoonmosaics

New retro goodness. In browns and golds of course! I have been working with some spring colors recently too. The pieces are just not finished yet.

Check out this mosaic art panel, just listed.

New Work in Progress

2008-01-23T13:05:00.001-05:00

Here is a peek at a new mirror I began working on yesterday. My pile of pieces waiting to be grouted is growing, and this time I looking forward to getting to them. It has been a while since I listed new mosaic work in my Etsy shop. After taking some time off to paint and focus on some mixed media work, I have just gotten back into my tile stash to see what I had to work with. Friday will be grout day. As long as it is not below zero, I will be heading outside to photograph my new pieces this weekend. Winter is the only season I have not captured in my pictures of my work.

Mini Mirrors!

2008-01-13T20:50:00.001-05:00

This collage, taken from a screen shot on my Flickr, shows a sample of just how many mini mosaic mirrors I have created through the years. The 5 by 5 inch format continues to be one of my favorite to work on. While I mostly focus on retro pattern tile, I have created these mirrors in every style from shabby cottage to geometric patterns of stained glass. The fun of working on something so small is that I can take little bits of tile I have that I love, but do not have enough to use on a larger project.

Come check out the selection I have available now in my Etsy shop. Also keep an eye out for me new line of mini mirrors coming soon in spring.

Vintage Bottle Caps are Cool

2008-01-13T00:01:00.000-05:00

My collection of caps began to spiral out of control just this past year. Lucky for you I have begun sharing. I have been putting together some very cool sets of interesting, vintage bottle caps and listing them in my other Etsy shop Assorted Olives. The response has been overwhelming! It is now my obsession to hunt and bring you the most unique vintage bottle caps I can find.

Revealed

2008-01-03T20:31:00.000-05:00

For many years I have shared my art with the world. Expressions of my feelings painted on canvas, intricate tile designs glued down on mirror frames and splashes of vivid color exposing my emotions and soul. I have very seldom, if ever, shared a photograph of myself, at least not one above the age of 5! In fact I have mastered the art of dodging a camera. They make me anxious.

Today is a first. After taking pictures of new work for my Etsy shop, I turned the camera on myself and clicked, then I clicked again and again. 10 pictures later, I felt good. Like I had overcome an obstacle. Of all of the pictures I took ~ I still managed to post the one where I am half hidden behind my black turtleneck. Believe me, I am smiling beneath it.

Happy New Year. :o)

New Listing

2007-12-11T19:01:00.000-05:00

New magnet set just listed! www.geminimoonmosaics.etsy.com

It's All About Color!

2007-12-02T23:48:00.001-05:00

All available in my Etsy Shop, Gemini Moon Mosaics.

Buy handmade.

Buy Handmade!

2007-11-26T19:00:00.000-05:00

Check out what's new in my shop and find unique gifts for everyone on your list.

Quick Gift Ideas ~ MAGNET SETS

2007-11-16T19:33:00.000-05:00

Stuff those stockings and get ready for those secret Santa gifts at the office with some very cool magnet sets. Fun, colorful and all $10.00 or less, there is a variety to choose from and more being listed every day in my Etsy shop. And check out the new sections created in my shop to help you out when browsing for those holiday gifts. Gift Ideas 10 or Less, and Gift Ideas Under 25. I am all about keeping it simple and of course buying handmade this year.

*This weekend, all magnet sets ship for free!* Promotion ends 11/18, Sunday night at 10pm.

Need more magnets? Are you crazy about retro? Head on over to my other Etsy shop Assorted Olives where I have begun to share my vintage bottle cap collection with the world. These magnet sets come packaged up and ready for gift giving. If you mention this blog at checkout I will extend my free shipping offer on all bottle cap magnet sets.

The EMA Street Team Mosaic Challenge

2007-11-11T17:37:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to bluepiggy for winning the grand prize in the Etsy Mosaic Artist's Make Your Kitchen Bitchen Mosaic Challenge. Her peacock spatula is just beautiful!

Thanks to all who participated by entering a piece! Thanks to artfulmosaicsbydana our EMA Vice President for helping me bring this challenge to life!

Just Listed

2007-10-27T21:10:00.000-05:00

Visit my Etsy shop to check out these three new pieces just listed. More new work coming soon!

Black Grout is Messy

2007-10-13T15:53:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, I did wear gloves. When I use black grout it seems to end up everywhere. It will probably take me a few days to get it off of my hands. I love black grout, but I don't love the process of cleaning it off of me and especially the piece I use it on.

In the picture below, you can see how the mirror looks right after grouting. Once I make sure all of my joints a filled on the surface and inner and outer edges, I can begin to clean it off.

After about 5 minutes of wiping it down with a lint free cloth, it looks a bit cleaner, but still not finished. It is important to work quickly so the grout does not adhere to the tile itself.

Now it looks better! The surface is wiped down and there is no residue from the grout anywhere. Time to put this piece aside and let it set. My work on it is far from finished.

Thank goodness it was warm enough to do all of this work outside. Trying to do this at the kitchen table is not fun.

Here they all are. Lined up and waiting to be brought back upstairs to my studio to have the backs repainted, the mirrors put in and a few other finishing touches. Mosaics take time! Look for some of these new pieces in my Etsy shop in the next week.

Yes. I am an Artist, and I Make Mosaics

2007-10-07T20:52:00.000-05:00

My journey as an artist began very early in life. It was clear to me from a young age that I would be creating and expressing myself through art in one form or another. It may have changed monthly when I was in grade school from cartoonist to fashion designer to greeting card illustrator and on and on ~ but the need to create was so strong, there was no other path I could take.

My high school offered excellent electives in art. Most of my time was spent in the studios there painting. No study halls for me. Any class I could take I did. I was blessed with an amazing art teacher too. She inspired me to move on and pursue my interests. So it was on to college.

I went on to Western Connecticut State University where I studied under several accomplished professors that were successful working artists. I immersed myself in all the art department had to offer. My focus was painting and illustration, but I also studied collage, sculpture, printmaking, lithography, art history and a few others. I successfully completed two portfolios my senior year, which in the eyes of the art department was a double major. One in studio arts, and one in illustration. I earned my BA in Art.

Currently, my medium of choice is mosaics. I am fascinated with the versatility, freedom and the process. My work has evolved into a combination of intense color, texture and pattern, reminiscent of the abstract oil paintings I created while a student. Through the use of found objects, old pottery, vintage dinner plates and traditional mosaic material, I weave the past into a composition of new life.

For me mosaic art is an amazing medium which allows me to tell a story with each piece I create. My works are very much an expression of my emotions. They emerge from a feeling I get when I see a particular pattern, or color. I strive to portray that emotion by letting the material I am working with guide me. Paying attention to both the negative and positive space in a design helps me build harmony and a cohesive look which is cemented by the grout color I choose.

So you see. I am an artist. I create art. I hand cut each piece and adhere it into place. I paint with tile, tesserae and and an assortment of beautiful materials. I do not simply glue pieces to an object.

Support the mosaic artists on Etsy. Sign our petition here.

Sunday Afternoon in the Studio

2007-09-30T18:23:00.000-05:00

Using the limited amount of clear space on my desk, I worked today for a few hours on some new magnet designs. My plan is to stock up my Etsy shop and be ready for my show in 3 weeks. I have so much to do to reach those goals, but I am sure I'll get there. I always find a way.

Moo

2007-09-25T23:05:00.001-05:00

My Moo Cards arrived today! They are so cool. A nice departure from the regular business card. I made a few into bookmarks to use as giveaways at my shows and with orders. There are 4 different close up pictures of some of my pieces, past and present. So colorful, fun and well worth it.

Works in Progress

2007-09-24T20:28:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I listed new mirrors in my Etsy Shop, or on my web site. As my pile of works in progress grows, the days until my first show of the season gets smaller. October 20th will be here before I know it. There is so much to do and my head is spinning. The 3 pieces pictured above are awaiting a bit more attention before I can call them complete. The tile for the edges on the 2 mirrors is on order. (doh! how can I run out of black vitreous glass tile?) The cross is in need of a fresh coat of paint since having been grouted, and I have the perfect ribbon for the edges all picked out. There just aren't enough hours in the day.

Featured on Make Mine Mosaic!

2007-09-15T23:32:00.000-05:00

Today I was informed by one of my best mosaic friends, Coco of Cocomo.etsy.com that one of my mirrors was featured in an entry two days ago on Make Mine Mosaic, a super cool blog that features nothing but mosaics. "Retro Sun" seen in the screen shot above from the site, sold a few months ago, but I recently uploaded the picture to the Etsy Mosaic Artists Street Team Flickr page. It is always so exciting to have your work pop up around the web. Thank you Coco for letting me know!

Etsy Mosaic Artists Street Team

2007-09-12T22:04:00.001-05:00

As I emerge from the permanent indent my butt has made in my computer desk chair, I smile. The past few weeks I have taken on the task of creating a new web site for my Etsy Street Team, EMA ~ The Etsy Mosaic Artists. As vice President of the team, I am the marketing and promotions director, graphic designer and just recently named web master. With the help of the team president, Dana ~ Artful Mosaics By Dana ~ we accomplished a tremendous amount of things in an incredibly short amount of time. It is truly amazing and the end result is worth all of the late nights, and sleepy eyed days at my day job. We have a whole new look and we are ready to re-introduce our team and the ancient art form of mosaics to the Etsy community.

My own Etsy shop and web site have not been updated very much recently. I have a number of new pieces to list, and updates to make. I am hoping to have everything current by the end of next week. Be sure to stop by!

To all of my EMA team members ~ thanks so much for your support and awesome feedback on the new site. We are on our way!

My Walk in the Rain

2007-08-22T15:02:00.000-05:00

Some days I feel like I am glued to computer chair. While it would be nice to spend most of my time creating, the truth is, I have had so much to do on the computer I have not gotten to create much at all. Maintaining my Etsy shop, and my web site, my other Etsy shop and managing the Etsy Mosaic Art Street Team and blogs for each, is time consuming, as many of you know. I have also recently begun to work as a editor for an up coming E~zine that is published by my wonderful web site host & provider DIY Website Builder. I am writing about my thrift stores find in each issue and the artwork I create from my $1 finds.

Yesterday my daily stroll to the mailbox with my umbrella turned in to a 20 minute walk. There was something very calming and relaxing about being outside in the rain. I grabbed my camera and wandered around. It was a much needed break from sitting, and some much needed fresh air to help me regain focus and go back to finish up my work for the day.