Salamanca Street

A dingy section of street under a Victorian railway arch is not the most likely place to find mosaics, let alone mosaics of important buildings in Spanish town complete with graffiti.

La Casa de las Conchas

I’ve been to Salamanca several times. I even spent part of one summer not learning Spanish there. It is very beautiful, but the scenes of hell in the cathedral make you remember the zeal with which the Inquisition purged the populace. And why London ended up with a Spanish and Portuguese synagogue. There is a rather lovely and peaceful convent, but the name slips my memory. It’s been a long day.

Blue-Eyed Cats and Fridge Magnets

I have nearly finished my latest postcard mosaic. It is a bit kitsch, but I like it.

Blue-Eyed Cat

I’ve been looking out for another cat fridge magnet since making this one some time ago. I know I have a better photo of it somewhere, but I can’t locate it just now.

Florence and the Mosaic

At the gloomy end of a ground floor corridor in St Thomas’ Hospital, London, hangs this paper mosaic.

Paper Mosaic

The Gift

Phew. They like it.

I gave my friends their present. I told them that if they did not like it, that would be fine. I would prefer them to refuse it rather than accept it and wonder what on earth to do with it. But they really like it.
That’s nice.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Peaceful, Take Two

Some more pix on this prompt. I find it interesting how many of us associate water with peacefulness, though the photograph with the prompt didn’t strike me as peaceful.

So, to kick off, here is the marina under snow last winter. When there is no one about, the marina is the most peaceful spot I know. I feel my breathing change when I am there.

Marina Under Snow

Summer this time, still at the marina, and the swan parents have a new brood.

The Swan Family

New Year, New Mosaic

Another in my postcard series. I need to finish around the edges, maybe using copper ribbon, or more likely painting it. There are a few, very small gaps. I may fill them with tiny shards. Originally I had being going to grout, but then decided against that. The ceramic pieces were given to me by London Potter, Barbara Wakefield. http://barbarawakefield.co.uk/

Sea Shanty

All Over Bar the Grouting

Last night was the final mosaics class this term. It felt very odd to be wishing people a Happy Christmas before November is over.

Official: Mosaics Make You Hungry

Three Quarters Done

I may not be keeping up with NaNoWriMo, but this mosaic is on track to be finished by Christmas. It’s intended as a gift, and not in my usual style. I am far happier when working on something like the Autumn piece http://wp.me/pMKim-Ng that I hope has safely reached Maria in Barcelona. For me, that’s my art, whereas this is craft and I am less absorbed in it, more detached.

So maybe that is why I was susceptible to the food conversation earlier than usual tonight.

Lamp-post

Home from mosaics and quite pleased with progress on my current piece which I hope to have ready as an anniversary present for some friends to put on their garden wall. They are very good about keeping bits of broken china for me, so I feel it’s more than time that I repaid them for their thoughtfulness.

Not Cat is having a bit of outdoor freedom, though I am hoping he won’t continue to increase his radius around the flat. I am consistently finding him in the Square rather than the garden when I get him in at night.

I’ve had a snack, read some emails, looked at a few new posts, replied to some comments, and ended up looking at photos.

These two caught my eye tonight.

Autumn Mosaic

Finished this the other night. It’s the size of a large postcard and it is an interpretation of early autumn. I only had my ‘phone with me, so this is a rare photograph here courtesy of Nokia.

Autumn

I mean to sell it, but I was looking at it tonight and at a space on the wall where it could go quite nicely…