Oh Venice, you did it again...UPDATED 4/4/15

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Third trip to Italy - this time I visited Rome, Cinqueterre, Mantua and Venice...and this time was the first time with my darling husband.

I was inspired EVERYWHERE, and wandering the streets [canals] and alleys of Venice always leads me to something that inspires me. Everything outside and inside. I have more ideas than hours in the day.

On our last day, we were off in a different direction when i came upon a gallery that took my breath away.

Too bad they were already closed, I might have tried to purchase everything. Yes, I took photos through the window. Naughty me. Look at Dusciana Bravura's amazing sculptures online. But...the wall of little square mosaics captured my attention.

Check these out! Of course, they are made from GLASS...I don't know if theyre grouted or fused or what... but they are meticulously made from glass tiles, mirrors, millifiore cane, maybe cermics?






I know how to create glass mosaics, but I work in paper. This display gave me an idea that I could incorporate [borrow...steal...?] into my work with junk mail and found objects.

So with proper PROPS to Dusciana Bravura... here's my venture into creating small pieces: on canvas - using/ upcycling a smattering of stuff I had on hand - in my many drawers of junk mail, Christmas cards, ceramic tiles, beads, crystals and jewels from my Grandmother and Mom's collection [they were jewelers in the 50's] mirrors, rhinestones, electronic parts, hardware [tacks, bolts, etc.]. souvenirs, wood, clock parts, napkin rings, glitter, glass beads, bobbins, plastic toys and more:

 Now I'm obsessed with making more! So far, I've made 16. They are 6x6", on thick canvas. They're painted all around with lace trim on the side... very shiny and no two are alike. They have a very high gloss coating. Here are some detail pics:

 

I have a few more ideas up my sleeve from that trip... 

For you non-creative types... LOOK AROUND YOU and you'll find a world of inspiration!

I'm calling this collection of little canvases "Miroir aux Alouettes"

Each piece has mirrors - round, tiny squares or larger ones. All of them include gold leafing and reflective materials. The term refers to traps used to catch larks. They had tiny mirrors on them, to attract the birds that like "shiny things!" All of the canvases are coated several times with a glossy medium; some have glitter, some are irridescent, some contain glass beads or other shiny lacquers. 

24 as of 4/7/2015

Please click HERE to view the collection on my site!

Mosaic Inspiration

When people view my work, they wonder...

how did you get from this [above] to this [below]?

How did I end up creating mosaic portraits 

out of junk mail?

Well... imagine two lines in space...on a course to intersect. 

My work represents those converging lines.

Line one - I've always painted portraits. Years ago, I started attempting to make my paintings resemble mosaics. Like, actually painting the "grout" or grid lines. Didn't look great. I am a pretty good painter, this just didn't do the trick.

Line two - I started doing traditional mosaic work, studying the ancients... in Italy, in Turkey, in Cyprus. I did a great job creating the obligatory planters with broken china. I created a celestial tile mosaic on my kitchen counter. I did my bathroom floor using 40 shades of blues, greens, metallic, white... glass tiles. And many other pieces. I am a pretty good mosaic artist.

THEN...I saw the mosaic stained glass portrait in Venice [Italy]... so I started to attempt to create portraits out of tile...out of glass...out of stone...out of buttons...and then paper. 

It started small, and it grew. Practice...time...it became more intricate...more challenging...and eureka! I found my groove. I've been creating a connected body of work in this style, using my own technique for many years now. 

I hope you like it! - Now, here's some inspiration and examples. Enjoy.

Part of the reason I created an "Angels & Icons" series came from my love of religious mosaics and Russian Icons.

glass mosaic

glass mosaic

My first attempt at paper mosaic, influence by religious glass mosaics

Russian Icon

glass mosaic

There are more - check on my site for Saints, Angels, & Icons.

Arabic tile work, Louis Comfort Tiffany and Antoni Gaudi are other inspirations:

a paper mosaic I created to match my bathroom floor

Samarkand

Tiffany glass mosaic portrait

Travel also inspired me - to locations in the Mediterranean, but I have yet to visit Barcelona [home of Antonio Gaudi] or Samarkand.

my bathroom floor

an early attempt at junk mosaic -I created this in 2005 from buttons, beads, toys, etc.

Antonio Gaudi mosaic in Barcelona

Tiffany glass mosaic

The Empress Theodora and her retinue. I still have this drawing in my studio for inspiration

Please feel free to view my site [click the link below] or email me to ask questions, inquire about purchasing original art or to represent me at your gallery!

 Sandhi Schimmel Gold

 

Previous Lives leaking into this one?

I had a recurring dream when I was in high school. The dream was in third person - Instead of seeing out of my eyes, I saw myself. I was an Italian soldier during World War II. I was young, handsome - in uniform. During a skirmish in St. Peter's Square -- "I" was shot in the back. Of course, at the time, I didn't know it was St. Peter's. As if it was a film, I saw myself falling / dying - toward the camera.

I was about to go overseas for the summer, and the dream seemed like a portent - an omen of doom. My friend Sharon & I were heading to Italy after a 2 month stint on a Kibbutz in Israel. When we arrived in St. Peter's, I freaked. That was the location of the dream [the converging lines, the colonnades. So, from that time on, I'm convinced that was a previous life.

I'm into some crazy metaphysical stuff - and had my akashic records read [stick with me]. In this reading, I found that another previous life had been lived as a nun who went into the convent against her will - and one who had taken a vow of silence. This is supposed to explain why I talk too much in this life.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of my weirdness... but as I posted my newest work on my web site, I noticed a theme... a Catholic Saint [from Italy], an Italian opera, an Italian painting... what's going on in my head?

I've always had a thing for images of the Madonna [the first one], golden halos, Russia Icons and women's faces. So, I'm not surprised these elements are showing up in my work. And, the mosaic tradition continues.

I love opera - Italian, of course.
The most beautiful place on earth? Venice... and where I studied the amazing mosaics at St. Marks.

And, with eidetic imagery and art history hanging out together in my brain, artwork I've seen before is finding its way into images I create today.

So, there seems to be a theme happening...?! The newest piece is the beginning of a series of Icons. This one is "St. Catherine of Bologna - Patron Saint of Artist." The top image is entitled "Tosca" and look - I've done Boticelli's Venus 4 times!

A little strange... my background is Hungarian, Jewish, New Yorker. Anyone in the mood for a nice seafood risotto?