You are the plank. You are an even-hewn and sanded length that reaches end to end, your hand upon my temperamental arc. You are diameter aimed clean into the heart of me. I turn as on a spit of steel (your steel) except that I am flame and meat at once the same. You are the planet firm in heaven’s sea, and I the tempest-tossing test of earth’s humanity. You are the moon. I am the tides that pout and turn and then return in love’s remembered ache. You are the balance and I am the dance.
The Wishing Tree: SOLD, 8″ x 8″, Glass, Millefiori on Wedi Board. Colorado Dawn: AVAILABLE, 7″H and 13″ W, Mexican Smalti, Mexican Smalti Tortillas, Chopped and Divoted. Mirrored Wall:NOT AVAILABLE, 33″H x 15″W, Hand-Cut Mirror and Colored Mirror; Outdoor Installation for Ciel Gallery (now demolished). Wasteland: SOLD, 18″ x 18″; Agate, Mirror, Stained Glass, Unglazed Porcelain, Aquarium Gravel, Pewter; This mosaic began with a dream. Because the image is so void-like, I included lines from T.S. Eliot’s Wasteland and The Hollow Men using small pewter beads that crash into the deep. The mirror-backed “void” reflects the viewer. From the center, spirals of poetry and blank human faces form a rough heart shape, balancing the sense of desolation with a touch of hope. From the central abyss, the tesserae become less defined and increasingly chaotic, until in some spots there are no tesserae at all, but only a gouged space remaining. He Said, She Said: NOT AVAILABLE; 12″ x 7″ Drawing on Paper (created for a future project that didn’t happen). Sunbather: NFS, 10″H x 10″W by 5″ Deep; Crystal, Beads, Agate, Glass, Shell, Copper on Stone. Wild Hearts: SOLD, Unglazed Porcelain, Clay, Beads. Sunflower Table:SOLD, 46″ rectangular mosaic partially shown, Glass. The Boy with a Moon and Star: SOLD, Glass on Wedi Board. Late Bloomer:AVAILABLE, 10″H x 36″L x 18″W; Selected by and displayed at the Society of American Mosaics 2010; Glass, Metal, Mineral, Shell, Beads, Carborundum, Wire, Hand-Carved Styrofoam base by me; Through art, I hope to capture and momentarily magnify archetypal awakenings that resonate with the human spirit. I’m drawn to create with mixed materials because I want, above all, to create as full an image as I can manage. Late Bloomer pulls from the miscellanea of life — sometimes messy, sometimes arbitrary, always fascinating, always more cluttered than we had imagined. The pruning and fitting together of disparate materials becomes a way to order my own thoughts, emotions, and priorities, allowing the finished piece to serve as a kind of talisman.
I walked past the fountain three times without realizing it, once even stopping to study the delicate stone right in front of me. She was tucked quietly in a corner surrounded by noise, and my brusque gazes didn’t begin to dream that she held any more significance than a simple violet growing quietly amid rocks.
Rimondi Fountain, they call it. Megali Vryssi: Fountain of Lions. And like an American, I looked in every direction for gargantuan felines, maned and fiercely commanding in a pool the size of a small lake — because that’s how Americans think.
And so of course I had to laugh when I finally saw the eggshell wall carved lightly with a gentle hand during my … wait for it … fourth pass with blind tourist’s eyes. A Venetian sculpture on a wall of Arabic, held erect by Corinthian pillars — an arranged marriage of artists.
I sat in the square to try and know her a bit, and simultaneously watched the tourists’ bulbs explode again and again and again, posing with smiles before this tiny giant of silent survival.
I learned a mountain-full that day.
Note: This 17th century (1629) (300 years before my mother’s birth) was named for Venetian Rector Antonio Rimondi. Also called Mehali Vryssi, the fountains spout from four lions’ heads into a marble basin, making it a virtual time capsule of the city’s history over the last 2,000 years.
The pillars are Corinthian; the lion heads are Venetian; and the back wall is a Turkish restoration. In 1930, the overhead vault was torn down to accommodate motorized vehicles.
I’m heading back to Barcelona in June with a group of fabulous women. It’s one of those cities that I just can’t spend enough time in for oh so many reasons. A few, and only a few, are listed below.
1. The first thing you’ll notice about Barcelona is that she’s raucously colorful, and I do mean COLORFUL. From the exteriors to the ceilings to the street art, Barcelona is vibrant, shimmery, and alive.
2. She’s her own self, legally separated from Spain proper, and proud of her independence.
3. Barcelona reeks of art, from the galleries, to the buildings, to the streets, to the people.
4. Don’t get me wrong — everyone still wears black of course, but they’re too nice to snub you if you show up in chartreuse.
5. She’s easy peasy breezy — fully walkable with a mild Meditteranean climate.
6. And of course, it’s smack dab on the ocean. You can walk a few blocks and stick your toes right in that gorgeous sea.
7. Did I save the best for last? Food Heaven. Lots of bits and bites everywhere you go, and the restaurants are top notch and inventive. You should know that restaurants open at 10:00. P.M., of course.
See below for descriptions of the images above:
1, The Rooftop of Casa Battlo, otherwise known as The Dragon. And yes, they do have events up there!
2. The face of Casa Battlo. After a tour, have your photo taken from one of the balconies.
I am not a speed artist. I don’t do anything in three hours, let alone a 9’x12′ wall. The great joy of this class for me was learning to work against my grain, with no time for obsessing, Continue reading →
Charlotte Art League will sponsor an Enormous Tiny Art Show to benefit the Community Mosaic Project in December. Art no larger than 4″ x 6″ in any medium will be enthusiastically accepted, and all donating artists will be named as contributors to the project. What’s in it for you? Continue reading →
Like a phoenix she rises, ruffled, marginally alert, and not quite ready to fly, having spent the past week drowsing under an ashy avalanche of Calls to Artists, press releases, and silicone-inspired dreams. But today, today we will actually touch tiles. Or at least wet clay. Today, we will have our first Community Mosaic Project Outreach Session. Continue reading →
Back in August, I made an offhand comment to a fellow art league member. An art student home for the summer was looking for ways to fatten up her portfolio, and offered to help us gain some additional community presence. “Why don’t you have her design something for the exterior of the building?” At 52, I could never pass for having been born yesterday. You’d think I’d have known better. Continue reading →
Pam Goode Writes 