A commission to start 2021
We were all pleased to say farewell to 2020, what with floods and a pandemic to contend with. The new year came in with a whimper as we all sat waiting for Lockdown 3, which was announced on 4th January. However, the light at the end of my particular tunnel was a commission placed just before Christmas. This was a birthday gift for a client's mother to celebrate a significant birthday.
It was interesting to be found through the Shropshire Guild of Contemporary Craft's website as the criteria was to use a local artist. So after a telephone discussion with the intended recipient and plenty of time during the holidays to mull over the requirements ideas started to formulate. I had also earmarked some down time to research the landscape paintings of Gustav Klimt. These paintings have always intrigued me, thoughts of summer holidays and warm pastoral scenes.
I have always been drawn to using a square format, just as Klimt did for all his landscapes. The use of either a very low or high horizon also adds to the unusualness of the composition.
The results are shown below. The finished piece is 30 x 30cms on MDF, sealed with Farrow & Ball's exterior eggshell paint in Off Black. The glass is not my usual choice of colour palette, other than being very taken with a bag of scrap glass called Tangerine! The only requirements were to use warm tones and to have snowdrops included, with some trees similar to a mosaic made some time ago, with less bright blue.
The satisfaction comes from the initial finishing, but more importantly, to me, the reaction of the client.
Thank you for the lovely mosaic which arrived safely this morning, it really is something to treasure. It is amazing the way the light catches it, so many colours, which will be infinite according to time of day, season, weather. Thank you again! Diana C
The commission has now set me off to explore more of the Klimt landscapes, particularly 'In the Park' and making links to the trees I see on walks in the nearby Quarry in Shrewsbury.
More about that soon!