A few months ago, I came across an intriguing challenge and competition that sparked my interest;  The Orsoni International Award for Mosaic Fine Art 2009.   In the world of Mosaics, it is a prestigious award, possibly,one of the biggest.   My competitive spirit got the best of me, so I entered.   Since Orsoni is located in Venice, Italy, I wanted my piece to breathe Venice, something that would capture the history and the romance of this beautiful city. While browsing pictures of a recent trip to Italy, voila!, it hit me!  A Gondola! When one sees a picture of a gondola, one thinks of Venice; a moonlit ride through the canals of Venice, quietly capturing the  enchanting sounds and sights of this magnificent city.

Whew!  That was the easy part!   The design of my gondola would be  quite a challenge. Of course I wanted it to be 3D; the biggest challenge of all for me, as most my work has been 2-dimensional.  I did a lot of research about gondolas, learning about  their history and purpose.  I love the internet, we have so much information at our finger tips, so easy just to Google it!     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gondola.

 I tried three different ways to make the form; from clay to wood and finally settling on a styrofoam airplane, which I carved into the shape of the gondola.  The long sleek lines of the plane  mirrored the long  sleek lines of the gondola.  A sumptuary law of Venice requires that gondolas should be painted black,  so I  chose to cover  entire form in black smalti (tile).  The settee  and lavish rug was made of red gold smalti. I applied fringe on the settee to add the feeling of romance. I also added my embellishments;  the ornament on the front of the boat is called the fèrro (meaning iron) and can be made from brass, stainless steel, or aluminium. It serves as decoration and as counterweight for the gondolier standing near the stern.  I  hand cut them out of wood and painted it silver to give you the feel of stainless steel.  I was able to find small sterling silver horses to hold the rope down, to complete the look.

My passion is to communicate moods and feeling of  life through my Mosaic Art. I want my materials and work to not only create the spirit of the mosaic,  but also to intrigue your thoughts so you, too, can be drawn into its purpose. I want you to sense and feel the romance of  Venice with this piece:   ”Black Beauty, The Gondola.”

Thank you for your support and interest in my Mosaics, enjoy the slide show of the progression of:

“Black Beauty, The Gondola”.