*Warning: the following is the lengthy, more cerebral, and less succinct breakdown of how my latest piece evolved, which includes photos. Feel free to scroll down to the bottom to read the condensed version, a sassy poem, and view a quick time lapse video of the creation process. I recently finished the mosaic above entitled, Careful, She’s Sharp: A Woman’s Voice. This concept began with a crude sketch that vaguely resembled a soundwave. Careful, She’s Sharp: A Woman’s Voice is a nod to that soundwave. Though mostly pleasant, a woman’s voice is not always perceived as strong, and all too frequently, is dismissed. This frustratingly archaic practice still permeates today's society, from professional realms to everyday interactions with strangers to the dicey dynamics of interpersonal relationships. I knew I wanted this piece to be layered, with a textured white background that would be interesting on its own, but secondary to the real star of beautiful stained glass. The white background also has a line of Italian smalti, (thick Italian glass) bisecting its horizontal center. I cut the smalti into a triangle shape and then placed it pointed side up. Mosaic is not a fast art. It is very methodical in that every aspect requires thought—material selection, cuts, and placement. None of these decisions are happenstance. This slow process also allows for quite a bit of life contemplation as an artist creates a piece. After I carelessly sliced my finger on one of those sharp points, the title “Careful, She’s Sharp” came to mind. The title was the catalyst that led me to think about the various connotations of the word “sharp”. I pondered how women use their wit, intellect, gumption, and voices to change their situations. These voices serve as both literal and symbolic soundwaves of declarations that referred back to my initial sketch. My own circle of friends happens to include quite a few beautiful, smart women that can speak to be heard. I have several friends that have recently left long term marriages, relationships, jobs, or locales that weren’t serving their needs. They found the guts to say, “I'm gonna change this." There have been reclamations of former selves and former lives because they made their voices heard. It took courage and I applaud them for leaving their comfort zones and speaking up. Yes, we live in the 21st century, but also, yes, women's voices are still not heard like they should be. So old, so yesterday, but tragically, still so damn prevalent. Careful, She’s Sharp represents a defiance of that notion. Women are creatures of beauty to behold, but as there always has been, there are layers upon layers of beauty, sharpness, strength, and discoveries to examine and respect. Careful, She's Sharp is my reminder. You just have to listen. *Condensed version: “OOOooh, look! Pretty, sparkly glass. Let’s layer it! *Sassy poem: Careful, She’s Sharp Go ahead, take a shot But careful where you aim Her words are all she’s got Though her mission is the same Her tongue her only weapon Used with quick precision If bitter stares do threaten There is no indecision Oh, she’s sharp, that one She’ll cut you like that knife She’s finally found the guts To take back her own life Carolyn Wagner ©2022 *Time lapse video below of how this piece evolved: P.S. This piece was created to be hung horizontally, but it can also be hung vertically. It is currently available for purchase at Coastal Art Center of Orange Beach. Thanks for stopping by,
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12/30/2022 UPDATE: Oh my gosh, the following still hasn't happened. Here's to 2023. Maybe. It's been quite awhile since I had intentions to work on getting my online store up and running. Despite a flurry of activity during the first two months of 2017, family obligations derailed most of my creative pursuits during the remainder of that year, and a few subsequent years. Then Covid hit, and lots of other heavy things for many of my friends and family. I squeezed in two large mosaics in 2021, and finally just completed another one. Things may finally have lightened up a bit, but before I add any additional mess to my worktable, I decided to go ahead and bite the bullet and work on my website, (again). Please forgive me as I go through a learning curve. I will slowly add work, with plans to sell my jewelry collection and my mosaic fine art on this site and hopefully, Instagram, uploading little by little as time allows. My work is still available here locally, at Coastal Art Center of Orange Beach, and Gulf Coast Arts Alliance.
I do love to post work in progress and finished work here on my blog. I hope you will take the time to check back in for an occasional look at what finally does get the chance to exit my brain and end up on the "finish line" of my worktable. Thanks for stopping by, |
You’ve landed upon an occasional update about my latest project, an occasional rant about my life, or an occasional sarcastic snippet about whatever. It’ll be mostly positive vibes. I promise.
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