Exciting News and a Discount!

 

I'm sending my quarterly newsletter out tomorrow. If you'd like to receive it (with exciting news I haven't announced yet and a special discount inside!) sign up here.

Holiday Special on My Book!

Attention mosaic lovers, cat lovers, children's book lovers, Christmas lovers, art lovers! My book The Night Before Christmas is available for $10 through the month of December, so now is the time to buy several copies as you are saving more than 40%! I will also include a couple of printed art cards in your order. If you reside in the U.S. you will also receive free shipping, so how can you say no to that? :)  
Available at www.cbmosaics.com/book
 

 
 

Millefiori in my Etsy Shop!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChristineBrallier

If you create mosaic art, glass fusions or jewelry, you may be interested in my newly re-opened Etsy Shop where I have added more than 200 listings of the highest quality and most beautiful glass millefiori from Murano, Italy, as well as glass fusions, beads, and other wonderfully fun materials!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChristineBrallier

 

You will also find my original art - paintings, drawings, stained glass mosaics, and hand embroidery, plus my children's book, The Night Before Christmas, and all of my printed art cards.  Visit my shop here - I hope you find something you like!



 

Interview on Cat Lady Confidential

Today I was featured on a lovely blog called Cat Lady Confidential. I talk about my cat mosaics and embroidery, as well as the beautiful cats in my life, past and present. Read it here.  Thank you for the interview, CLC!

Me and Christopher

Published in Glass Patterns Quarterly

Several months ago I was asked by the editor of Glass Patterns Quarterly Magazine to create a mosaic tutorial for their winter edition and I just received my copy! There are four pages of step by step instructions to create this 10" stained glass mosaic titled "It's Cold Out!" It includes  a list of all of the materials you will need, plus many, many color photos illustrating the process. Also included is a full size pattern. 

Look, I'm on the cover, too!  You can buy the magazine or download the pattern directly from their web site here. If you make it, please share with me - I'd love to see your version!

Full size pattern and color coded



Easy instructions!



New Kitty Note Cards!

Just in, these cute note cards with my cat Raymi stretching in blissful sleep. The image is a detail from my book, The Night Before Christmas and you can find both the book and the cards on my web site where I offer free shipping to U.S. residents.

If you'd like a great deal on the cards, the printer made an error on the first run and the back of the card is printed upside down. If you don't mind this irregularity, you can buy them for half price in my Etsy Shop. Either way, same sweet kitty!

Happy Holidays!

On the Radio!

Elizabeth Stewart

This morning I was a guest on local radio station KZSB 1290AM with fellow mosaic artists Betsy Gallery and Wendy Brewer, and Miles Carroll from Menelli Trading Company. We were interviewed by Elizabeth Stewart on her show, Art and Antiques, and talked about our recent Pop Up Gallery, as well as a little bit about ourselves and our artwork.


Me

I had never done anything like this and it was so interesting to see the workings of a radio station!  Elizabeth was so friendly and easy going, I was able to rid myself of early nerves and relax into the conversation and just have fun. You can listen to the replay here. Thanks so much, KZSB, for having us!


Wendy

Miles and Betsy

Richard

New Notecards Available

Folded notecards of my fennec fox mosaic, "Reverie," are now available on my web site. They measure 4x5.5", include envelopes and are blank on the inside. You can find them as well as my postcards and book, here. :)

Mosaic Show at Menelli Trading Company

Betsy Gallery, Christine Brallier, Wendy Brewer

Had a great show last week at Menelli Trading Company in Montecito, CA. So many fun and interesting people to talk to, wine and yummy food, and of course, lots and lots of art!  My mosaics were shown with the mosaics of local artists Betsy Gallery and Wendy Brewer. We have very different styles from each other and even work in different materials.  I enjoyed the variety and hope the visitors did, too!  Thanks for hosting us, Menelli! 




Christine Brallier

Wendy Brewer

 

Betsy Gallery

Christine Brallier

Wendy Brewer



Christine Brallier

Betsy Gallery

Wendy Brewer

Betsy Gallery



Christine Brallier



Wendy Brewer

Betsy Gallery

Pop-Up Mosaic Gallery

I will be showing my stained glass mosaics with two local mosaic artists, Betsy Gallery and Wendy Brewer, at Menelli Trading Company next week! I will also be displaying a couple of my mosaics featured in my book, The Night Before Christmas. The book will be available as well as postcards and notecards. The evening will feature wine by TheSpanishWineGuy.com, hors d'oeuvres and an opportunity to meet the artists and observe the ancient method of mosaic making with traditional tools and materials…and of course the opportunity to purchase the perfect mosaic for yourself or a loved one. Valet will be provided.

 

When: Thursday, Sept. 29, 5:00-7:30 pm

Where:  Menelli Trading Company, 1080 Coast Village Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93108

 

Hope to see you there!

Mosaic Creatures

The One with the Flowered Fingers

The One with the Jagged Eye

Just finished these little guys, made from a couple drawings I did recently in my sketchbook. They are on 5" wood rounds and are made with stained glass, millefiori, beads and polymer clay.

Grouting was tricky since I didn't mosaic the whole wood piece. To protect the wood, I put blue tape all around the image and some aluminum foil over the bark, but the edges of the creatures were still dirty after pulling off the tape. To conceal it, I put a row of beads around each creature and actually prefer the result! I added some polymer clay leaves that I got from Klew's Gallery and they were done! 





Mosaic for Glass Patterns Quarterly Magazine

It's Cold Out! - 10", stained glass, millefiori, beads







I was recently invited by the editor of Glass Patterns Quarterly Magazine to create a mosaic tutorial for their winter edition. This mosaic is 10" in diameter and is made with stained glass, millefiori and beads. The tutorial includes the design pattern and gives step by step instructions and photos on how to create it. The issue will be available in December and will also be available as a purchasable download.  



Grouting in progress

My Mosaic Process

First sketch

Final mosaic

I thought some might find it interesting to see how I go about creating a mosaic. This is my most recent one, Reverie, which is 5x10" and made with stained glass and millefiori. First I choose my mosaic subject: one of my son's favorite animals is the fennec fox (mine, too!) and so I begin with an image search online for the position I want him to be in. 

Once I find something I like, I use it as reference for my sketch (often times using many photos as reference for markings, body proportions, etc.). I then scan the drawing and place 6-10 copies of the image on an 8x10" page. I use them to play with several things: color, pattern, value, and andamento (the flow and direction of glass cuts and lines). I like having the sketches small so I can get many ideas down quickly or color the design many times without taking hours to do so!  I usually go through three or four pages of these. Here is one of my pages from this process:

Once I am happy with the direction I want to go, I trace the design onto wedi board and attach the hanging system (a d-ring with washers on either side). I pick out the materials I will be using with a range of values. I had planned to use beads in this mosaic, but every time I tried to incorporate them, it wasn't working how I liked, so skipped them in the end.

I begin cutting glass for the eyes, to first establish personality and mood. As you can see, I often make changes on the design as I go along, as well as make markings for color and lines for andamento. I like to lay the glass down without cutting it to see how it works overall. I take pictures of different combinations which allows me to compare them side by side and choose the best option before I commit to a very time consuming process of shaping the glass.

I pay very close attention to the head and body values to ensure that the head is seen clearly. For example, the dark at the end of the tail rather than continuing the same brown throughout, helps make it clear that it is separate from the brown on his face. Also, the glass chosen above his head is darker at the top and gets lighter as it gets closer to his head and ear. The tail is further differentiated from the body by outlining it with the rolled edges of the stained glass, giving it a bit of a 3D effect and some waviness, too!

 

Finally, there are often spontaneous choices and "happy accidents" if you are open to them. The center of the body was supposed to be cut pieces like the rest of the fox, but none of what I tried, color-wise and andamento-wise was working. I happened to look up and see a whole sheet of stained glass that had this wonderful brown curve that I knew would fit just right! I had one chance to get the piece cut perfectly. Well, I was off by a teensy bit at the top, so I filled in the gap with the blue millefiori which ended up being more interesting and harmonious because of it.

 

 

The next step is grouting, followed by finishing the edges and painting and signing the back. One of my favorite mosaics, it now lives happily in Phoenix, Arizona. I hope you enjoyed reading about my process, thanks for stopping by!

Teaching Yourself Mosaics

A couple of my mosaics and a bit of my story as a beginning mosaic artist are included in this fun and informative blog post by Helen Miles Mosaics about self taught mosaic artists and their methods for learning. Check it out here and be sure to catch part one, as well as an awesome archive of articles and stories for the mosaic art lover.  Thank you for including me and my art, Helen!