When unstrung beads meet stringed instruments, things can become
quite embellished...and also quiet. 
Adding beads to the strings of an instrument renders it unplayable in
its intended way, and additions to the body of an acoustic instrument change
the sound and deaden the resonance. In our studio, we start with instruments
whose sound is already problematic--broken or misaligned necks, missing
parts, and other issues--the transition from audible to visual art insures
that an instrument isn't just thrown away once its performance days are
over. The resulting mosaic sculptural pieces sing out loudly in their own
ways.
They are examples of the blend of appreciation for color
and black/white, form and space, silence and sound that artists and musicians
share.
The violin shown here was created for a fundraising auction
that benefited out local Symphony Orchestra. Artists and musicians can
donate their work to their communities in many forms---cash is only one
form of contribution, and artistic abilities can be a shared gift as well
as a way of raising funds. Contributing your work to a charity or organization
can be a wonderful way to meet others and to get your work seen in a different
venue.
There is a link on the Violins
page to a newspaer article that shows all 23 donated works of musical art----each
artist's work is very different!
There's a treasure trove of bits and pieces that are gathered and evaluated
before any of the applications start. Antique glass, modern kiln formed
glass and dichroic foils, polymer clay, metal, crystals and stones, antique
buttons, beads, shells, telephone wire, colorful papers and fabrics---all
sorts of things can find their way into mosaic surfaces.
Different glues each have their place----PVA (polyvinylacrylate) glues
like Sobo and Aleene's are useful for priming surfaces for application
of polymer clay and also for adhering to many surfaces.
Titebond glue is excellent for applying things to wooden surfaces that
are larger or meant to withstand outdoor or heavier use. Zap-A-Gap and
other cyanoacrylate glues are best for sticking metal to plastics, and
Varathane, sold as
a wood finishing product, is also very useful as glue for tiny beads, glitter
and other small decoratifs.
Varathane is also used as top coat and helps to further
bond all surfaces together. Sold in hardware stores and now manufactured
by Rust-Oleum, the Indoor Waterbased Gloss Varathane
is a favorite surface finishing agent of many polymer clay artisans.
The semi-gloss and satin finishes have an opaquing agent that interferes
with a good bond to the surface of polymer clays. There is evidence accumulating
that the aerosol spray form of Varathane can be used with polymer clay
without chemical interactions that have formerly prevented the use of sprays--most
kinds of propellants cause the baked clay to become sticky.
However, after eight months test pieces of baked Premo clay that were
sprayed are not changing. Other artists have test pieces over a year that
they say are fine as well. If this holds up over time, it is very good
news!
Varathane in liquid form can also be sprayed from a pump sprayer, which
can be cleaned with water and soap. In addition to supplying a glassy shine,
Varathane helps hold all the thousands of pieces onto a mosaic sculpture.
It also protects the surface when powders and metallic foils are used.
