On the work table now:

Here’s the current long-term project, which will be installed on the façade of a local fire station. The image, designed in cooperation with and painted by Texas native and current CA resident John Wehrle, features two fire fighters, dynamically fighting the flames that rise behind the station’s logo. Here’s a sneak peek.

I love this painting, created by John Wehrle of Trout in Hand Studio.

The fire fighters’ knees, emerging from the tall grass.

We’re using vintage Italian smalti, which I purchased from a historic collection once owned by California mosaic muralist, Millard Sheets. The colors are rich and so varied. We have our choice of over 500 unique colors to create this mosaic (if we so choose!).

This is how far we’ve come after a month of diligent work. The paper-faced method means we create the pattern in reverse on heavy duty paper, then apply the tesserae with a water-soluble glue. The final mosaic will be 12 x 12 feet. We divided the pattern vertically and horizontally in a puzzle-like grid. There are 49 sections.

Pamplona Rose Project for the new Fort Worth AC Marriott

In February 2020, I was selected from a short list of local artists to design an art installation for the new AC Marriott Hotel in downtown Fort Worth. The client, development company Jackson Shaw, requested a “contemporary design with a Western flair.” My inspiration for the project was the local bootmaker, M.L. Leddy, which is located in the historic Ft. Worth Stockyards. The kind folks at Leddy’s allowed me to photograph several custom boot designs. The Pamplona Rose Column is inspired by a Spanish rose-themed leatherwork and a sunburst stitch on a custom boot.

The Pamplona Rose Column shape is based on a polaina, the Spanish term for a gaiter or leather legging often worn by riders. Often ornate, they take the place of a full boot stack when wearing short roper boots.

We wanted to ensure the right size and scale of the mosaic pavement and the column. We printed a full-sized paper pattern and I cut a Coreplast template to mock up the footprint and height of the center column. The Jackson Shaw staff, as well as architects from Merriman and Austin Industries assisted and weighed in.

Once fabrication started, I packed up the materials, patterns and mosaic tape. My summer studio is in Taos, NM. Here is the final Boot Stitch Mosaic pattern, laid out and labeled for the installers. It’s face-taped with clear mosaic mounting tape, and once the mosaic is set, the tape will be removed for grouting.

It’s really happening! Installers have set the template in the hotel entryway, filling the recess with sand-set Pavestone. A Schluter metal edge will be installed to contain the mosaic pavement. The column will take a bit longer, and we hope to start fabrication this fall for a winter installation.