There it is – the last fish figure for the AYVALIK MOSAIC. I almost procrastinated its finalization. These figures have been living with me for almost a year now. Every day I looked at them, checked the original photo against my copy, looked closely at single areas again and again, especially the fins. I always underestimated these little things. Yesterday it took me a whole day to put them and the contour line around the whole figure. I worked for eight hours solid until my eyes would not see and my fingers could not grip the little tesserae anymore. These mosaics are lines that interact with each other in shape and color. Beautifully crafted lines and carefully chosen colors and their contrast to each other are making these figures look so amiable and pleasant.   Now the work is more mechanical, setting the background  tesserae and finally installing the mosaic. I am very nervous about the latter as I have not done it in such a scale before. I don’t know how on earth …

The second week in the studio went fast with lots of progress. Dolphin’s head finished with the contour line. This is one line around the figure in background color. It helps to emphasize the figure. This technique can be found in greek and roman mosaics. When looking at the dolphins head I am so amused that it looks so Disney like! Did Disney maybe had a look at these mosaics before he created his figures? I started with the last figure – a long, mainly gray fish with vigilant eyes. Nusret Bey taught me to make the eyes first, to give the figures a soul at the beginning. And I glued the Dolphin and parts of his tail fin onto MDF board. In the picture you can see it with weights from boxes full of marble. On Monday it should be ready for the background tesserae to be put on. It has been very cold in Turkey and in Ayvalik too the past week so building work had to rest for a while. This lets …

Hello again! I wish all my dear readers a happy new year 2016. For me this year started with a visit to  Ayvalik.   The renovation of the house is really coming on. The windows and doors are installed, bright red plastic hoses under the marble floor in the kitchen are promising warm feet next winter and will also warm your feet under the mosaic. I booked a ticket to Istanbul for end of February – the count down is on! Back in Brasilia my sons helped to move the mosaic stuff into its 5th location for the workshop. Today I finished my first week working in the studio. A workplace away from home – I did not have this for 5 years. It felt very good to leave the house in the mornings and entering a place that has nothing to do with the family. Full concentration onto just mosaic. And on the side line – it is rainy season in Brasil at the moment. And with it our house is swamped with mosquitos. …