Thanks to the Naples Botanical Garden for their ever-expanding collection of water lilies. I took about 40 photos last time I was there and one inspired me to make a mosaic.
Casola Glass in Fort Myers is an excellent source of art glass for stained glass windows (their specialty) and mosaics. They were short on just-right purples so I converted this flower to blue. It took about three weeks of cutting and gluing and I finished painting the frame today.
Here is my model. I included the leaf that landed on the leaf.Pencil drawing on craft paper. Cut individual pieces of glass, then glue them face down.This reverse method is a challenge, finding the right color and shade, then gluing it face down.These deep green shadows add depth.This multi-colored sheet of glass resembles the leaf color. The blue pot contains the homemade flour/water glue.Including the red splotches.The black was just right but it had ripples on one side and dimples on the other.Some glass cuts clean. This black tended to shatter.Now to cut uneven triangles to fill these spaces.This murky, swampy sheet was exactly what I needed for the four leaf stems.Done cutting and gluing. This adhesive is for glass tiles. I mixed an acrylic additive with it to make it sturdier and weather-resistant.Oh, and I added black powdered mineral pigment, in case it squeezed through the cracks.Then I flipped the work face down in the “mud”. And wet the paper to peel it off.At last, the right side, face up.After curing for a day, it’s time for grout.Work it into every crack and gradually clean off the excess.It cleaned up quite well.Done, ready to drop into the frame.
Cardboard Palm 