standing on its own two feet - at last!

Well, it's only taken me seven months from start to finish to get this table off the ground! Admitedly, winter got in the way a bit - one of the drawbacks of not having a workshop. My original idea for extra supports didn't work, and one Saturday lunchtime, the idea hit me of how to solve the problem, and I went straight to work to put the idea into action. I made two concrete tops to sit over the legs, using two washing up bowls with cardboard boxes inside; the spaces between were filled with reinforced concrete. They worked great, and when they were covered in broken china and sat on top of the legs, they looked like bar stools - in fact, that's what my neighbour thought they were! The top of the table features what has become my trademark - circles or bits of.....The four central tiles were bought at a boot sale from a retired tiler who had a few choice designer tiles dating from the sixties, left over from jobs he'd done. These were far too nice to smash up, and I think they look good surrounded by broken tiles. My brother got the turquoise tiles from a skip behind a flooring warehouse - ex-display stock. Other tiles came from the tip, and the glass drops bought at various cheapo shops.

The round 'tourist' tile with the peacock came from Turkey, bought years ago. The tiles in the Blue Mosque in Istanbul are so amazing and overwhelming; I saw them late on a dark, cold January afternoon, in 1990, with snow and ice on the ground outside. At that time of year, there were hardly any tourists, and I just stood and marvelled at the incredible beauty of the ceramics, even though they were some distance away. Later, I got lost in some backstreets after dark; bit hairy for a few moments, but it all worked out in the end.......These images of Turkish tiles are worth a look:

http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=turkish+tiles&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=ezZFSrKGPIWZjAfv7InQAQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=918206305

...as are these images of the blue mosque:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14059218@N08/3538637826/in/set-72157617840299818/

I made the concrete 'stepping stones', which are decorated with various found glass and ceramic bits, as well as shells and pebbles and glass pieces collected from the beach with my niece. I like to think I have my own little corner of Guell Park-inspired magic taking shape in my back garden - lots of colourful and diverse tiles 'thrown' together. If only it was that simple.........

another tray

What else can you do when the weather turns wet and nasty?! Tray from car boot, 7 soup dishes from various donations/salvages/car boots. I saved 2 of the makers stamps from the underneath of two of the dishes, as I liked the windmill design, and added them to the design. One of the dishes also had the name of the design 'Houx' (Holly), so I cut it out and incorporated it into the design too. I mixed a few acrylic paints into the grout to get this colour. I like it because it gives an overall effect of a piece of old lace and fabric.

served up on a platter

I rescued the tray from a pile of stuff destined for the tip when my neighbour moved house back at the end of November. It's been sitting around ever since then, waiting for me to do something with it! After a dreary start, the sun came out about 3pm yesterday, so I spurred into action, went into the cellar to choose a few plates from my collection, took them into the back garden and settled myself in the sun with my raw materials, and cut and nipped away. I chopped up 2 plates and started to shuffle them around on the tray, and a design took shape. I hardly ever mark anything out or measure - everything is done by eye, hence the lack of symmetry! I like to think it is a bit like hand-made oriental rugs - they are never 'perfect'. Four plates later, and I was ready to start to stick them down. Most of it was finished by the time the sun disappeared from the back of the house, and it was very relaxing and fun. This morning, I decided to try colouring the grout to match the colour of the finish on the wood. I used a couple of acrylic paints, and the colour seemed OK. The finished item has turned out much better than I imagined.....

flashes of inspiration

I'm hoping to get back to visit Barcelona again sometime because I love the Gaudi mosaics and architecture. I think I would be very happy if I lived in Guell Park!
http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/albums-en/gaudi-park-guell/pages/antoni-gaudi-park-guell-01_jpg.html
More inspiring work comes from this man's lifetime of mosaicing. It is in Chartres, and a visit there is also due. I like his work because he too used other people's rubbish to create great pieces.
http://www.thejoyofshards.co.uk/picassiette/index.shtml#anchor184676
http://www.art-insolite.com/pageinsolites/insopicassiette.htm
“I followed my spirit as one follows one’s path (…) Before coming to my work site, I would often walk for several kilometres in search of my raw material : broken plates. The materials I found were the bases of eau de cologne bottles, medecine bottles, whathever people disdain and throw away in pits and dumps but could still be of use. I picked up that which others had rejected (…) I went everywhere to retrieve what no-one had a use for (…) Many people could do as much : but no, they don’t dare. But as for me, I took my hands and they brought me happiness. I would like to be an example”.
Raymond Isidore (1900-1964)

dips and sips

This little object was given to me by a friend a few weeks ago. It was a cast-off as it had a hairline crack, so water just slowly drained away, but I liked its simple shape and size, all the more so because it is made of concrete. I put it on a couple of little supports and topped it up every day - the cats adopted it as a drinking bowl in the recent hot weather, and I've seen sparrows drinking from and splashing in it in the evening. I decided to fix the leak by covering the inside in bits of crockery which came out of both my garden and a friend's when we were digging over our respective patches. I kept most of the pieces the shape and size in which they came out of the ground, which is why there is no real design incorporated, but I had to trim a few bits for the rim. I hope the cats and birds appreciate its new look!!

feet first!

Last year I had my friend Bruno in stitches when I talked about table 'legs' - they are 'feet' in French. Like any good language learner, I made a mental note, and never made the same mistake again!
Back at the end of last autumn, I decided to make myself a garden table to fit in the space by the granite lintel 'benches'. They used to be over the original back window and door, before the wall was rebuilt in the 40s. They were left lying around behind the house, probably because of their weight! I managed to acquire some granite blocks to sit them on, and with help from friends, they became seats.
I made the concrete table top on the floor of my neighbour's garage as it was a convenient flat surface to spread the polythene sheet and wooden frame on. It's heavy, and spent the winter resting on some granite boulders to keep it of the ground and until I got the right legs for it. They turned up at the tip one day - concrete cast-offs from someone's garden. Unfortunately, there are only two of them, so I've had to make some concrete bracers - hopefully they will work......The legs are now covered in old crockery which all came from one recent tip visit. I've left a cup handle on one leg - it looks funny! The table top is resting behind the legs at the moment. Ironically, the crazy-paving indent pattern is from the garage floor it was made on.

I've included a picture of my biggest fan in his 'Mademoiselle' box. He's easily the most handsome bloke around these parts.....

Fired up!

I just had to add this picture of my 'new' Deville woodburner, bought 2nd-hand from a family near Dinard. Because it is full of heat-retaining bricks, it weighs loads, and it took me and three tough assistants to get it up my steps and in place.