Melysa Gonzalez
Woolwich Twp., NJ

"Coat of Arms"

Dimensions

Height: 24 inches

Width: 33 inches

This piece was inspired out of necessity. I love classic mosaic pieces, and I wanted one for my home, but have never found one that fit my personality. I wanted the piece to look antique, like it was removed from some ancient temple, and be able to hang it up on the wall. The design is a Coat of Arms, or family crest, with an astrological theme. Family crests usually have a credo written in Latin running along the borders. I decided to use Luna y Sol, meaning the sun and the moon. My guy and I are both Leo's with different personalities, day and night, so the theme worked perfectly. Continuing with the theme, I had to incorporate two lions flanking the shield. The largest bevel was used as the tip of the shield and was monogrammed with a hand painted 'M'. The bevel cluster gives the shield its unique shape and definitely makes the ribbons of color stand out. I created the black swirl border to break up the background and add extra decorative touch. The piece is mounted on a plywood and 1x2 base and is framed with dental molding that I painted black. I wanted to give the appearance of a tapestry, so I added two finials on either side of the piece. Due to the intricate design, I had to start the piece by gluing pieces onto fiberglass mesh that I placed over a full scale paper print out of the design. Once I finished the border and all the outlines, I removed the paper and glued the mesh onto the plywood. The rest was just filling in. I don't know the piece count on this project because I didn't have the heart to count. I used 2 types of grout to accentuate the crest from the background. The stars and decorative beads were silicon glued onto the piece after grouting. I decided to stick to the classical mosaic form and didn't even look at my soldering iron this month. I had a great time and learned a lot.

Use of Theme Items

(4) Rose Brooches- They are the centerpiece of each side of the black swirl border.

(1) Bevel Cluster- Was painted and backed with BriteBak and used as focal points on the shield.

Glass selection

Spectrum - Opals and Cathedrals in Red, Amber, Blue, Green, Purple, Brown and Black

Various: Accent Glass from my scraps, Mirror, Iridized Glass, Brass castings, Beads and Glass Jewels

Roadblocks and Hurdles

Never doing a full mosaic piece, this entire project was a hurdle and took over 70 hours due to my lack of experience. Luckily I was able to complete the project with the invaluable information from experienced friends (thanks P.D.) and from several books. Also, gluing all of those tiny little pieces definitely demands patience and perseverance, both of which I severely lack!