Persephone is Home

 To those of you who have been checking this page every so often since November of '09 to see if she has finally materialized, thank you for your patience and diligence. She actually made it to DeEtta's this past summer, but we have been too busy to put the photos up. For anyone who hasn't realized it and wants a closer look, you can click on the image and get a good clear full screen view.

Here she is

Below are some in progress photos to give you an idea 

how this all unfolded. First we needed to get an idea 

of her posture...

So Margot obliged

Beginning to make the shape out of rigid foam.

Bella is interested in this new creature

Bits of Persephone body parts began to pile up in the 

corner as the subtraction process proceeded

The armature and the beginning phase of the

pomegranate base

 

Here she is on the base, beginning to get 

a layer of colored concrete

Now she has the base coat on her upper half, 

awaiting the color coat

 Everything is done but her hair, her dress, 

and the pomegranate for her to hold

Here her hair is finished, and the armature 

for the dress is taking shape

 

The base coat for the dress being applied

Beginning the tile work on the dress

 continuing...

At DeEtta's birthady party, where 

Persephone was unveiled, Margot 

talks to guests about the project

DeEtta seems pretty happy

Here she is in all her glory, complete with little pomegranate 

and colorful snaky arm tattoo. Thank you DeEtta for the 

commission, for the opportunity to learn, and most 

of all for your patience, in allowing us four 

years to complete her!

Creating the mosaic for DeEtta's fountain basin

Over this past spring, summer, and fall, Mark and I finally had all the pieces in place to create this mosaic. Our friend DeEtta had commissioned this fountain 3 years ago, upon completing our first mosaic for her fireplace facade. It took 3 years for the time, space and idea to materialize.

During that time, DeEtta had the concrete basin built and the spiggots installed. Our original idea was to make a statue representing an Earth Mother figure, holding a hemisphere, standing in the middle of the basin. After further consideration, she changed into the person of Persephone, standing on a pomegranite and stretching her hands up to the sunlight. The statue will come later. Meanwhile, we had the fountain basin to bring to life.

Mark and I laid out the paths for the 4 seasons, the galaxy, and the Yin / Yang background, and then the 3 of us had a wonderful time picking out the glass, stones, and special elements to form the mosaic.

In this picture, Mark is contemplating the project before beginning the day's work.

I'm laying in the brilliant colors of summer (my favorite season without a doubt, can you tell?).
It's a bit hard on the back, but so rewarding.

After spreading a thin layer of adhesive, the colorful glass globs are smooshed in place. Next, small rectangles of clear glass are laid in place, one at a time. Finally, the individual stained glass pieces are glued down, following that season's color scheme.

The center of the spiral begins to emerge! Here you can see all of the seasons and their color schemes, as well as the galaxy and the Yin /Yang of darkness and light. How exciting (and a big relief, too!) to have all the patterns established!

Galaxy Girl helps us out! Our dear friend Jodi Fleischman took a break from teaching dance to join us all in exploring the meaning of life while gluing down glass globs.

DeEtta enjoys watching her mosaic evolve

Mark working from a strange angle

DeEtta's cat also kept us company, and gave us the inspiration for our final animal element, the Raven.

Mark and I enjoying the long-awaited grouting party!

At first, the colors become duller, obscured by the muddy-looking grout, but we'll soon polish and buff them back to life.

Summer! The sunlight makes these colors extra vibrant. Look for the second turtle, swimming toward the wall.

The center of the spiral, where the pomegranate dome will be. All 4 season paths begin here, overlapping the galaxy and Yin / Yang paths.

Voila! Some luscious details of the completed work: Autumn on the right swirls up the wall, including the starfish; to the left you see the galaxy in black and white, and the edge where Yin and Yang meet; and finally, a bit of Winter is visible.

Joline El-Hai , fabulous artist and friend, agreed to make this raven for us, to add the fourth animal and complete the Winter strand. Over one weekend, she turned our simple sketch into a gleaming glass bird.

Indulge your love of beauty by clicking on the link for Bella Luz Studio, Joline's glowing glass and art site.

DeEtta is pleased as punch with her new basin! Being a writer and artist herself, she understands the complex process of consulting the muse, figuring out the physical challenges of the site and materials, and keeping the egos in check while our collaboration was materializing.

Our completed Mosaic fountain basin!

After the great labor is complete, the gorgeous mosaic is born! We're all very pleased by the results. We hope you'll have a chance to come see our work in person sometime soon.

Our next big project will be completing a statue of Persephone, for the center of the fountain. She will stand on half a pomegranate, leaning toward the future.

Danville Community Arts Center exhibition, Summer 2008

Mark and I traveled to Danville, Kentucky in June 2008, to exhibit our new works at the Community Arts Center.







Image: "Robert Three Times", Mark Willson, Gouache

We each worked on this body of work over the school year, after contracting with Brandon Long, the executive director.

Why Danville, you may ask, a small college town far from Louisville and other destination cities? Why, it's the home of our dear friends Catherine and Nate, and their boys Bennie and Mathew.

The exhibit was a hit! The audience was very appreciative, we sold about half the show (including pre-sales here in Seattle), and we even had an article written up in the local 5-county paper. Click the Danville link at left to read more.

Transporting our works cross country posed some interesting challenges. We worked in a somewhat smaller scale than usual, and most works are on panel. Mark framed his using metal leaf, which adds even more glow to his "Nude Landscapes". I liked the leaf framing so much, I asked him to frame my "Sock Monkey Heaven"* that way, and he kindly obliged.

*Most of Mark's work, and a few more of mine, were not available on the day we photographed them; they will be posted soon. Also, my works are glazed with a semi-gloss sheen, causing some glare on the images. We'll fix that next time by shooting the images first, then glazing.

Enjoy! Affectionately, Margot

Mark's Danville Paintings

Jillian

18" x 15" Gouache on paper, with guilded frame

$600

Margot's Danville Paintings 2008

Ginjerale in the Realm of the Map Drawer

16" x 20" Acrylic and paper collage on panel

Sold

Francis O'Brien's Canaries in the Coalmine

Francis O'Brien's Canaries in the Coalmine

16" x 12" Acrylic and handmade paper on panel

$350

The Present

The Present

12" x 16" Acrylic and handmade paper on panel

$350

Taj Mahal Pajaros

Taj Mahal Pajaros

16" x 12" Acrylic and handmade paper on panel

$350

Backyard Gossip

Backyard Gossip

11" x 14" Acrylic and handmade paper on panel

Sold

Oh Lovely Imagination

Oh Lovely Imagination

11" x 14" Acrylic and handmade paper on panel

$350

Ivy in the Full Bloom of Summer

Ivy in the Full Bloom of Summer

16" x 12" Acrylic paint on panel

Sold

Raven Cawls the Floodwaters In

Raven Cawls the Floodwaters In

12" x 16", Acrylic and handmade paper on panel

$350

Mark and Margot's First Co-operative Commission!

Last fall, our friend DeEtta Demaratus commissioned us to design, create and install a fireplace facade for her home. DeEtta is an author and art collector, and we are proud to say the walls of her Seattle home primarily feature paintings by Mark and me. Her idea was to challenge us to combine our artistic styles into a colorful mosaic, which would become the focal point of her living room.

We began by observing the site and her garden. Inspired by the twining grape vines along the back fence, whose juice is celebrated at DeEtta's annual harvest party, I sketched the main composition. Then over the rainy winter, we spent many happy hours carefully cutting the glass (Mark), cracking plates and tiles into the right sizes and shapes, and fitting them into the mosaic puzzle. After very thoughtful advance planning, Mark installed the finished work, and it fit beautifully in the space.

The results surprised us, exceeding our expectations! All 3 of us are thrilled with this collaboration. The color, texture, and stories it evokes make this mosaic one of the finest things Mark and I have made. And it flowed so well, with no disagreements along the way (one benefit of mosaic-maiking is you can release frustrations in the process of smashing tiles into tesserae).

Immediately after completion of the mural, DeEtta commissioned us for 2 more works, a fountain and a bench. These will be even more challenging, requiring new combinations of materials. We'll keep you posted with the results.

Delicious Details....

More Details...

Tesserae include tile, Euros and other coins, colored and textured glass cut into specific patterns, and even a remnant of ancient pottery!

Mosaic Mural Celebrates The Mediterranean Muse

Vernazza Harbor

Yes, it really is this colorful! Vernazza is one of the charming villages found in the Cinque Terre, Italy. From here, you can follow the walking trail to the other 4 villages, but try to come on a weekday - it is very popular with Italians out for a Sunday excursion! 

Light-filled Photos from Valencia, Italy and Portugal

Margot's Exhibition: Selected Travel Photographs at Wallingford Starbucks,
Seattle Washington

During the month of June, 2006, I have some of my very favorite photos on display from our travels last year. Wallingford is a great place to enjoy art, a cup of java, and a stroll along the pedestrian-friendly street of 45th Ave North.
LIght casts such a rich, evocative quality to life, especially the light of the Mediterranean.
The interplay of shadows and light, and the ephemeral nature of both, are the common thread in these photos, even more so than the joy of travel. I hope you'll enjoy them.

Framed and matted prints: $125
Prints alone: $75
If you are interested in purchasing a photo, please contact the artist at:
(206) 365-2619

Bejeweled Building on the Grand Canal

Venice was truly a dream come true for me. From the moment we stepped out of the train station, this stunning city was even more amazing than I imagined! This is our favorite building on the Grand Canal, sparkling in the afternoon as if set with jewels.